(1) Background
For the biggest APAC marketing event in the company’s history we set-up a 17 member project team which was led by myself. The project team was further guided by a 6-member steering committee which included the APAC President. The project team worked for 12 months to deliver a 4 days’ program for 500 APAC customers and managers hosted in Shanghai. We actually booked an entire Marriott Hotel to accomodate all the guests and ourselves.
Personally the project was the toughest event management challenge for myself. I faced many hurdles from the agency and the project team. I was reporting directly to the APAC President for this project and I received some hard knocks from him. But the project management lessons were invaluable and were masterclass moments in my life. Throughout the project, I received constant support from my line manager and I persevered.
In the end I managed to deliver the company’s most memorable marketing success. My project team and myself were awarded special bonuses, award certificates, off days and also invited to an appreciation event. Not long after that I was nominated into the Schaeffler Asia Pacific’s Management Council, a group of the top 40 leaders in the region.
The following are a few examples of the work that I supervised and delivered through the various work packages for Automotive Symposium 2010.
(2) Event Project Management
(3) Branding, Key Visuals and Technical Seminar Program
(4) Full Program Booklet in English (Draft Version)
(5) Full Program Booklet in Chinese (Final Version)
(6) Dinner at Lost Heaven for 500 APAC customers and managers
(7) Rehearsals and actual plant tours for 300 APAC customers
(8) Rehearsals to bring 200 APAC customers to EXPO 2010
(9) Appreciation event by the APAC President to thank the project management team
(10) Organised a Lessons Learn Workshop
(11) What Success Looked Like
The success of the event was reflected in the positive customer feedback received as below. A customer satisfaction survey that followed yielded a 90% satisfaction rate, a benchmark for future APAC events.
Chinese Customers
“From your symposium we have gained much valuable technical knowledge and related information that inspired us a lot of respect and confidence in your company’s engineering capability and product quality.” – Chen Yanglong, Chief Engineer, EDU, SAIC.
“The Symposium was well-organized and impressed me much in several aspects. First, I could feel that Schaeffler Group is a powerful company…Second, Schaeffler has high-quality staff….Third, through the plant visit, I witnessed the modern manufacturing level… ” – Mr. Zhang Ji Wei, R&D President, Shantuo Tractors
Indian Customers
“I would like to congratulate the entire Schaeffler team for an excellent Symposium. The entire event was very well organised with a careful selection of topics to be covered…I am sure that these learning points can provide immense opportunities for us to grow together…” – S. Maitra, Managing Executive Officer Supply Chain, Maruti Suzuki India Limited
“Our experience from the moment we landed at the Pudong International airport in Shanghai and until we checked out from the Marriott Hotel lobby is impressive and long lasting. Sometimes we felt that we were attending to a close relative’s marriage such was the hospitality, courtesy and concern shown to us.” – A. Nagendra, Assistant General Manager Manufacturing, VST Tillers Tractors Ltd.
Korean Customers
“I would like to express my sincere appreciation for your kindness and hospitality rendered to me during the Schaeffler AP Automotive Symposium. It was a good chance for me to collect lots of information and have meaningful discussions…I believe there will be lots of joint work to do in the future…” Jung-June Kim, Sr. Vice President, Transmission Development Group, Hyundai Motor Company
“All the programs were very substantial. Schaeffler was attentive to every minute detail when preparing for the function.”Mr. Kim, Coordinator, Transmission, Development Group, Hyundai Motors Company
Malaysian Customers
“Dear Schaeffler Team, on behalf of Proton’s team, I would like to extend our sincere thanks and gratitude for all the arrangements made to enable us to attend your Asia Pacific Automotive Symposium 2010 – comfortable and eye-opening! I hope to see a more systematic collaboration in our future business relationship. – Mr. Rusly Ismail, Senior Manager, Procurement, Proton
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