Commissioned & events

9th annual Allianz sales conference

2010 · Sales conference and awards program staged as a 24-hour ferry experience · Corporate event production

A shipboard Allianz conference blending awards, immersion, and disciplined brand storytelling execution.

Allianzova prodajna konferencija kao 24-satno putovanje trajektom: nagrade, uranjanje i discipliniran produkcijski sustav.

9th annual Allianz sales conference — production still

This project credentials: Cross-media & events · Corporate event production

Notes from the producer

I directed and produced this one, and I still think the core bet was right: put five hundred people on a ferry for a day and a night and let the ship itself carry the message about teamwork, instead of reciting it from a lectern. Movement did most of the work. What I underestimated was how much rehearsal a moving venue actually needs - you cannot block a stage properly when that stage is a garage deck you only get access to a few hours before boarding.

So I will not pretend it was flawless. The client got what it contracted for, the awards landed, and the budget held at just over half a million kuna with no grant money anywhere in it. But our own post-event reports disagreed with each other, and the one that said "only passable, not enough rehearsals" was not wrong. I keep that report on purpose. It is the clearest note I have on the difference between an event that is planned and an event that is drilled.

- Matija Radeljak

The story

In mid-November 2010, Aning usluge took on Allianz Zagreb's ninth annual sales conference and reframed it as a production problem rather than a booking. Instead of a hotel ballroom, the event became a 24-hour voyage for roughly 500 guests aboard m/t Dubrovnik, a Jadrolinija ferry. Decks, corridors, restaurants and cabins were treated as sequential scenes, so that business messaging, the awards ceremony and the party could run as one continuous rhythm.

The concept was built around the line "Ne postoji mirovanje, samo nazadovanje ili napredovanje" and the recurring "Kad bi svi..." motif, and it argued that results come from interdependence rather than isolated winners. That idea only held up if the logistics did. An onboard inspection on the Split-Ancona-Split route on 13-14 January 2011 turned creative intent into hard constraints: power distribution, guest circulation, seating logic and deck transitions. Those constraints shaped the script as much as the theme did.

By March the operational plan, run-of-show and crew activity sheets had converged. Guests boarded at 15:00 on 19 March 2011. The awards block translated Allianz's sales structure into a staged sequence, with diplomas dated that day and named recipients including Anita Kralj, Alen Jelovecki, Alan Schuster and Branimir Stefanac, alongside a larger group recognised for moving up a level. A permit was requested for a fireworks segment at Vis for the night of 19 March.

Money stayed on a short leash. The consolidated budget ran to 503.640,62 HRK after a 5% reserve, over a 447.253,31 HRK base, with catering the single largest line at 126.580,25 HRK. Procurement traces show repeated price pressure - chair rental alone was negotiated down across several quotes - and there were no grants behind any of it. The record reads as an expense-controlled execution ledger, not a funded package.

The production report states that the client's requirements were met. The internal post-reports are more honest than that: one crew member rated the event strong, another very successful for its scale, a third called it only passable and blamed insufficient rehearsals. That split is the real lesson. As a piece of service production, Allianz 2010 works because logistics, narrative and recognition were engineered as one system - and it shows exactly where such a system strains when rehearsal time runs short.

Milestones

2010-11-15 — Pre-production begins on the 9th Allianz sales conference
2011-01-13 — Onboard inspection on the Split-Ancona-Split route sets deck logistics and technical constraints
2011-01-18 — Operational plan published with timed blocks from arrival through overnight programming
2011-03-02 — Detailed run-of-show finalized
2011-03-19 — Conference voyage on m/t Dubrovnik; guests board at 15:00 and the awards ceremony is staged
2011-03-30 — Post-event cost reconciliation

Outcomes

Delivered — A 24-hour onboard conference and awards program for roughly 500 guests, executed on m/t Dubrovnik on 19-20 March 2011; the production report states client requirements were met.
Awards ceremony — Diplomas dated 19 March 2011 recognized top performers and a larger group advancing to higher sales levels.
Budget held — Consolidated budget of 503.640,62 HRK (after a 5% reserve) executed with no grant funding, under explicit low-budget constraints.
Honest internal review — Post-event crew reports ranged from very successful for the scale to only passable, the latter citing insufficient rehearsals.

Credits

Matija Radeljak — Director / Producer
Luka Venturin — Producer
Renata Nevidal — Agency director
Allianz Zagreb d.d. — Client
Aning usluge d.o.o. — Production company
Globtour event d.o.o. — Event agency
Jadrolinija d.d. — Ferry operator / venue
MMV Auris d.o.o. — Audio and lighting