Inspiration

Zeiss’s National Sales Meeting United a Huge Company in One Perfect Event

An event location is more than just a place – it’s a representation of the brand and company culture.

Founded in Germany in 1846, ZEISS has remained a global pioneer in the optoelectronics industry for nearly two centuries. A few years ago, ZEISS opened an innovative manufacturing lab outside Cincinnati, with custom technology to precisely fit customer needs—something that had never been done before. We at Trademark saw an opportunity to bring the geographically diverse company together in Cincinnati to experience the hub of innovation firsthand.

While in-person sales meetings are currently on hiatus, they could be back sooner than we think. Either way, below is a fond recollection of a recent Trademark triumph.

First, we flew to Cincinnati and interviewed twenty ZEISS employees about their passion for the company. From executives to lab technicians, employees spoke about their personal belief in the ZEISS mission and what the company means to them. In particular, they all seemed jazzed about the new levels of the sunglass-level UV protection offered by UVProtect technology. To round off the video with some fun, we filmed employees drumming to the same ZEISS beat and each adding their own personal flair. When we returned to Cincinnati to produce the ZEISS National Sales Meeting, we showed the video to a packed house. Employees were moved to see how their friends and colleagues from across the company fit together as part of a whole. To this end, we designed custom conference branding to celebrate cross-company pride, including a photo treatment showcasing employees at work on their home turf in their sales territories and at their local labs. Only a handful of senior sales associates had been to a lab, so they were able to see where the products were made. We united salespeople with employees on the ground—people who grind the lens, bend the frames, bring on the coatings—together in one large celebration. After the video screening, we kicked off the General Session with a high-energy interactive drumming performance led by Benjamin Handel, Tony Award-Winning cast member of the Broadway show BLAST!

Then came the outdoor festivities. We celebrated the manufacturing team with live music and mouth-watering Cincinnati barbecue. Employees let off steam and bonded through games like the joust, giant Jenga, inflatable basketball, and kickball darts.

Finally, ZEISS employees gave back to the community by volunteering with Habitat for Humanity at Downtown Cincinnati’s Duke Energy Center. Framing walls for houses allowed employees to come together while also helping house local residents in need: a win-win.

Cincinnati was the perfect place to rally everyone around the exciting innovations at ZEISS, and recognize the meaningful work being done across the company.

This is just the kind of event we specialize in at Trademark—one that brings people together in a meaningful location to foster team building and community engagement. We also specialize in taking the weight off your shoulders. We do all the heavy lifting, keeping your guests entertained and imbibed, so that on the day of the event, you can just relax and watch your company unite. As the world opens up again, we can’t wait to organize a similar event for your company at the perfect place. Contact us today.