Smurfit Kappa Hybrid Event at The Belfry

The Event:

An in-person and online event that brought together Smurfit Kappa employees from all over Europe for their annual conference.

The Background:

Genero is passionate about giving people the platform they need to explore better communications and new ideas. Hybrid events are becoming a more popular choice and can often be a better method of gathering people from different regions than live events, especially as environmental and economic issues often don’t allow for travel or large-scale live events. We pride ourselves on delivering innovative, smoothly run events, that engage with participants wherever they’re based.  

Our Aim:

For this event, our aim was to provide a large-scale, hybrid, senior management conference for leading packaging company Smurfit Kappa. With delegates from all over Europe, and the CEO based in Spain, we sought to create an event that could bring together staff around Europe to discuss and exchange ideas. As a hybrid event, the in-person location was The Belfry in Birmingham.

Our Experience:

As a large, international corporation, Smurfit Kappa needed an events company that could deliver an engaging hybrid event with enthusiasm and efficiency. And with over twenty years of experience co-ordinating events, Genero are familiar with the challenges that can arise and know how to respond to them to ensure they always run smoothly.

The Event Itself:

Six hundred conference guests participated in this first-of-its-kind conference for Smurfit Kappa.

When it came to incorporating in-person and hybrid into the stage design, we built a stage from cardboard boxes and used a green screen to enable contributors to be ‘relocated into’ environmental rooms and outdoor spaces.

This was used in one instance to simulate a pub environment for a pub quiz, which was designed for staff engagement. We also used vMix, a vision-making platform, so that Smurfit Kappa could clearly display branding, speaker information, call to actions, and sponsorship activation throughout the event.

Whilst Covid-19 presented a challenge for most large events during 2021, we ensured that we constantly monitored the most recent government guidance to ensure we were always in compliance for the safety of all delegates and staff on site at The Belfry. Fortunately, we were not affected by Covid-19 isolations meaning that our entire technical team worked pre and postproduction to create a successful hybrid event.

The Results:

This event successfully demonstrated how hybrid events are evolving, becoming multi-language and more accessible. They are economically and environmentally much more efficient as they reduce carbon footprint and allow you to be more considered with your fiscal activity.

Testimonial 1:

“I wanted to extend my thanks to you and the team. You have all been an absolute pleasure to work with and brought everything together for us, especially given the amount of last-minute prep from our side! Nothing was too much trouble, and your patience was very much appreciated.”

  • Alison Lehane, PA to the CEO Corrugated UK and Ireland

Testimonial 2:

“Huge thank you to you and your fantastic team for your organisation and management of the conference. For keeping me calm and reassuring me that all was going to be fine. We have received many comments saying it was a great success and considering it was the first time we have done anything like this, I think everyone should be proud.”

  • Jackie McDermott- UK Head of Engagement and Communication

Find Out More:

We are a flexible events company and can produce events that will fit all your needs, giving you the tools you need to bring people together.

If you’re thinking of hosting a live, virtual or hybrid event, please contact our specialised team here at Genero: events@genero-group.co.uk.

We look forward to working with you!