From 5 to 7 May, an incentive event for a Dutch IT company and 650 people was held on the island of Hvar.
Organized by Intours DMC agency and Hoteli Sunčani Hvar, from 5 to 7 May a big incentive event for 650 people was held on the island of Hvar. On the occasion of its 20th anniversary, a Dutch IT company gathered its employees from the Netherlands and Belgium in Croatia. During the preparations for this event, it was essential to master all the logistics issues.
The Croatian-Slovenian agency Intours DMC, in cooperation with the Dutch Incentive Agency, worked on the organization of this incentive project for nearly two years, and the competition to host it included Hvar and Malta. The initial inspection of the destination lasted for only one day. Clients had planned to visit Malta after Hvar and to make a decision upon their return to the Netherlands. However, they decided not even to go to Malta, although it was financially more affordable due to flight, transfer and catering costs.
As they said, from the moment they arrived in Hvar, strolled through the city, spent a night at the Amphora Hotel, visited the Paklenski Islands and the interior of the island, they knew that was the destination to celebrate 20 years of their company. The island of Hvar won them over with a very dynamic program, a beautiful space for the celebrations and a broad spectrum of activities, from those charged with adrenaline and cultural experiences to those intended for anyone interested to actively explore the island.
The arrival of guests in Croatia was organized by four private charter flights to the Split airport, where the large group was met by 16 buses for transportation to Split. From Split, they were transported on catamarans to Hvar. The Amfora Hotel in Hvar was exclusively reserved for this group of 650 people, mostly employees of the company, while the additional staff from organization teams and agencies (more than 70 people) were accommodated at the Hotel Palace. During their stay at the hotel, the guests had access to an open bar, and a DJ party was organized at a pool, as well as a gala dinner.
On the island, guests had the opportunity to choose among many activities to discover the destination in the most authentic way possible. In less than 15 minutes, 650 guests were divided into 10 smaller groups, which then went to jeep tours, safaris in VW Beetles, bike tours, culinary discovery tours of Hvar and many other activities.
The main evening celebration of the 20th anniversary of the company, which included awards presentation to employees for their contribution to the success of the company, was the focus of the trip and also the most complex task for the organizers. A concert was organized at the Veneranda Club, which included four DJs, singers, a drummer, a violinist, a saxophonist and two trumpeters, as well as a group of dancers. Preparations included the reconstruction of the building, which lasted for three months, while preparation and decoration of the space lasted for six days. It took seven trucks to bring in all the necessary equipment for sound, lighting, stage, furniture and decoration. The director of the concert, performers, technical support and event organizers did their best to create an amazing concert experience, which was accompanied by the Sunčani Hvar catering services. Guests were offered typical Dutch snacks Bitterballen and Kaastengels, purchased especially for the occasion from a supplier in the Netherlands. “Since the guests did not know in advance of the evening concert, it was essential to organize and prepare every detail of the event without the knowledge of the guests, in order for them to be completely surprised”, Intours agency stressed.
Tomislava Vrgoč, the head of conference sales at Sunčani Hvar, said that as the host they were very satisfied with the event. “It was a great challenge, the biggest we have done in recent years. Since it was organized at the beginning of the season, it is an excellent indicator of how we can extend the season which is our strategic objective, and it can be achieved with the implementation of projects like this one. The key is cooperation with partners who support the promotion of Hvar as a tourism destination.” When asked how many hotel staff are needed to support an event like this, Vrgoč replied: “I was impressed by the numbers myself. For example, just for carrying luggage we had to use 18 porters. Including housekeeping, reception, kitchen, service staff and back office, during the preparation and implementation of the event we used more than 100 people. Our focus in sales lasted for almost two years, since June 2014 when we received the initial request for an inspection of the location.”
Intours DMC agency employed 20 event organizers, together with a group of trusted suppliers and associates. Special attention was given to the impeccable logistical organization of the very demanding event, making sure that the three-day event for 650 guests went smoothly. “We have worked with our long-term suppliers, who guarantee service excellence in all circumstances. Starting from Intours DMC team, the hotel team, to technical support and support staff, everybody was well prepared and coordinated in order to do their piece of the puzzle and contribute to successful event. Taking into account the size of the event, Intours DMC took care of all the security, medical and firefighting requirements. Since we are a sort of local experts and we know there is a possibility of changes in the last moment, especially due to weather conditions, a backup plan was always ready. Another success factor was the excellent cooperation between the end client, the tourist agency and our team, who worked side by side, from September 2014 to May 2016”, said the Intours DMC agency.
