Venue: Renaissance Esmeralda Resort in Palm Springs, California
Attendees: 560 Smiths Medical sales employees
Ground transportation: PRA Destination Management
Entertainment: PRA Destination Management
Audio-visual: Renaissance Esmeralda, Sunbelt Scenic, Advanced Solutions
Decor: PRA Destination Management
Meeting planner: Michael Vennerstrom, Equinox Creative

The annual sales meeting in September for Smiths Medical, a medical-device manufacturer, brings together the company’s North American field sales, marketing, and management teams. The agenda includes planning, product training, recognition, and networking for a complex company. Michael Vennerstrom, president of Equinox Creative, a meeting and event planning company based in Minneapolis, says his team had to create a meeting that was relevant for people representing three divisions, nine product groups, and 24 regions. Four Equinox employees and 16 contract service providers worked on the meeting.

“It all comes down to process and communication. You have to develop a process that allows you to understand what everybody’s needs are, what their desired outcomes are, what their wins are, and then figure out a way to build consensus so that in the group  decisions that are made, everybody gets a little bit of what they want,” Vennerstrom says. To prepare for the event, Equinox and Smiths Medical had weekly meetings to discuss tasks and deadlines. The theme for the meeting—Unlimited Potential—reflected a company-wide initiative to achieve full potential.

Everyone gathered for the opening general session, which included a video showing a projection of what Smiths Medical could be like in the future. Srini Seshadri, group managing director for Smiths Medical North American operations, discussed his vision, corporate initiatives, and how they would impact the organization. The division presidents then talked about how   to put the initiatives into action in the coming year. “The desired outcome was that everyone would leave with a clear understanding of where the organization was going, the specific steps they would take in the coming year, and their role in reaching full potential,” Vennerstrom says.

Equinox provided a host of services for the three-day meeting, including scenic design and construction, content, audio support, lighting, and video for the general sessions and awards.

The welcome reception gave people a chance to mingle and catch up with their peers. Guests snacked on nouveau-Southwestern cuisine as light jazz and big band music played in the background. Vennerstrom says the social functions were designed to reflect the glamour of 1960s Palm Springs.

The next morning, each of the three main divisions in attendance held a general session   during which the division presidents updated employees on new processes and products using PowerPoint presentations.

In the product group meetings following the general sessions, sales people learned the “nitty-gritty of new products and product enhancements, product knowledge, marketing programs, and clinical training,” Vennerstrom says. Participants then moved into breakout groups for technical training or sales strategy sessions.

After a fast-paced day, participants attended an awards program for their respective divisions. Dinner tables were covered in blue, green, and purple layered metallic linens with silver accents. “The stage decor was a large Art Deco fan and lighting to add color and dimension,” Vennerstrom says.

After the division awards programs concluded, all participants came together to celebrate the corporate awards with dessert: a “death by chocolate” buffet with chocolate candies, chocolate mousse, and chocolate cake. The Crystal Award was given to one employee from each division for long-term achievement.

On the following day, product-specific breakout sessions ran throughout the morning, followed by meetings where sales people from the each region could gather.

After another intense day of business, participants met for the award-winners reception with cocktails and tray-passed appetizers. The casino-themed group dinner and party followed, and participants could play blackjack, craps, roulette, and poker. Food stations were set up so that employees could help themselves to salad, sushi, carved meats, pasta, and dessert. Chefs were on hand to prepare made-to-order pasta. The music of Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Dinah Shore, and other vocalists of that era played throughout the night.