Glenfiddich, the world’s most awarded and best-selling Scotch whisky, has a global reputation for excellence. For a recent VIP appreciation event in Kuala Lumpur, the brand decided to use Pico’s talents to design, build, manage and bring an incredible experience to life for the participants.
With a growing demand for quality single malts and the prevalence of increasingly sophisticated whisky palates among consumers in Malaysia, the country is an important market for Glenfiddich. To address this emerging market, the brand decided to totally immerse its guests and genuinely make them feel as though they had been instantly transported to the brand’s Dufftown distillery in the Scottish Highlands, where they would experience an ‘average working day’ at the distillery. Thus began the Valley of the Deer project, named after the English translation of the Gaelic word Glenfiddich.
The brand wished to accomplish several goals through this event: first, to create an educational opportunity where whisky lovers could develop a thorough understanding of the rare skills that go into creating single malt Scotch whisky, and Glenfiddich in particular. Second, to recruit more business by winning over receptive consumers; and finally to strengthen channel penetration, expand their distribution footprint and ultimately increase sales.
To create an experience worthy of these goals, the food, setting, atmosphere and activities all had to convey the essence of Speyside – the area in the Scottish Highlands where Glenfiddich is distilled – with elegance and refined class. From beginning to end, the team needed to create a fully immersive experience; doing so through intensive attention to detail and a keen understanding of guests’ perspectives.
In all aspects of this event, which included pre-event invitations and promotions, Pico had to weave and intertwine creative and novel ideas with the classic premium image of Glenfiddich. At the venue, the team decided to execute this careful blend of image and ideas by incorporating new interactive touch-based technology into both the interactive journey and more traditional activities like whisky tasting and a distillery tour.
The moment guests entered the Carcosa Seri Negara colonial mansions in Kuala Lumpur, they were seamlessly transported to Scotland and into a world of luxury and opulence. Each guest was given a beautiful event passport containing brand information and Glenfiddich metal coins to purchase their drinks for the night. The entrance tunnel was panelled with plasma screens depicting Glenfiddich’s history and journey to becoming the renown brand it is today.
Premier materials were carefully selected for the fabrication and installation of the sets, located over 3,000 sq. m., while cutting-edge touch screen technology combined with life-size machinery created realistic, engaging presentations and added a refreshing modern twist to the refined class of the event. Guests were introduced to the equipment involved in the distillation process and witnessed the art of ‘coopering’ the barrels used to age the whisky.
Guests could order their whisky from a touchscreen bar menu, which displayed more information about their choice. The entire table top was made of interactive MultiTaction technology, which identified individual patron’s drinks placed on its surface. Details of the drink along with the brand’s premium credentials were then displayed, while a mobile app complemented and completed the tour experience.
The Pico team worked with top-quality chef consultant Tim Ross-Watson to create the themed cuisine for the event which was – naturally – paired with the finest Glenfiddich whisky. In the beautifully-appointed dining room, seamless plasma screens created the perfect illusion of dining in the Scottish countryside. Fringe activities included golf, bottle engraving and calligraphy, and a showcase of rare bottlings. All these elements combined perfectly to showcase to guests the magic that goes into creating ‘the best dram in the valley’.
Our above and beyond efforts were deemed worthy of not one but two Gold awards at the Marketing Event Awards 2015 – Best Event Ambience (Consumer) and Best Event Production. Cheers!
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