Our diverse client base has seen us entrusted with events for the world’s leading brands and government initiatives behind the doors of Number 10.

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Department of Health: Launch of the NHS Final Report

Special announcement – live broadcast from the House of Commons

On 1 July 2008, at precisely 15:30, Lord Darzi presented a review of the National Health Service live from the House of Commons and broadcast to an audience of 1000 key NHS stakeholders at the Royal Horticultural Halls, just round the corner from Westminster.

Lord Darzi and the Secretary of State had opened the event in the Royal Horticultural Halls at 14:30; they were both then quickly escorted to the House of Commons for the official announcement, as part of the parliamentary business of the day.

We broadcast the event using a live feed from the Parliamentary Channel. Faultless logistics and technical production were especially vital as timing really was of the essence.

Our experience of working with senior government personnel ensured the department received the utmost level of technical and logistical support in a maximum security environment. Robust contingency plans were put in place to ensure that any last minute changes could be accommodated quickly and easily.

The result was a professional and faultless event, with very positive feedback from both our client and the attendees.

Department for Culture Media and Sport: c&binet

"We want to create a 'Davos' for the Creative Industries"

Working in partnership with DCMS, COI and Edelman PR, Acclaim has conceived c&binet - the creativity & business international network. This event has been created from scratch; the format, the content, the funding and the publicity are all in progress for the inaugural event on 26-28 October 2009 at The Grove in Hertfordshire.

c&binet embodies a key pillar of the Government's strategy for supporting the creative industries. It is a not-for-profit network linking the international creative and commercial communities to inspire new ideas and opportunities, demonstrate the economic power of creativity and help shape the world's creative economy.

A dinner for c&binet ambassadors, took place in Liverpool on 20 November 2008 and was hosted by Secretary of State, Andy Burnham and Culture Minister, Barbara Follett. Martha Kearney, presenter of BBC Newsnight Review, moderated the dinner discussion which addressed the key challenges and opportunities facing the ambassadors from the creative industries, and the ways in which c&binet will help tackle them.

We are very proud to be working on such a high profile event for our own industry.

http://www.cabinetforum.org

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – Climate Change Champions

An audience with the Prime Minister at Number 10 for young climate change champions

Climate Change Champions is an annual competition to find nine young representatives, aged 11-18, for each region of England to help communicate climate change issues.

Acclaim has been working with Defra on the campaign since 2005.

The 2007/08 initiative was part of the Government’s ‘Act on CO2′ programme and called for young people to demonstrate how they would encourage others to reduce their carbon footprint.

The events kicked off with a semi-final stage which saw 27 applicants invited to London for a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style interview. We then gathered the nine new Climate Change Champions for a weekend in London, the highlight of which was the formal announcement of their success by Prime Minister Gordon Brown at No.10 Downing Street.

This event was immediately followed by a fact-finding expedition to the Netherlands which included a meeting with Ministers from the Dutch Government, a visit to an offshore wind-park, and a private reception with the British Ambassador.

The culmination of the Champions’ year in office was a final weekend at the end of January 2009, in which they evaluated the activities of the last year, and were thanked for their valued contributions.

Department for Communities and Local Government: Prevent 08 Conference

Shaping content and messaging across government departments to achieve a common goal – preventing violent extremism

In support of the Government’s strategy to counter international terrorism we were engaged by CLG to manage Prevent 08 – a conference that brought together a broad group of government departments and partners to share and develop innovative solutions to prevent violent extremism.

Senior level speakers such as Rt Hon Jacqui Smith MP, Home Secretary; and Rt Hon Hazel Blears MP, Secretary of State, ensured a very high profile event.

We had to create a programme and environment that promoted the exchange of ideas and learning across the 900 strong audience. To this end, the conference included 12 workshops and a large exhibition which allowed people to meet and share experiences. We worked closely with CLG to create content for the workshops and help facilitate them. Output was then summarised and shared in the closing plenary.

Feedback from the client was testament to the success of the event:

"I'd like to extend our thanks for all the work Acclaim has done in organising Prevent 08. To go from what was essentially a standing start at our first meeting together to putting on such a professional and highly polished conference for 900 people 7 weeks later was a fantastic achievement. It was also a real pleasure working with you and I'm grateful for the enthusiastic way in which you approached the task and dealt with our many requirements."

Barclays – General Meeting

A slick and professional meeting for the board of Barclays and their shareholders

With just four weeks notice, Barclays appointed Acclaim to deliver a high profile General Meeting.

In October 2008 Barclays Directors called a meeting to facilitate a shareholder vote on the subject of additional funding from sovereign states.

It was essential that the organisation of the meeting was handled in the most discreet fashion possible. We managed the venue and additional elements including full technical production of the event, ensuring that the Barclays brand was conveyed in an attractive, yet functional, way.

Time management on the day was a key challenge. With over 100 questions from the 800 shareholders present, it was imperative that this component of the programme was seamlessly managed to ensure the meeting ran smoothly.

"Thanks very much for all your hard work on the run up to the GM and all your efforts. We're pleased with how it went and have had some good feedback from our internal stakeholders."

