Primark Leadership Event 2024

 

The Brief

Primark approached The CCD looking for a unique venue in Dublin city to host some 1,700 of their leaders from around the globe. The purpose of the event, Primark Connect, was to bring the brand’s international leaders together for two action-packed days of business updates, breakouts, immersive experiences, entertainment and networking to connect, inspire and motivate colleagues for brand’s next chapter.

The client needed a venue that could cater for their numbers in one building, produce and deliver the various elements of the event that needed to be showcased and be able to offer an exceptional experience overall.

They required a space that would cater for a large-scale event in Primark’s headquarter city. This would involve a large-scale experiential exhibition, multiple plenary sessions, a fashion show and a private performance from one of their brand ambassadors. Given the international audience, a venue that was easily accessible from nearby hotels and major airport routes was essential.

The Solution

An ambitious event from start to finish, Primark had a full site let of The CCD, using the entire building for a range of different areas and experiences. Everything from the number of attendees to the range of sessions and speakers meant all teams involved had to be extremely well aligned and calculated in how they used the space optimally.

The project involved a four-day build scheduled for the end of January 2024, with planning starting many months previous. Engaging with the client and their agencies early is a key part of The CCD’s event delivery process. They engaged with Primark and their multiple external agencies on pre-event planning, the build and in-event delivery ensuring everyone was working in collaboration to achieve a successful result.

“The CCD team accommodated several site-visits pre-event and were able to guide and advise throughout.”

Primark’s lead organiser

With over 200 members each day collaborating on the build, it was one of the largest crews that worked on an event at The CCD.

One of the most important aspects of the venue for the client was the availability of so many different spaces and the ability to repurpose spaces or create ones that delivered multiple purposes. CCD Furniture turned spaces overnight to repurpose them allowing the event to cater to the number of sessions and group size.

With quick and agile work by CCD Furniture, the Forum was rapidly converted into a large space hosting the finale fashion show, watched by some 1,700 international attendees, and a performance by none other than Rita Ora, with the entire design and set-up being left in the capable hands of CCD Technical.

 

The Liffey Suite was designed and built by the team at The CCD to facilitate an “experiential exhibition” that brought delegates right through the Primark story. The foyers were used to enhance this exhibition, with levels one to five decked out as different zones with individual themes.

Meeting rooms and additional halls were used for organiser offices and smaller meeting spaces, offering space and quiet for the team during the event.

The Auditorium was used as the main stage for panel discussions where Primark leaders from around the globe shared thoughts and ideas and inspired and wowed their colleagues.

The Primark team have a clear sustainability agenda from their product lifecycle through to the in-store experience, and they wanted a menu that would not only cater for the demographic of the international audience, but one that would also align with their sustainability ethos.

During the planning process, a full day was set aside for a menu tasting with the Primark team to understand The CCD’s offerings and which would suit the delegates best.

An important aim of the two-day event was to provide entertainment and networking for attendees and to get their team connected, inspired, prepared and motivated. Therefore, a comfortable atmosphere and lots of networking spaces and opportunities became an aspect of the hospitality offering.

CCD Hospitality had the perfect solution for this – our convenient hamper boxes and grab and go bags for lunch. Short coffee breaks took place on the five light-filled foyers, each hosting a different experience zone. Using the foyers in this way allowed for networking and interacting with the zones as delegates took breaks.

The CCD has vast experience with working alongside agencies and third parties in delivering world-class events. CCD Technical worked collaboratively with the client’s production company on mapping out floor plans for the many experience zones, to achieve maximum exposure for the experiences, while also letting delegates move about at ease.

“Our event partner was also hugely experienced and had worked in The CCD previously which helped our team further shape the event.”

Primark lead organiser

On Wednesday 31 Jan, the event went live. Technical, exhibition, hospitality and event management teams kicked into live mode as the event took off. Communication and collaboration among teams, the client and agencies ensured smooth running of the event and the ability to deal with ad-hoc and additional requests promptly.

With the scale of the event in mind, catering, security and VIP management were paramount to the client.

Over 150 hospitality staff worked at the event, with a team and hospitality manager assigned to each of the zones, delivering a bespoke plan and running order for each.

With the importance of VIP management to the client, CCD Hospitality also implemented a runner and butler service for the celebrity brand ambassadors, which proved very successful.

 

CCD Hospitality’s offering goes beyond just event hospitality, with a variety of exciting and innovative options available. For this event, in addition to the in-event catering, a street food reception was held, with a diverse offering including fish and chip cones, ice-creams, churros and mini donuts.

The Result

This was a key strategic event for the client, hosting their global leaders in the city in which Primark was founded and headquartered. It required clear alignment between Primark, their agencies and The CCD in order to deliver the wide range of requirements of Primark Connect.

The CCD demonstrated capability, capacity, partnership and flexibility. A collaborative effort between The CCD, Primark and their agencies, the teams pushed the boundaries and thought creatively, embracing the complexities of this event.

 

“Choosing a venue that could cater for the numbers was key along with having a venue that aligned with Primark’s sustainability agenda and so The CCD was a clear winner here.”

Primark’s lead organiser