Strategic information can also be different.

Diamond show – polishing the stone together.

The strategy was symbolized by a diamond. Perfect for experiencing all the facets of the strategy embedded in a story. The partners were in the hot seat, answering questions on the subject against the clock. The strategic content was delivered in fascinating bite-sized chunks in order to communicate its implementation clearly and tangibly. During the entertaining 60-minute show, staff were inspired and encouraged to continue polishing the rough stone to produce a glittering diamond.

Polishing the stone together to produce a glittering diamond.

The journey is set to continue beyond the communal kick-off. The diamond show will now be followed by an onboarding process that reinforces and embeds the new strategy in employees’ minds, point by point, allowing them to jointly shape the future direction.

The story – the focal point.

There’s no show without a compelling story. The standing ovation project team created the storytelling with a specific message and a real-world experience. The same applied to the visual storyline and to the event concept, planning, implementation of the show and project management, which was developed and executed by standing ovation in collaboration with Synpulse and screenpro AG, its project partner for technical studio implementation.

Repositioning. Success factors.

standing ovation impressed the Europa Forum Lucerne management team with its agency evaluation. They developed the repositioning together, including strategy, vision, values and targets. Europa Forum Lucerne has evolved into a platform where visitors of every generation can share their views and ideas about Europe, discuss relevant content, obtain guidance and jointly seek new solutions. The defined success factors for achieving this objective:

• Dynamism. Through the combination of inspiration, guidance and discourse
• Interaction. Turning audiences into contributors
• Format mix. Different formats for different target audiences with a focus on dialogue
• Staging. With agile agendas, entertaining scripts and participation
• Content. Consisting of inputs, innovations and the key findings as a media-focused publication

New event identity. New branding.

In various work streams, the standing ovation project team developed actions covering all areas of the redesign. These included a comprehensive communication and media concept. Plus an entirely new event identity with logo, colors, fonts, text headline concept, stage design and other elements.

Experience, subject matter, constant dialogue.

Today’s Europa Forum Lucerne.

Society and the next generation are now more closely involved in the programming, scripting and innovative formats. Experience, subject matter, constant dialogue, platform and community, sponsorship and media partnerships form the basis for a holistic live experience.

Second learning: Action needs expertise.

An authority and standing ovation? Such cooperation was uncharted territory for both partners. “We wanted to be the actors in the change process ourselves. With standing ovation we had an idea provider, sparring partner and coach. So the implementers and doers stayed. This constellation was decisive for success“, comments Nancy Wayland Bigler.

For standing ovation, the first step was to look at the complex change process from a bird’s eye view in order to identify hurdles and possibilities. “The project was divided into three phases,” says Thomas Volprecht, Head of Branding and Strategy at standing ovation, outlining the procedure. “In a first step, we worked out the elements of the change story from the perspective of the employees. This was followed by a co-creation phase, in which we discussed the joint road map and accompanying communication measures. The third phase was the conception of employee event, in which the culture of change was actively initiated und experienced by all employees.“

Shaping change means addressing the mind and emotions.

Thomas Volprecht, Head of Branding and Strategy standing ovation

Third Learning: Future means Teamwork

Then came October 16, 2018: More than 350 SVA employees had assembled at the „Kulturzentrum Aarau“ to initiate and intensify the culture of change. Everyone was excited, everyone wanted to get started. All the greater was the impact of the bad news: The management of the SVA Aargau had resigned shortly before the employee event; it was replaced by appropriate software. Now it was up to the employees to become active.

The strategy of the opening scene (conceived by the SVA team leaders) was successful: It created the right framework to experience the employee event as a festival of interaction, inspiration and dialogue. As an event service provider, standing ovation, together with the SVA team leader, created the various experience formats as well as the overall dramaturgy. “Thanks to the teamwork with standing ovation, it was possible to anchor the topic of change in the minds and hearts.“ But what was equally pleasing for Nancy Wayland Bigler: “It was possible to achieve a very large impact with a rather limited budget.”