DUNELM AWARD FOR RICOH ARENA CONFERENCE
A CINEMATIC SPECTACLE
A conference staged at the Ricoh Arena has received national recognition for creating a cinematic spectacle.
Live Events agency Meet & Potato transformed the Coventry venue’s 6,000 square ft Ericsson Exhibition Hall into a film festival for home furnishings retailer Dunelm’s annual Conference, hosting over 500 people.
The event was recognised as UK Conference of the Year at the 2016 Conference & Incentive Travel (C&IT) Awards, held on September 23 at the Hilton London, Park Lane.
The two-day event welcomed delegates on a red carpet leading into the hall which had been kitted out with a 20 metre projection screen, a red curtain backdrop and inflatable domes with classic movies projected on to them.
The conference even featured an Oscar-style gala dinner and awards ceremony, bringing all the glamour of Hollywood to the Ricoh Arena.
Content was delivered innovatively using creative Videos and Powerpoint design spread across the two days, the second of which saw the hall transformed yet again, with the introduction of themed film studios in the venue, bringing the client’s key messages to life.
Delegates enjoyed VIP catering, which would not be out of place in Hollywood.
Andy Gibb, Managing Director at the Ricoh Arena, said: “It’s fantastic to see our exhibition space helping other organisations to win awards.
“The Ericsson Exhibition Hall serves as a large blank canvas for any group or individual who is looking to get creative and create their own immersive experience from scratch – providing a huge space to create the perfect event without restrictions.
“We are delighted the Dunelm Conference has been recognised for its success and we look forward to welcoming and getting involved in more brilliant events like this.”
Darren Bulmer at Dunelm, added: “We are delighted to have won this award in what is an incredibly competitive category.
“Conferences are critically important in engaging our colleagues, both in terms of recognising achievements and motivating everyone for the year ahead, so we needed to combine creative thinking with a flexible location to bring it all to life.
“We had both of those qualities with Meet and Potato and the Ricoh Arena, and without them this could not have been achieved.”