Challenges
“The ten-day leadtime was a bit of a challenge,” says Sushil Wadhwa, managing director
of Platinum India. “Including the transit in Singapore, the flight from Mumbai to Saigon
took nine hours, “about the same time we’d take to go to Europe”.
The weather posed a huge challenge as the gala dinner on the first night was al fresco. The
dinner setting was moved indoors and out again several times (in response to the weather), and the event eventually had to be held in the museum.
Execution
The outdoor gala dinner was held at the grounds of the Fine Arts Museum. It was conceptualised as a magical evening with the blend of stars, venue, sumptuous Indian cuisine and entertainment – the drummers and opera singer were to converge on the group from different corners for optimal aural and visual impact.
“At US$1,500 per person, you can imagine the kind of wow we had planned,” says Wadhwa.
“The hotel’s catering staff were superb. They moved the dinner set-up from the garden to the
museum and out again a total of four times within 90 minutes.
Everything was beautifully done each time – no complaints, no grumbling.”
The dinner cruise on the second night went well. “The hotel did a brilliant job with the food and we really liked having the two masseuses onboard to give us free massages.”
A Filipino band and a dance troupe provided the evening’s entertainment. By the end of the
evening’s programme, all the delegates had joined the dancers on the dance floor.
Verdict
“We loved Saigon as it offers a mix of activities for both day and night,” say Wadhwa. “We
really liked the hotel and its service. Checking-in and out was smooth, the rooms were nice, and they did a brilliant catering job.”
- Henry Wong
Reliance looks to Sheraton Saigon for big event
Reliance, India's largest privatesector enterprise, wanted a memorable event to mark the signing ceremony for a US$500 million loan. The three-day event needed to engage the delegates, offer unique experiences and impress everyone with a high "wow" factor.
