Castrol held a 3-module marketing training event for 200 delegates over 9 months. Module 3 was a 3-day conference at the ExCel center in London, featuring presentations, workshops, and networking activities. It concluded with a gala dinner cruise on the Thames and finale presentations. Venues Event Management planned the logistics, registration, and produced marketing materials to tie the events together for the delegates.

1. case
STUDY
Client: Castrol
Event: Marketing the Castrol Way
Group Size: 200 Delegates
Agency: Venues Event Management
Date: April 2012
Venue: ExCel, Silver Sturgeon
Outside Agencies: AV Network and NOHA

2. case
STUDY
The Concept
Castrol is a brand of industrial and automotive lubricants that is
applied to a large range of oils, greases and similar products for most
lubrication applications.
The client ran high level worldwide marketing training programmes
for its top marketers that consisted of three individual modules that
commenced May 2011.
The three modules were held in different venues worldwide to cater
for the demographics of delegates attending.
Venues Event Management were asked to project manage the
logistics of the event including venue sourcing, planning and
management, delegate relationship management and coordination
and event registration activities. Venues Event Management were
very much involved in supporting the onsite team to deliver the
sessions effectively.
Modules 1 and 2 were both regional events with the same content for
each region, then Module 3 bought all regions together for the final
part of the training programme.

3. case
STUDY
The Concept
Module 1
May/June 2011 - 40/50 delegates at
each of the regional events:
· The Sheraton Hotel and Towers,
Kuala Lumpur
· The Hyatt Morristown, New Jersey
· Victoria Park Plaza, London
Module 2
October/November 2011 - 40/50
delegates at each of the regional
events:
· Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur
· The Hyatt Morristown, New Jersey
· The Lyrath Estate, Kilkenny

4. case
STUDY
The Brief
Debbie Bell, Senior Project Manager says “for
Module 3, the client expressed an interest in a UK
venue for the conference.
London was the chosen destination to tie in with
the Olympics, as BP are a major sponsor and
provided an excellent opportunity for all delegates
to come to the city in 2012 and showcase what
London has to offer.”
Debbie added “Venues Event Management were
challenged to source accommodation within
walking distance for the 200 delegates and a
further 50 rooms for the support team and crew.
One of the key reasons for using ExCel London was
the accessibility of the Aloft and Novotel Hotel’s
that were both adjacent to the conference venue.”

5. case
STUDY
In terms of production the venue was required to accommodate a
small number of delegates in ratio to the space:
• 100m x 40m with a 10m
ceiling height;
• A central area for the 200
delegates and four breakout
zones for each region;
• Further break-out zones
needed in one area.
Suzanne Purchase, Director of AV Network commented: “AV Network was
engaged to produce and execute all live aspects of the event that had to be
delivered across a number of engagement platforms. Our brief was to
deliver an experience that brought to life the key principles of ‘Marketing
the Castrol Way’ to a very discerning audience.”
In addition to the brief laid down by Castrol, AV Network were also faced
with the challenge of working in a vast exhibition arena, the basic
infrastructure considerations of which, would consume time
and budget.

6. case
STUDY
The Arena
The city radiated from a central arena,
with presentations delivered in the round.
The design and delivery of all media
content was carefully considered to
maximise the ultra widescreen displays
with sound delivered in 360-degree
surround.
Dan Rogers, Producer from AV Network
commented: “During the presentations
we deployed communicator devices to
enable
audience participation with text response,
live voting and in-built microphone
functionality.
The central arena was open on all sides but the low level screens
and clever use of lighting enabled us to close the space down for
plenary presentations. This configuration also enabled easy and
instant access to workshop and refreshment areas placed around its
perimeter.”

7. case
STUDY
Workshops
There were 22 small workshop stations, each with a freestanding
display, the use of which changed over the three days from dragons
den expo boards to interactive write-on walls.
Dan continues “we used tablet technology during the workshops to
help facilitate a market data analysis exercise, with teams competing
with each other around the space remotely.”
During market-specific workshops groups were able to move freely
between the breakout arenas and workshop zones in an ‘explain to
experience’ session format.
Breakout Zones
Situated in the four corners of the space were four smaller arenas with
a capacity of 60 people.
These arenas enabled content to be delivered by region where
necessary. These spaces also acted as the dragon’s den finalist
presentation areas, with teams in each presenting to a rotating wider
audience.
Dan comments “despite their soft walling system we were able to
manage noise interference by deploying numerous, focused speaker
systems and LED lighting enabled us to bring the areas to life when
required and allow them to fade into the cityscape when they weren’t.”

8. case
STUDY Dining
Defying convention AV Network chose to combine the catering and
meeting spaces in order to maximise networking time in the agenda.
The intention was to create dining spaces that were accessible and
inviting whilst minimising the potential disruption during conference
sessions.
Two spaces were created at either end of the arena which were separated
from the meeting spaces by a low partition wall and designer lighting.

9. case
STUDY
Debbie continues “in addition to
main project, evening entertainment
was required for two of the nights
where both venues had to suitable
for the entire 200 delegates.”
Best Practice Expo
-Drinks reception on arrival night.
-An opportunity to showcase Castrol
products and share knowledge.
-To be within walking distance of the
hotels.
Gala Dinner
- To celebrate the end of the year
long programme.
- The client requested a venue that
showcased London.

10. case
STUDY Debbie adds “as part of the
brief, Venues Event Management were
asked to take on the Delegate
Management for the project.
Included within this was the production of
the Marketing the Castrol Way, Module 3
registration website.
The website contained information
including;
• Booking Travel
• Accommodation
• Support Team
• Programme
• HSSE
• Registration
Venues Event Management managed the booking system for
the event and took all registration details for the delegates.

