Creativity, design, innovation... These are values that are repeated in Alejo Serrano's career at MICE. Today, he shares with us his experiences, his concerns and his forecasts regarding the industry.
Event customization, Team Building
Nov 22, 2019
Well, to be honest, the thought of being part of this sector, which I am so passionate about today, was never a part of my plans. For many years I was working in the cultural sector as a promoter of concerts and festivals, competitions and exhibitions of urban art, sports, etc. When the time came, I decided to specialize at the training level in this field (events), and landed at Es.Cultura Eventos as a practitioner. After going through different positions, 13 years later, here I remain as Marketing Director for a group of companies. These companies have given me all the facilities needed to combine my current position with my teaching aspect, as well as with the Strategic Marketing Management in other companies. In one way or another, these companies are related to the MICE sector; such as MKG20 Digital Train, online marketing agency specialized in the tourism sector, El Esparragal, a complete farmhouse focused on the MICE sector, or Discoveron Industrial Tourism, for example.
Without a doubt, the trend that has had the most development is the production and sell of Team Building experiences. As it happens today with Online Marketing, it took many years until the entrepreneurs and executives of large companies realized the potential of these dynamics to encourage motivation, coordination, communication, leadership, and after all, profitability of its employees. This sector also forces us to continually renew our offer: a decade ago what was most demanded were experiences related to local culture, gastronomy and folklore, or we went through the ephemeral fashion of CSR-centered activities. However, the new generations require activities that focus on the care of the body and mind. The inclusion of new technologies in all dynamics is another of the great milestones of recent years, of course.
Fortunately, the event decision makers of large corporations are increasingly clear about the benefits of our activity; they offer us more detailed briefings, which gives us the opportunity to offer them options that fit 100% of their objectives.
We start from a basic thematic proposal, a concept, an idea. Contrary to what happens with the rest of our lines, the thematizations require a series of repeated visits to the space in particular; Since each location has a series of characteristics that make it unique, and the adaptation to those characteristics becomes especially important. Luckily, we have some impressive production partners, great professionals who always find a way to achieve the best results without the budget or theme being affected.
Once the space has been visited, the measurements and necessary photographs have been taken, we turn to the work of rendering the space and its virtual thematization, so that the client can get an idea of what the final result will be. After confirmation by the client, we go to work in the workshop, where wood, fabrics, paint, porexpan and a long list of materials are the main protagonists, along with our carpenters, specialists in fine arts, etc.
In parallel, the scripts and essays are worked on, in case the thematization demands the appearance of actors and other specialists.
A few days (and sometimes just hours) before the start of the event, we move on to the thematization on-site, leaving (whenever we allow it) some margin for small tweaks and adjustments that, in general, are necessary. So, when everything is taken care of, small details, sound tests, lighting, etc., we wait for the attendees to arrive!
Undoubtedly! We offer services, not products … and the services are supported by our professionals, the people who perform it and who are in direct contact with the attendees. To achieve success, we must organize events where things happen that excite, where the differential details matter, and in this aspect our team is the main protagonist; the equipment goes after, as they are less exciting. We must take care of the guests, accompany them, share, live together, we must all be everyone’s hosts.
Creativity is undoubtedly one of the most important aspects in our sector, I think we all have it clear. We try to go a little further, always working on one of our fundamental principles, profitable creativity: being able to achieve the greatest impact with the least possible budgetary effort.
We try to go a little further, always working on one of our fundamental principles, profitable creativity: being able to achieve the greatest impact with the least possible budgetary effort.
Hard choice! A themed gala dinner in the movie Grease in detail (flaming centerpieces, wrapping photocalls shaped like the famous pink Cadillac, lots of entertainment and shows, and we even set up the Riders awards showcase, as well as a complete wardrobe for all guests, including the leather jackets of the T-Birds and the Pink Ladies); the edition of Survivors that we organize for 1,000 people (thematizing an area of pine forests and beach); any of the Family Day organized for a well-known brand of the aeronautical sector (thematizing a pharaonic hangar); the decoration and setting of a hotel for Halloween (in which to enter, we had to enter the mouth of a giant skull); or setting up an “authentic” gypsy wedding for a dinner of 650 executives. I wouldn’t know how to choose, and I could spend hours like that.
Most attendees come with a very proactive attitude, but this is not always the case. Luckily, one aspect that we take great care of is the staff, since they are the ones who have direct contact with the attendees. The key moment is the briefing of the activity, as it is time to get attention and encourage participation, so a good speaker is essential. If this part is well done, everything usually goes on wheels.
Although, after finishing the activity, we do not usually have much more direct contact with the attendees. Most of our clients are recurring, so we understand that the organization has managed to transmit the desired values and objectives at first, and that the attendees have left more, they are satisfied with the activity.
Advantages, all of them.
To begin, our clients feel calm, since by not having to outsource anything, last-minute surprises are virtually nil. Having your product or service 100% internally, it gives our customers the opportunity to completely “forget” that part of their event.
Another important aspect is the adaptability offered by being able to produce everything from scratch, of course.
Our customers also highly value the ability to react to last-minute changes, as well as record production times. As we all know, event confirmations are getting late, and having the ability to adapt to these short times can only be achieved when you have your own production equipment. Answering the second question, this might also be the biggest challenge.
In my case, having such a powerful production team gives me wings when it comes to meeting with my clients, since I can safely confirm during a meeting, that everything is materializable and that our limit is your imagination. I greatly enjoy the moment in which, spontaneously, an-impromptu creativity session arises with my clients. That confidence when dreaming, without our production team, would be impossible.
Our company is characterized by having a very flat structure, without large hierarchies. Everyone, within each department, approaches the shoulder at all levels when necessary.
I usually participate in many parts of the process, although I miss the one I consider the most fun: production. It is very common to see me participating in the initial process of brainstorming and conceptualization of the event, although it is true that I tend to be very aware of almost every project until confirmation, my role is greatly reduced until the start of the event, where I tend to be present as host of our client. It is impossible to be everywhere.
On the other hand, my work requires me to be continuously measuring the pulse of the sector; trends, prices, competition, demand, so I play an important role in the development of new products and ideas, the establishment of prices, the incorporation of novelties to the projects, etc.
Finally, let’s not forget that events are one of the best existing communication tools. The design of the flowchart of the assistant’s experience is usually among my responsibilities, that is, the experiential journey of our guests from the beginning to the end of the event.
Clear, direct, simple, even informal, and of course focused on the needs of our customers. I see many companies that focus their communication campaigns on simply explaining how good they are, which is quite common. When everyone does the same, it’s time to differentiate. In a sector where we sell “smoke castles”, our clients want to see real cases, previous experiences produced, something more tangible, so that we must capture that experience accumulated in all our communications.
Our clients want to see real cases, previous experiences produced, something more tangible.
On the other hand, we are facing a sector with multiple types of providers, and the agencies are saturated with so many emails, calls and business visits. So, we have to adopt new, less intrusive forms of communication, such as professional social networks, which allow us to indirectly inform our clients. In Es.Cultura we are fortunate to be able to communicate what we are producing almost daily, so the most important thing in terms of communication, information of value and interest, practically comes naturally.
I have always been very interested in the work done by the large destination promotion agencies. I am very used to the marketing of specific products and services, as well as certain commercial brands, but the promotion of a larger “brand”, such as a city or even a country, is something I have never had the pleasure of perform.
