Over a decade of collaboration is not just proof of well-executed work; it is also a challenge to continuously bring new vision and energy to recurring projects. The specificity of our long-term client—brand Husqvarna—is its very wide and diverse product range. Husqvarna produces tools for forestry and gardening for both professionals and private use. It also offers construction machines, motorcycles, bicycles, and many other categories of equipment. Due to such a broad range of products, as well as a complex structure of customers—from private individuals to institutions across various sectors of the economy—the brand's sales model relies heavily on its dealer network. Therefore, this network is the target of many of the company's B2B marketing initiatives, among which event marketing—meetings, training sessions, and conferences—plays an important role. The largest project, the Husqvarna Dealer Conference, takes place every year. However, due to the pandemic, the last meeting with a wide audience occurred in 2019. Thus, this edition was highly anticipated.
Challenges
Conferences for Dealers usually focus on current challenges and needs. This was our starting point in building the concept for the 2022 event. Recently, external negative conditions and obstacles to business development, such as the pandemic and the threat of war, along with the resulting disruptions in production and distribution chains, have played a significant role. These events have created an awareness that some business development opportunities could not be leveraged.
The Client's expectation was to prepare an event that would strengthen Dealer engagement and serve as an inspiration for business and technological transformation, as well as showcase product innovations for the coming year.
What were the pillars of this year's event?
- Focus on products – this time, new elements of the offering were at the center. The product innovations became the heart of the event, and we built the narrative around them – first, they took the stage during the conference part, and then in the practical part of the workshops.
- Premiere character – the product premieres set the tone for the event, and the setup was prepared to create a launch atmosphere around them. We selected appropriate resources on and around the stage. As Marcin Andrzejczyk, Marketing & Communication Manager of the Husqvarna Group, emphasizes in a conversation with Dominik Górka in the #livexperience15 interview, this construction and setup were the result of a goal: the need to place a clear emphasis on the product innovations.
New Approach
These elements shifted the focus of the event from the conference part, which dominated past editions, to the product and workshop part. This change broke the long-standing event scheme.
Applied communication means:
- In the conference part – a teaser of what will be the subject of the workshops
- Product premieres and pre-premiere shows for Dealers
- Premiere spirit of the event – a special stage setup (dedicated multimedia, retractable screens, special lighting and musical effects, smoke effects)
- Power speech by special guest – Karol Bielecki with a lecture on the challenges of the past year, with inspirations for further hard work in the coming years despite challenges, and advice on how to make good decisions in difficult moments and how to build winning teams
- Focus on the workshop and training part
- Hosted by: Marcin Prokop.
Effects
About 350 people attended the 3-day meeting – the first such large stationary meeting of the dealer network in the past 3 years. The organizers were pleased with the high attendance of participants at the workshops on the second day, which indicates successful efforts in generating interest and engagement for participation. The event concluded with a festive gala for awarding prizes for the anniversaries of 10, 20, and 30 years of cooperation between Dealers and the brand. Awards were given to 25 entities.
