Essilor tours Vietnam and Cambodia

The Brief
Phenomene Voyages approached Exotissimo for a breath of fresh air, both in terms of newness of destination and also of activities there.
A large manufacturing company spread across five continents and 20 countries, Essilor rewarded its top performers and of the 320 attendees, over 100 were from Germany with the
remainder arriving from Paris via Bangkok.

Challenges
Whereas other destinations have much more mature events industries, managing large
groups in Vietnam and Cambodia requires a deft hand, planning and a lot of experience.
Phenomene Voyages first contacted Exotissimo Paris in June 2006 and the next 18 months of planning made for a worthwhile incentive trip.
Another challenge was to create a new event specifically for Essilor. Exotissimo looked to
use Vietnam’s natural beauty as the backdrop for the event. Flying three of Vietnam’s top
DJs to an island in Halong Bay, Exotissimo created a beach party for Essilor’s participants. Special approval had to be obtained from the local authorities, and set-up of the party took a full day.

Execution
The Essilor incentive ran over eight days, beginning in Hanoi and moving forward to Halong
Bay, then Hoi An and ending in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The size of the incentive in comparison
to the region’s developing infrastructure made simple transportation complex. In all,
ten coaches, 21 luxury junks and three charter flights were used to transport the Essilor team
between Hanoi, Halong, Hoi An and Siem Reap.

In Hanoi, participants were able to gain intimate views of life in Hanoi’s historic streets from
the comfortable seat of a cyclo. The time in Hanoi concluded with an opulent dinner
organised specially in Hanoi’s Museum of History and catered by the Seasons of Hanoi Restaurant.

Upon arrival in Hoi An, delegates were met with torrential rains. The ancient village was flooded by over two metres of water and, while the rain fell, the participants found themselves busy with spa treatments, cooking, handicraft classes and other activities at the resort. Late-night parties
with the Palm Garden’s inhouse band kept guests entertained.

In Siem Reap, the group was divided into three to avoid large crowds throughout the temples.
The event was capped off with an evening cocktail function at one of the temples, followed by a gala dinner at the Elephant Terrace, arranged by the Raffles Angkor with a full sit-down meal and Apsara dancers providing entertainment.

Verdict
Operations manager Paul Robinson says: “We are quite proud to have set up a positive programme for over 300 people in extreme conditions.

“We were able to find interesting meal venues, excursions and tours while Hoi An was experiencing the worst weather in over 20 years.”

One Essilor participant says: “Our evening at the Elephant Terrace compares well with our prior incentive at the Taj Mahal.”

- Kate Nicholson