Grant Thornton held a large conference for all 1,200 employees in Sweden, which placed high demands for coordination, structure, and user-friendliness when it came to the role of an event app. To create a valuable event that aligned with Grant Thornton’s goals, PS Occasion sought a solution that would:

• Motivate employees to develop their networking skills and create new connections.
• Coordinate and distribute information, both general and individual, in an accessible and understandable way.
• Create an in-app community where colleagues can collaborate from different locations.
• Implement evaluations with transparent and easy-to-analyze results.

In order to carry out the experience we wanted to create together with Grant Thornton, we needed a collaborative partner who could help us reach out to all individuals before, during, and after the conference in an engaging manner. Part of that work was done through an event app, says Fia Nordin, Senior Partner at PS Occasion.

To meet Grant Thornton’s needs, PS Occasion used several of Ventla’s features throughout the entire process of the event:

• A couple of weeks before departure, the employees prepped for the conference by downloading the app, where they were welcomed by a motivating podcast.
• Prior to the event, the participants were able to choose which activities they wanted to participate in. All information about transport, accommodation, group division, assignments, and other details were tailor-made for each participant within the app.
• On the way to the conference facility, the participants were given various challenges and assignments through the app. They were able to communicate with each other while scattered amongst different buses via the app; through the Activity Feed, they shared pictures and comments.
• During the conference, the employees attended various workshops. In the app, they were able to read instructions, ask and answer questions, take notes, and view real-time results. They received motivation and instructions from the organizers through push notifications.
• Participants took part in two questionnaires: one on the way to the conference to assess their level of knowledge, and one on the way home that indicated how much they developed and allowed them to express their post-conference sentiments.

With Ventla, Grant Thornton provided conference attendees with a valuable social platform that challenged employees to develop their networking skills and enabled long-distance dialogue throughout the duration of the event.

The value of the conference increased as a result of the app. Before the event, the organizers had the ability to start prepping and engaging the participants, exciting the participants for what is to come. The increased engagement also contributed to the knowledge acquisition during the conference as the employees had better knowledge retention once the conference concluded.

Instead of distributing information through a variety of channels (i.e. e-mail, printed material, verbally in meetings), the participants were able to find everything they needed within the app; in there, they were able to take note of important details and discover fun and inspiring information.

The evaluations (of the employees’ level of knowledge and expectations before the conference and of their development and evolved perception on the way home) revealed that Ventla increased the value of the conference and helped Grant Thornton accomplish its goals.

For this event, PS Occasion won the Golden Wheel 2019!