Disney ABC ESPN Television – Communications Day

Delivering key corporate messages – Disney style

The Communications Day is a key event in Disney’s calendar. The aim is to elevate team spirit, to get employees excited about the future, and to leave them feeling inspired, motivated and proud to work for the company.

With a strong legacy of successful Communications Days it was important that we did an even better job this time around. The day had to be business-focused but entertaining; about serious work but with a healthy dose of fun. Many of the 130 strong audience had attended previous Communications Days, so fresh thinking was key.

'Ensemble' was chosen as a theme to encourage togetherness, and as a platform to promote Disney people and Disney products as an 'ultimate collection'.

Creative execution of the theme brought the serious business messages to life. A dynamic catwalk stage. A fashion show teambuild inspired by Disney TV shows. A backstage senior exec interview ‘Zoolander’ style. Every element was designed to ensure a fast paced, high energy day. The result was an engaging, informative and entertaining event with superb feedback from attendees.

BT Global Services – International Sales Kick Off

Award winning innovation for BT’s global sales force

Creating and delivering a ‘wow factor’ for a sophisticated audience of 1300 sales staff drawn from 33 countries is no easy feat. The challenge was made even bigger by the fact that this audience had been to the same venue previously. A different event was called for. One that was inspiring. One that was special…

We quickly identified that drama, intimacy and engagement were the watchwords. So we designed the main auditorium space ‘in the round’ to ensure every member of the BTGS global sales team felt close to the action. Additional ‘wow factor’ was achieved by using a 360° LED curtain that surrounded the auditorium - the largest ever used. Four flown screens provided detailed speaker support and video for speaker close ups and key messages.

A strong theme, focused content and additional touches, like on-stage customer interviews and an interactive game, ensured a landmark event that sent delegates back to their bases motivated, inspired and 100% clear of their objectives and the company’s expectations.

Winner of ‘Live Event of the Year’, AV Awards - Judges’ quote:

"Acclaim’s project for BT used technology more familiar to rock and roll environments – the softLED screens used on U2 tours – in a corporate environment to successfully motivate an audience which had its annual conference at the same venue for the third year running. The use of AV technology to surround the audience, combined with clever theming and the use of different activities, created a modern classic in terms of motivational events."

Aon Benfield – Merger Announcement

"We need to get 700 employees together – next Wednesday…"

On Friday 22 August 2008, just before a bank holiday weekend, it was announced that Benfield Insurance was to be acquired by Aon, the world’s largest Insurance broker.

Acclaim were called that same day to stage a conference for all Benfield employees following this announcement at The Brewery, London – with just two working days notice.

The meeting took place in two parts on Wednesday 27 August 2008. The core aims and objectives were to inform the senior managers, followed by the rest of the staff, of the implications of the merger, and what it would mean for their future. Both the CEO of Benfield and Aon presented side by side, giving employees their pledge that the merger was a positive one for all concerned. The importance of the announcements and speakers ensured a full house of over 700 delegates.

Despite the incredibly short lead time, we achieved all the objectives set by the clients who were impressed with the set up and how the day was run. A positive, flexible and calm approach meant that according to Benfield, ‘it couldn’t have gone any better’.

Orange – Partner Camp

Not your standard business event – open 24 hours a day with a focus on fresh thinking

Orange runs a bi-annual event for its partners and developers. Inspiration for the event initially came from the traditional American summer camp, embodying camaraderie, escape, challenge and freedom.

Acclaim has been working with Orange since 2005, and this project represented our third Partner Camp.

We turned away from traditional concepts and formats. A ‘Moorish Chic’ theme saw plenary sessions with delegates seated on pouffes and speakers presenting seated on Arabian style carpets. Instead of a standard exhibition we opted for a ‘Bazaar’ with exhibitors set up in market stalls.

The theme ran through all elements and everything was designed to create an engaging environment that encouraged delegates to meet and exchange ideas. The result was a strong community from day one.

Behind the scenes we worked with sponsors, exhibitors and managed the online collection of fees for this complex project. The extensive planning and hard work resulted in a rewarding response from our client:

"On behalf of the Orange Partner team, I'd like to congratulate Acclaim for a fantastic Partner Camp event. As always, Acclaim were extremely professional in all aspects of preparation and delivery, and delivered a top-quality service from beginning to end. Thank you."

BMI – Rebrand Communication

Much more than just a new logo

bmi’s rebrand was about much more than new graphics. It was about their relationships with their customers. All employees were at the heart of the changes. They all needed to be engaged in the new bmi.

Airlines don’t work 9-5. The challenge was to find a format that successfully delivered, with minimal disruption to operations. We had to be sensitive to bmi’s complex schedules.

To minimise travel time we found a space in bmi’s training facility, near to their headquarters. And rather than trying to reach everyone in one event, we spread events over four weeks with smaller audiences. This not only gave bmi the flexibility they needed, it also made the events more personal and engaging.

This approach ensured all employees fully understood the impact of the change on them. They left fully motivated and excited about the future.