11. case
STUDY
Finally to tie the project together
Venues Event Management were
asked to produce marketing
collateral together for the event.
All collateral created was branded
with the Marketing the Castrol
Way logo and went on name
badges, welcome packs, menus
for the gala dinner and pop-up
banners.

12. case
STUDY
Execution
Set up took place over 3 days from Saturday to Monday at ExCel.
Teams were also in place for delegate arrivals and additional meetings
prior to the module commencing at the hotels.
The event started with the Best Practice Expo and informal welcome
dinner and drinks reception at Zero Sette, a local
Italian Restaurant.
The venue was ideal with a warehouse below the restaurant that could
cater for the number of delegates attending for the welcome drinks
and then the group moved upstairs for dinner.

13. case
STUDY The 3 day programme commenced
on Tuesday morning. The
delegates entered the main event
arena through a walkway and the
sense of
engagement was apparent on their
first view of the Castrol arena that
had been created.
Content over the days included a
Guest Speaker – Sir Keith Mills,
who discussed the challenges of
winning the Olympic bid. In
addition to this, bespoke footage
was shown of Olympic medallist
Colin Jackson.
Pictured above:
Mike Johnson Senior Vice President
BP Lubricants

14. case
STUDY The Gala dinner took place on
Wednesday evening on board
the impressive Silver
Sturgeon which was boarded
at Canary Wharf Pier.
The concept behind the gala
dinner was to celebrate the
end of the marketing
programme.
Guests enjoyed a 3-hour
cruise along the River
Thames with food by Jamie
Oliver’s Fabulous Feasts.

15. case
STUDY The finale to the event on Thursday,
was the grand final of the ‘Dragons
Den’ competition, that had been
launched during module 1 of the
programme.
The teams that were successful
with their business ideas, were
given the opportunity to present
To the audience and the leadership
team of Castrol then voted for the
winning team.

16. case
STUDY
Challenges
Production – while working to a set budget, bringing the venue to
life and ensuring the space was utilised but not over or underused
and filled.
Contracting bedrooms
There were a limited number of bedrooms within the area and with
the Olympics approaching, trials were being held in the venues
restricting bedrooms further. This was resolved with careful
planning of delegate management and communication
Best Practice Expo
The brief was received two weeks prior to the event to hold the
Expo and drinks reception. We hired warehouse space through a
local restaurant, as we needed somewhere within walking distance.

17. case
STUDY
Clients Comments
Venues Event Management were the company we chose to partner with on the Marketing the Castrol
Way Events in 2011 and 2012.
Operating as members of the core project team, Debbie Bell and the team worked hand in
hand with the Capabilities team and the Subject Matter Experts to work towards
developing and delivering 9 events around the world. The Venues team were accountable
for sourcing and managing venues for the events as well as delegate registration and
management live at the events. However, in the usual Venues way, their team spirit,
professionalism and commitment to their clients saw them not only deliver this to a very
high standard, but roll up their sleeves and help out in many other ways.
I have worked with Debbie and the team for almost 2 years consistently now and while I
struggle to think of any areas for improvement, I would list the following amongst their
biggest strengths:
Their positive, can do attitude.....nothing is ever too hard and they are a pleasure to work
with, even during times of great pressure
Their meticulous planning, which is the foundation of delivering a successful event (in this
case the complexity involved in 9 events in 1 year culminating in a tough global event
where EVERYTHING had to be thought of well in advance)
Their willingness to help out as part of the team, going way beyond what was expected
of them. I never had to ask them to do anything because they had always
thought of it before me and done it already.

18. case
STUDY Exceptional negotiation skills, ensuring that Castrol received the best possible
deal from every venue we visited.
Their expertise and professionalism - they know their jobs inside out and execute
it to the highest standard. I believe they represent Castrol and our Brand to the
highest standard. I have only ever received exceptional feedback from delegates
on the levels of support that Venues staff provided
Their ability to deal with challenging/difficult situations - always managed
efficiently, directly and with the least fuss possible. I rarely had to intervene as
they just got on with it.
They are quick and responsive, always making both the small and more
complicated requests appear simple to deal with (when in reality they are not)
They know and understand Castrol very well. This allows them to operate
confidently on our behalf, knowing exactly how we expect things to be done (from
HSSE to budget management to culture to people) without having to constantly
ask. This saves time and effort on our part and means that in my mind they
operate as partners rather than suppliers.
In summary, I would ALWAYS have Venues on my team for any project, small or
large......we simply couldn't do it without them, and wouldn't really want to.
Sarah Holland
Project Manager
Marketing the Castrol Way

19. case
STUDY
The Verdict
“The event was a huge success and ran very smoothly. We had a great team
onsite and it was great to be able to work with the team from Castrol too.
In terms of the delegate management the website was an efficient way of
managing the delegate registrations. Changing the registration input to allow
those delivering the programme to specify their attendance dates was a huge
help and in turn reduced cancellation charges.
The ExCel London venue was challenging due to its immense size but I really
think AV Network came into their own with the production set and
transformed the venue amazingly.
Finally the offsite dinners both worked well; the venues were superb and
unique in their own way that it gave the overseas delegates a fantastic
experience of London.”
Debbie Bell
Senior Project Manager
Venues Event Management

20. case
STUDY Testimonial
“Team - I wanted to thank you for all your hard work in preparing for and
delivering Module 3 of Marketing the Castrol Way. It was an exceptional
event and one which I think will have a significant impact on our business
going forward - both in terms of the growth agenda for the Lubes business
and the capabilities of our Castrol marketing community.
Many of the delegates mentioned the words "Flawless Execution" in their
parting comments to me - and that was all due to each one of you. You
were an absolute pleasure to work with.”
Kevin Fitzgerald
Castrol Limited
Global Customer & Marketing Strategy Director