1. CASESTUDY
Hewlett-Packard’s (HP) Enterprise Sales
Conference could not be described as a
small-scaleevent.Involving3,500membersof
the company’s sales force from Europe, the
Middle East andAfrica, it required a substan-
tial venue, abundant quality accommodation
and meticulous planning, a fact attested by
events agency MICE International.
Working closely with HP’s event team, the
agency was involved in almost every aspect
of planning and execution, from organising
delegates’ flights, accommodation and
ground transportation, to creating the event’s
presentation software and branding.
The focus of HP’s 2003 conference was on
winning, with day one tackling the issue of
‘Winning with Customers’ and including
addressesfromHPcustomerstohelpdelegates
understand their needs. Day two looked at
‘Winning with Partners’, while the final day –
‘Winning with our Portfolio’– involved spe-
cifictrainingfordelegates,regardingproducts,
solutions and the industry they sell into.
“It was a serious training event with presen-
tations and interactive workshops,” stresses
MICE International’s HP account director
Mags Desai. “But there were also organised
social activities to promote networking and
teambuilding. The
event was held at Dis-
neyland Resort Paris,
so there was a variety
ofrestaurantsplustwo
theme parks, and we
were able to arrange
different activities for
every night.”
The resort was
chosen thanks to its
accessibility – most
delegates from the
UK travelled from
London by Eurostar,
which stops directly
at Disneyland Resort Paris – as well as its
competitive pricing and plentiful accommo-
dation. All 3,500 of the employees and VIPs
attending were able to stay on-site.
Despite Disneyland’s two purpose-built
convention centres offering flexible facilities
– the largest catering for up to 2,300 – neither
was big enough for HP’s delegation. To
accommodate the 2003 conference’s plenary
sessions – plus its exhibition and delegate
lunches – a temporary structure was commis-
sioned by construction experts the De Boer
Group, and erected between Disney’s
purpose-built centres. The existing centres
were used for the 150 breakout sessions.
Plenary highlights included HP CEO Carly
Fiorina’s address to the sales force plus a
surprise appearance by BuzzAldrin. “Ms Fio-
rina is a very dynamic and charismatic speaker
andherspeechwashugelymotivational,”says
HPeventmanagerDanielaOpp.“Bothsheand
Buzz received a standing ovation.”
Innovations for the 2003 conference
comprisedpresentationsinaninformal,‘chat-
showformat’onthesecondday,incorporating
a band, which involved HPemployees. Guest
speakers from HP alliance partners also took
part, answering questions posed by show
host Kasper Rorsted, HP EMEA managing
director and senior vice-president enterprise
systems group EMEA, with the help of
multi-media solutions, such as Viewscape (a
software package) to support their presenta-
tions in a more animated format.
Evening activities promoted informal
networking, with delegates visiting the Walt
Disney Studios Park on the first night, sam-
pling rides such asArmageddon and Rock ‘n’
Roller Coaster. On the second evening, they
dined together in country groups in the Disney
18 Conference & Incentive Travel FEBRUARY 2004
Hewlett-Packard’s2003
EnterpriseSalesConference
atDisneylandResortParis
wasonascalethatfew
companieswouldattempt.
SarahWildreportsona
globaleventattended
by3,500delegates
HPconferenceheadsfor
“Oneofthe
challenges
wasorganising
flightsforso
manypeople.
Wetackledit
likeamilitary
operation.”
MagsDesai,
HPaccountdirector,
MICEInternational
Disneylandadoptedaflexibleapproach TheHPconferencewasalarge-scaleeventwithpresentations,interactiveworkshopsandsocialactivities

2. FEBRUARY 2004 Conference & Incentive Travel 19
Villageandresorthotels,whileaspace-themed
party was held on the final night – to reflect
Buzz Aldrin’s contribution to the conference.
The whole event ran smoothly, despite the
logistical challenges faced by MICE Interna-
tional. “One of the toughest was organising
flights for so many delegates, from more than
30countries,”saysDesai.“Butwehaveavery
competent aviation and registration team.We
tackled it like a military operation.”
Carmen Bonetta, an HP event manager,
confirms that delegate feedback has been
resolutely positive. “More than 90 per cent
rated the event either ‘good’or ‘excellent’on
both content and production in post-event
evaluation analysis,” she says.
FACTFILE
CompanyHewlett-Packard(HP)
EventEnterpriseSalesConference
AgencyMICEInternational
Dates10-12November2003
VenueDisneylandResortParis
Groupsize3,500
Budgetundisclosed
Disneyland
“Morethan
90percent
ofdelegates
ratedthe
eventeither
‘good’or
‘excellent’.”
CarmenBonetta,
eventmanager,
HewlettPackard
BuzzAldrinmadeasurpriseappearance