Living The Brand, Creating A Four-day Wellbeing Experience

Objective

Our client, a leader in their field, understands the importance of engaging with industry journalists to explore latest products, write considered reviews and recommend to their readers. With a global audience to reach, major product launches need to attract attention and any invitation to influential journalists must be enticing – and must deliver on its promise. In planning the launch of their latest browser, unique for its focus on user wellbeing, our client wanted to give delegates a totally immersive experience.

The brief

This would be the third event of its type and the second delivered by MGN Events. The previous event had proved highly successful and our client had no hesitation in asking us to collaborate on their next product launch, this time in Portugal.

What we did

Running over four days and across multiple locations, we curated an inspiring itinerary for 52 journalists and 25 internal stakeholders – a VIP experience designed to bring to life the benefits and features of our client’s new product. And in order to ensure a seamless and consistent experience from one venue to another, we utilised all of our design and production skills so that our client’s brand was always front and centre.

Our venue search started in Cascais, a beautiful coastal resort just a short journey from Lisbon, and the choice of hotel in which the journalists would stay was an easy decision. Sheraton Cascais Resort, located in the most exclusive part of Cascais, offered everything we wanted for our VIP guests – plush and stylish rooms, plus an award-winning wellbeing centre and indoor Zen garden. From here we were able to build the entire itinerary.

The first day of the event was all about arrivals, transfers and getting settled at the hotel. We had taken care of all travel logistics. A bespoke registration website was key to gathering all necessary information to arrange flights, and our pre-event comms plan kept all delegates fully informed in the run up to the event.

The brand experience truly began from the moment guests arrived at the hotel. Once in their rooms the journalists discovered an array of carefully selected gifts that complemented the event’s theme – Palo Santo holy wood, which is a natural remedy for stress, a Stolp Signal Blocker Box for phones and car keys, an Ostrichpillow face mask and neck pillow, a Rains weekend bag and branded notepad and pen.

Dinner on the first night was held in the most amazing surroundings. Forte da Crismina is a 19th century fort that sits high on the cliffs of Cascais. As well as being of historic and architectural interest, the fortress also offers stupendous views of the Atlantic Ocean – even more stunning at sunset. With the coastal landscape and the sound of waves on the beach below, it was the perfect setting in which to enjoy an exquisite three-course dinner.

The next day was focused on the product launch. The conference venue was another easy choice but presented one challenge – the transfer from the hotel to Lisbon could take up to an hour. However, we cleverly turned it into an opportunity. A few tweaks to the conference schedule and we could organise travel outside of rush hour, reducing the transfer time. And the masterstroke was to make the coach journey an integral part of the experience – we served health juice shots as the journalists boarded the coach and we hosted the journey itself, setting the scene for the day and leading discussions around wellness.

Travelling into Lisbon, journalists would be forgiven for expecting a typical city venue. Estufa Fria was anything but. Located in the middle of Lisbon, Estufa Fria is an oasis of lush green gardens. Described as a living museum, with hundreds of species of plants, tranquil pools and waterfalls, Estufa Fria is utterly enchanting and the perfect way in which to feel connected to nature.

Refreshed with beverages and breakfast bites, attendees were ready for the conference to begin at 11am. Having built in rehearsal time earlier in the week, the presenters were well prepared and the conference ran beautifully. Plenary sessions were held classroom-style so that journalists had space in which to use their various devices and we arranged for multiple charging points to be installed so that no one ran out of battery power. A 6m x 3m LED wall with a 2.6mm pitch was installed, a specification we knew was essential for our client due to the intricate nature of their product demonstrations needing to be displayed on screen. We also built a 8m x 3m stage with black carpet and our production team designed a lighting scheme that would highlight presenters as well as making the most of the amazing space. We used greenery walls to create a catering area and smaller spaces in which the journalists could conduct interviews with our client’s team. We also set up a demo area where attendees could enjoy hands-on discovery of the browser’s various wellbeing features. Additionally, we created a wellness lounge, furnished with rugs, cushions, and silent disco headphones playing the soothing soundscapes that feature on the new browser. This space provided a relaxing retreat for journalists during their free time.

Following the conference, guests enjoyed a sumptuous gala dinner at Eleven, a Michelin-starred restaurant conveniently close to Estufa Fria – set on Lisbon’s highest hill, the restaurant offers fabulous views of the city, a perfect wow factor. Acclaimed chef Joachim Koerper designed a sophisticated gourmet five-course dinner. Adding to the atmosphere, a DJ and saxophonist performed as guests arrived and a close-up magician entertained throughout the meal. We also installed an AI booth – a huge hit at the UK event, it again proved extremely popular. After dinner our DJ livened up the atmosphere as the after-party got underway.

Day three was all about wellbeing and the chance to enjoy organised activities that had been chosen by the journalists when registering for the event. We had planned beach yoga and surfing, followed by a beach picnic and a group hike around the Sintra Mountains in the afternoon. We knew that there would be a risk of inclement weather and, sure enough, we had to put our back-up plan into action when the morning brought rain. Thankfully, a tour of the historic National Palace of Sintra proved fascinating and our planned picnic switched effortlessly to a traditional Portuguese meal in a charming restaurant nearby. Returning to the hotel, journalists had some free time before a short journey to Colares Winery. A wine tasting session was held upon arrival, before a delicious dinner where each course was carefully paired with wine from the cellar.

Day 4 and it was time to say ‘adeus’. We organised transfers throughout the day to return guests to the airport for their homebound flights, ensuring a stress-free and perfect end to a perfect trip.

The results

A product launch with a difference, this event provided a brand experience that embodied the wellbeing aspect of the new browser and positioned this tech company as both innovative and people focused. The buzz created around the 2024 event undoubtedly influenced journalists’ decisions to attend in Portugal – the attendance rate increased from 45 journalists to 52.

Globally, over 30 articles were published which included in-depth analysis of the new browser and resulted in high-quality press coverage that met our client’s objectives. In Germany, one interview in particular gained significant traction. Outside of industry-specific media coverage, networking platforms such as LinkedIn also saw a huge amount of activity and excitement.

Our client successfully built stronger connections with the journalists and further feedback on the event itself was very positive in terms of organisation and itinerary. Attendees’ perception of our client’s business and products has improved, which ensures a more positive narrative in media coverage. And 96% said they would happily attend a future event, with one journalist describing their experience as: “the best press trip in over 20 years of attending press events”.