Collaboration in Action: Patterson Dental

April 27, 2016 // Insights

A Tour de Force for Patterson Dental

SERVICES: Conference, Event, Production and Transportation Services
WHAT: Patterson Dental, North American Sales Meeting
WHEN: Sept. 27 – Oct. 2, 2015
WHERE: Orlando, FL

Patterson Dental is one of North America’s largest distributors of dental merchandise and a technology leader for dental practices, offering more than 105,000 products and a wide range of industry leading equipment, software, technology solutions and services.

To reflect their reputation for precision and excellence during this year’s North American Sales Meeting, Patterson Dental engaged metroConnections, to manage their conference and supporting events.

Last fall, metroConnections activated in force to “Advance Dentistry,” the theme of Patterson Dental’s North American Sales Meeting held at the Swan and Dolphin Hotel in Orlando, Florida. With metroConnections on site, every detail was precisely managed and big smiles radiated from the 1,800 attendees during this multi-day event.

Of course, planning began months in advance. This comprehensive, labor-intensive event leveraged the complete coordination and seamless execution of metroConnections’ four service centers: conferences, events, production and transportation.

Lighting It Up in Orlando

The ten general sessions were brought to life by a branded, illuminated stage. This creative and impressive stage set featured three panoramic screens and two vertical screens that utilized a spectacular LED concept to showcase branded imagery and presentation details in a truly powerful way. Managing the technical audio-visual requirements for the event included translating the general sessions into French for Canadian attendees.

Laughing in the Face of Rain

While metroConnections is known for logistical wizardry, the weather is still beyond our control. But, we always adapt quickly when Mother Nature throws us a curve ball, implementing contingency plans with lightning speed. As the Orlando skies darkened, we fully relocated the massive outdoor welcome reception to an indoor space that allowed attendees to mix, mingle, rejuvenate with a chair massage and reconnect without rain delay.

Fun and Fan-tastic Events

An amazing off-site event was held at the Epcot Showcase Pavilion with metroConnections transporting all attendees and guests smoothly to and from Epcot. The next evening, our team created a huge tailgating party at the hotel featuring stadium-style food booths, servers dressed as referees, and games ranging from group PacMan to arcade bowling. The general session stage was repurposed for a full band that energized and entertained the crowd.

Kudos All Around

While the behind-the-scenes coordination was extensive, meticulous attention to detail made the entire experience look effortless. Both attendees and Patterson leadership raved about the successful event and left for home with important business insights and unforgettable memories.

“Thank you to the entire metroConnections team for the great work!”

Big Numbers for a Big Event

1,800 registrants with more than 930 registration, air travel and hotel room/roommate changes
5,400 pieces of luggage handled
204 breakouts completed
1,600 rain ponchos distributed to attendees

Looking for strategies, support or a quote for an upcoming event? We’d love to partner with you. Email us: info@metroconnections.com