The Challenge
To craft a general session that celebrated both the conference setting and the reliability and longevity of the Shell brand in a way that excited the audience to renew their commitment to the company.
What is the National Wholesaler Conference and Brand Experience?
The objective of this 2-day event, offered to Wholesalers and partners across the US every three years, is to energize participants and demonstrate that Shell offers Wholesalers the best overall support they need to take their business to the next level of performance. Participants are invited to renew their relationships, making Shell their brand of choice and embracing inspiring offerings and cutting-edge business strategies.
The General Session
The General Session kicks off the conference, introducing the audience to the innovations and advancements they will find in the Brand Experience that follows. The Session has also been used to announce new product launches, ad campaigns, and technology upgrades. It is the first and best opportunity to frame the company’s approach to their wholesalers, and should motivate the audience to remain committed to the Shell brand.
The Solution
Staging Solutions developed a program celebrating the Las Vegas setting and showcasing important content from Shell presenters. Key aspects of the program included:
An homage to both the longevity and the future of Shell. Beginning with an ad campaign from the mid 20th Century featuring Sammy Davis, Jr., the opening featured the original ad as well as a duet performance live on stage with a Sammy Davis, Jr. impersonator joining hip-hop artist Caine OTH in an original musical number written for Shell.
A custom-choreographed dance presentation offering the audience a live interpretation of the PERFORMANCE UNBOUND commercial series released in 2023.
A hip-hop dance group appearing in platinum attire performing an original composition to celebrate the new Shell Platinum Fuel Rewards status.
A digital illusionist and virtual magician demonstrating the flexibility and adaptability of technology in today’s market.
We provided the following integrated solutions:
- Event & Experience Design
- Full-Service Event Production
- Content Creation
- Video Production Design
- Creative Direction
- Presentation Design
- Installation & Strike
The Impression
With humor, original creative content, and Vegas flair, the General Session programs transformed the Wholesaler audiences into energized crowds ready to explore all that the Shell brand offers. Flashy and tech-forward, the content that filled the background LED wall – including performance animations, interstitial content, and presentation support – provided first-rate production value and compelling visuals that not only illuminated the content, but also tied it to the Brand Experience to follow. The show flowed seamlessly from one topic to the next, underscoring key messaging in each presentation with first-rate entertainment.
“It was fantastic. The comments we heard from the floor and from everyone who was exiting were great.”
Leenne Kezin
GS Content Lead
Shell
“I love a partner that understands our workflow and is responsive. I really feel that Staging Solutions has my back.”
Kelly Ditta
Experiential Lead America
Shell
“We have pretty high expectations of what we need to deliver. To see a vision come to life…was overwhelming.”
Shelley O’Brien
Wholesaler Conference Event Lead
Shell
The Process
Discover
Business Owners and their teams met with us to clarify their goals and objectives for the event, and to help us understand the nuances of their messaging to wholesalers and other partners.
Define
Inspired by existing client assets – including visuals from a developing ad campaign, input from global partners, and refreshed brand guidelines – we envisioned branded and interactive scenic-media hybrid experiences that aligned with and amplified existing campaigns, and extended the messaging to featured products and services.
Design
Weekly meetings with business owners guided the development of a series of conceptual renders for each space. These included layouts of the custom set pieces and fabricated components for each content area, as well as storyboards for accompanying media elements. Open and consistent communication ensured alignment with the overall vision throughout the design process.
Develop
We refined and tested interactive media game elements in-house. In turn, the digital media designs influenced custom scenic print materials that were used in the space to further integrate key messaging.
Strategic planning with area leads and vendors ensured that all of the components – layout, electrical infrastructure, AV and media needs – aligned with the master plan. Understanding the spatial,) relationships across the brand experience floor allowed us to tailor multiple elements to complement one another.
Deploy
Detailed pre-planning was critical, as we coordinated with multiple vendors working the event to reduce delays during a compressed load-in period.
We constructed a total of five unique areas covering over half of the Experience floor. Over the course of the three-day event, guests explored the spaces to find immersive, themed vignettes and six interactive kiosks.
Deliver
We deliver value beyond the event itself: Several interactive media experiences and fabricated kiosks are permanent residents at Shell campuses around the US, and some continue to travel as exhibits and teaching tools. Our designs for key pieces became hero visuals for the Shell 2023 fuel campaign, including our fabrication of the 100% sign that welcomed visitors to the Brand Experience.