MarketingMuses

Come and See the Show! (Part 5)

Soon the Gypsy Queen in a glaze of Vaseline will perform on guillotine. What a scene! What a scene! - Emerson, Lake & Palmer

 

Do Something Special and Memorable…

Barcelona is a beautiful, historic city, and we took advantage of that.  Attendees were taken on a 45-minute tour of the city highlighting architectural gems, including the famed Sagrada Familia cathedral and other Gaudi masterworks.  They were delivered to Casa Fuster, a historic 5-star hotel, for an evening of Catalan food, Spanish wine, and Flamenco performance.  Each place setting also included a note of thanks with a Gaudi Dragon replica gift as a remembrance.

…and Expect the Best, but Prepare for the Worst

The plan for the evening was to start with cocktails on El Mirador (The Lookout), with beautiful views of the mountains and city, but it was too windy.  However, we had planned for this possibility, and had a beautiful alternative in the Café Vienes.  We also had a couple of surprises with facilities at the hotel and with a speaker, but we had backup plans for each, so there was no noticeable disruption.

   

Casa Fuster facade

Flamenco dancers

  

El Mirador (The Lookout)

 

Cafe Vienes

 
 

  

Come and See the Show! (Part 3)

Come inside, the show’s about to start. Guaranteed to blow your head apart. - Emerson, Lake & Palmer

 

Establish Immediate Rapport with Attendees

The evening before the conference began, we held a cocktail party for everyone who arrived the afternoon before the conference (about 80% of the total attendees).  But we didn’t stop there.  We arranged for parties of 15 to 20 with a mix of Symyx personnel and attendees to have dinner at fine restaurants around Barcelona.  This allowed everyone to socialize and establish rapport before the conference began.