Annual Convention & Awards Ceremony: a TV show that puts the team in the spotlight
WMH Project designed a two-day annual convention for a major French industrial group, bringing together 1,100 employees in Bordeaux around a creative thread inspired by late shows and talent contests. The event blends a strategic plenary, an internal awards ceremony and an immersive evening, backed by a 360° communication plan rolled out over 11 months.
How do you turn an internal convention into a community celebration?
The brief covered the third edition of a convention paired with an internal awards ceremony, against a backdrop of organisational transformation and simplified ways of working. The challenge: preserving the strength of the collective. WMH Project chose to break the top-down format and give teams the floor, through a creative thread inspired by late shows and TV talent contests. The stance: put the community in the spotlight and nurture a sense of belonging.
Why draw on television codes for a plenary?
The strategic plenary adopts a late show staging: a desk with a host, guests on a sofa, humour and surprise happenings to pace the sequences. Four engagement levers structure the show: a professional host, a warm-up artist, a live band positioned at the edge of the stage (live jingles, stage entrances, interludes) and a responsive web app for stage/audience interaction (quizzes, word clouds, emoji reactions). Between each strategic highlight — review, roadmap, external inspiration, closing — interludes showcase the hidden talents of employees.
How do you mobilise a community of 30,000 people beforehand?
The activation begins well before the day itself. At D-30, a mystery teaser video sets the rendez-vous with employees; at D-20, a talent call invites everyone to send a capsule of their hidden talent via XXL displays across sites. It all fits into a 360° communication plan structured in 8 phases over 11 months, aligned with internal milestones: branding kick-off, launch, application drive, finalist reveal, employee vote, teasing, last-mile at H-72, live, then post-event capitalisation (aftermovie, album, feedback). Target KPIs: 80% vote participation, 95% registration, 4.3/5 satisfaction.
How do you put internal award winners in the spotlight?
The ceremony borrows the codes of a talent show: a hybrid jury blending host, guest personality and executives, systematic golden buzzers for each stage entrance, and artistic performances (acrobatic basketball, beatbox, juggling) rebounding off each award. Each winner is introduced by a portrait video filmed in advance. Eight prizes are awarded, covering categories tied to performance, simplification, prevention and safety, customer experience and low-carbon solutions, plus a young-talent prize, an employee prize and a jury's choice.
Which formats build connection on day two?
The second day focuses on encounters. An algorithmic matching system ("Mix & Match") connects participants based on interests submitted beforehand. Added to this are participatory formats: a movement game "Step out of the zone if…", informal coffee sessions with executives, a fishbowl format with a rotating chair, and improvisation workshops coached around professional situations. A closing plenary and an XXL selfie wrap up the experience on a final collective high.
How do you orchestrate logistics for 1,100 participants over two days?
The event gathers 1,100 people from across France in a 3,000 sqm modular congress centre. WMH Project led a dedicated logistics team from September to March, under a logistics director: site and supplier coordination, flow management, streamlined bus transfers from station and airport, single-room accommodation spread across 17 hotels by arrival mode, a registration platform centralising data, paperless digital check-in on tablets and identification wristbands colour-coded by accommodation district. Success rests on flow management designed upstream and clear directional signage.
At WMH Project, we make every convention an experience that brings people together — We Make It Happen.
FAQ
How many participants attended the convention?
The event gathered 1,100 employees from across France over two days, in a congress centre offering 3,000 sqm of modular spaces and an auditorium of nearly 1,300 seats.
What is the creative concept of the event?
The thread draws on late shows and TV talent contests: a talk-show-style plenary, interludes showcasing employees' hidden talents and an awards ceremony that puts winners in the spotlight.
How are teams mobilised in advance?
A 360° communication plan in 8 phases runs over 11 months: a mystery teaser at D-30, a talent call at D-20, an employee vote, then post-event capitalisation with an aftermovie and feedback.
How is accommodation logistics handled?
Participants stay in single rooms spread across 17 hotels by arrival mode, with streamlined bus transfers, a centralised registration platform and identification wristbands colour-coded by district.