After developing a new purpose and strategy for its business, insurance company LV= had to communicate this vision to more than 6,000 employees. In the past, LV= would have communicated a new strategy by telling senior leaders what it was, asking them to share with their teams and posting a story on the company’s Intranet for those who were interested.
This time around, in keeping with its new LV= 3.0 vision, the internal communications team at LV= created an event that took people through the insight that shaped the strategy so that they could see the concept brought to life.
Working with agency Business 3.0, LV= created Launchpad, an immersive event held in an aircraft hangar rather than a traditional conference venue, to which the company’s 150 top leaders were invited along with 150 people from across the organisation. These 150 people, dubbed Firelighters, were selected because they were seen to have influence within their local teams or business areas.
Rather than just receiving an email invitation, delegates received a personal email invite from chief executive Richard Rowney, with a video explaining the importance of the new company Blueprint and why they had been selected as Firelighters. An event app was also created, to build a sense of anticipation among attendees and for use throughout the event for immediate feedback, discussion and comments.
As delegates entered the hangar, they walked through three exhibition areas. Customer provided a multi-media exploration of the six target audience segments for LV=. Extinction versus Evolution reviewed companies, such as National Geographic, who had successfully navigated change against those who had failed to evolve, such as Blockbuster. Six Forces focused on the six disruptive forces, such as big data, fintech and the rise of second lifers, that are set to disrupt the insurance industry.
Over two days, the attendees went on a journey of discovery to understand why a new strategy and vision was needed, and the insight and thinking that underpinned the new Blueprint. There were no Powerpoint presentations. There were plenary sessions held in the round involving all 300 delegates, breakout sessions moderated by Firelighters for small groups to explore elements of the Blueprint in more detail and open agoras, constructed with tiered cubed seating, to facilitate discussions and conversations.
Every single delegate agreed that the event had proved valuable to attend while 99 per cent said it gave them the opportunity to explore and understand the Blueprint, 98 per cent said it helped them recognise the need for change while 97 per cent felt they had clarity on LV=’s future direction.
The event’s objective was to inform and excite attendees about LV=’s new strategy and vision in order that they could cascade the Blueprint to their 6,000 colleagues. Within 30 days, the 150 leaders and 150 Firelighters working in pairs held 300 two hour conversations about the Blueprint across 16 locations.
‘This was an engaging approach with lots of discussion groups and high engagement levels,’ said the judges. ‘It achieved great results.’
