On 3 October 2013, INSTITUTE OF PROMOTION staged HB Reavis’ 20th anniversary celebration at Stará tržnica, Bratislava’s historic market hall. The VIP event for more than 300 business partners from Slovakia and abroad won a Silver Nail at the Zlatý klinec (Golden Nail) awards 2014 in the category Events – Private events over 300 guests.

The brief

Create a one-of-a-kind event for the company’s 20th anniversary and win over international guests with creative staging and a programme that kept building. The audience was HB Reavis’ top business clients from Slovakia and abroad.

It was the company’s first event on this scale. It had to be a true social occasion, not just another corporate party.

No cake, no celebrities

We could have done it the usual way: invite a few famous faces, blow out the candles and send everyone home happy. We chose a different route.

The evening was built around a composed programme that worked as a metaphor for two decades of HB Reavis. Five artistic acts traced the company’s birth, growth and success. Performers of European standing rehearsed them for almost a month under a well-known Slovak director and choreographer.

The finale featured more than 50 young musicians. An international party band, known for playing the Cannes Film Festival parties, closed the night.

A stage made of scaffolding

The host was a developer, so we built the main stage as a monumental scaffolding structure. Behind it stood an oversized LED wall that followed the shape of the entire build.

The multi-level structure was more than a backdrop. Each part of the programme played out on a different level, so the focus kept shifting throughout the evening and guests never knew where the next act would appear.

The result

Guests and the client agreed it was a world-class event. 

At Zlatý klinec 2014, the event won a Silver Nail in the category Events – Private events over 300 guests. It was only the second year that event agencies could enter the competition. Of 20 events entered, 8 made the shortlist.