“What an amazing team Strike Alliance formed to make our annual conference a huge success,” says Liza Duigan, sales and marketing co-ordinator of Ford Motor Company SA. “Emulating a concept, an idea, and constructing the set with four 6m x 4.5m screens in the presentation hall, with the absolutely amazing sound projection, lighting, vehicle display lighting, special entrance hall and monitor viewing into the hall – wow!”

The magnificent audiovisual display was achieved with four (6 m x 4.5m) screens to do both individual and panoramic projection. The visuals took the guests right into the action, with seating starting only 5m from the screens. The onsite content and graphic development gave Ford the option of full content customization on-site – allowing for far more control and flexibility. In addition, a sound system that would work for an audience of 1 500 people was installed (even though there were only 250 attendees), as the quality of the sound is always of paramount importance. This system maximised impact and partnered effectively with the visual elements.

There were two gala events, each of which were differently themed. As Ford is a sponsor of the Puma Rugby Team, the first night was themed ‘Rugby’. On the second night, the dinner was a formal gala event (black tie), with Jo-Ann Strauss from Pasella as MC. The Awards and Prestige winners were acknowledged for their achievements during 2011, and ‘Sterling EQ’ provided world-class entertainment.

Several other high-profile guests were in attendance, including Jeff Nemeth: President and CEO at Ford Motor Company SA; Nicho le Roux: general manager: customer service and operations; and John Segaar: CSO national sales and marketing manager. Michael Jackson (www.theothermichaeljackson.com) was the motivational speaker for the conference.

“As the creative designer and account manager for Ford, this was one of the best events I have worked on,” says Jacobus le Roux, senior project manager at Strike Alliance. “Our relationship with Ford is based on 100% trust, which is one of the major reasons why it has been such an enduring and successful partnership over the years.” “It was an absolutely awesome experience – this comment coming from our Ford management team too,” adds Duigan.