InterContinental Hotels Group is an FTSE 100 hotel company and its purpose is to create great hotels guests love.
With over 5200 hotels worldwide operating across twelve brands, IHG has one of the most impressive hotel portfolios in the hospitality industry. We started working together in 2016 after winning a competitive internal communications pitch to create their annual company wide CEO’s guide to the year.
We were subsequently delighted to be selected as IHG’s internal communications partner for Europe. Our first major brief was to work with IHG on the creative strategy and theme for the IHG Europe Conference 2017 in Berlin. Held bi-annually, this prestigious event is attended by over 550 Owners and General Managers from across Europe.
The relationship between IHG and hotel owners is fundamental to their combined commercial success, and this event is vital in encouraging stronger business relationships and accelerating progress for both parties. Our understanding of this relationship was vital in helping us to understand the complex audience eco-system and the unique challenges and desires of the conference delegates.
The brief. Connect and deliver 3 days of tradeshows, awards, immersive experiences, insight and keynote sessions.
The format of the conference fell into 4 main categories:
Plenary – a series of presentations delivered by senior IHG leaders focused on future strategy and growth for hotels
MarktPlatz – an opportunity for IHG suppliers and internal corporate functions to present their latest products and services to hotel owners and general managers
BrandLIVE – hotel brand immersion environments designed to take delegates on a journey from brand strategy and standards through to hotel estate growth and commercial results
Bitesize – delegates were invited to attend a selection of short TedX style sessions around industry insights and best practice
Inspiring action
To capture the conference theme, we worked with the IHG team to develop an active visual device called ‘energised strands’ representing each of the three conference zones: Bitesize, Marktplatz and BrandLIVE. By using multiple bright, interwoven shapes and patterns, we created immediate standout and expressed collaboration, differentiation and acceleration through CGI, motion graphics and animation.