Employee Communication Campaign Launch Event | ICE India
November 3, 2025
Annual Channel Partner Appreciation Event Management | ICE India
November 3, 2025Corporate Rebranding & Customer Networking Event Mumbai
The Challenge
NEL Engineering was transitioning to a new corporate brand identity. After eight years building their reputation in India's oil and gas sector, they needed to showcase evolution to key clients.
Their client roster included major players. ONGC, British Gas, and other energy sector leaders. These relationships represented years of trust. The rebranding couldn't feel like abandoning that history.
The Storytelling Problem
How do you communicate eight years of company history engagingly? Traditional presentations bore audiences. Corporate videos get ignored. PowerPoint decks fade from memory within days.
NEL needed something different. Something memorable. An approach that would honor their past while exciting clients about their future. The event had to feel special, not routine.
B2B Event Complexity
Customer events differ fundamentally from employee gatherings. Clients are busy executives. They evaluate whether attending justifies their time investment. Every aspect must demonstrate value.
NEL's search for an event management agency in Mumbai focused on finding partners who understood B2B dynamics. Not just logistics but strategic positioning. How to make clients feel valued rather than marketed to.
Multiple Entertainment Requirements
The evening needed varied entertainment maintaining engagement across different moments. Welcome networking required background ambiance. Brand story presentation demanded focused attention. Dinner called for sophisticated entertainment. Post-event networking needed conversation starters.
Each phase required appropriate entertainment choices. Too casual would undermine professionalism. Too formal would feel stuffy. Too loud would prevent networking conversations. Finding this balance required experience NEL's internal team lacked.
Our Strategic Solution
ICE India designed a customer networking event using three distinctive entertainment elements. Each served specific purposes within the overall evening flow. Together they created an experience clients would remember and discuss.
Live Sand Animation by Manas Sahoo
We engaged Manas Sahoo, a national award-winning sand animation artist. His performance would tell NEL's eight-year journey visually. Live, in front of the audience.
Sand animation creates flowing images using sand on backlit glass. The artist works while cameras project their hands creating images on large screens. Audiences watch the creation process in real-time.
Why Sand Animation for Rebranding
The medium perfectly symbolizes transformation. Sand forms an image, then flows into the next scene seamlessly. This mirrors NEL's evolution. Building on their past to create their future.
Manas created a narrative arc. Early days of company founding. First major contracts won. Technical challenges overcome. Key client partnerships formed. The journey culminating in the new brand identity emerging from the sand.
The performance lasted 15 minutes. Clients watched completely engaged. No phones out. No side conversations. Total focus on the story unfolding through artistic mastery.
Illusionist Rakesh Shyam
We featured professional illusionist Rakesh Shyam for post-dinner entertainment. His act provided sophisticated magic balancing mystique with corporate appropriateness.
Rakesh performed close-up magic during networking breaks. Walking among tables, engaging small groups with card tricks and coin illusions. This broke ice between clients who didn't know each other.
Why Illusion Works for B2B Events
Magic creates shared wonder. Clients experiencing impossible moments together immediately have conversation topics. "How did he do that?" becomes networking facilitation.
Professional illusionists understand corporate audiences. They avoid cheesy presentation styles. No dated jokes or embarrassing audience participation. Sophisticated mystery maintaining professional atmosphere while generating genuine amazement.
Rakesh also performed stage illusions post-dinner. Larger spectacles visible from all tables. These moments punctuated the evening with energy preventing post-meal lethargy that kills networking.
Retro Band Entertainment
A renowned retro band performed classic hits from the 70s and 80s. This music choice was strategic, not random.
NEL's clients were primarily senior executives. Ages 45-65. These demographics have strong nostalgic connections to retro music. The familiar melodies created comfort and positive emotional associations.
Music as Networking Facilitator
The band performed at carefully calibrated volumes. Loud enough to create ambiance. Quiet enough for table conversations to continue. This balance is critical for customer events.
Between songs, the lead singer engaged audiences with stories about the music's era. These moments provided conversation bridges. Clients discussed their memories associated with particular songs. Shared nostalgia builds connection.
Some clients moved to designated dance floor areas. Others remained at tables talking. The music accommodated both preferences. Creating energy without forcing participation.
Event Flow & Production
We structured the evening in distinct phases. Each phase had specific objectives and appropriate entertainment support.
Cocktail Reception (60 minutes): Clients arrived to soft background music. Registration was seamless. Staff guided guests to networking areas with drinks and appetizers. Rakesh circulated performing close-up magic.
Welcome & Brand Story (45 minutes): Guests moved to seated area. NEL leadership provided brief welcome. Then Manas Sahoo's sand animation performance told the eight-year journey. Leadership concluded with new brand identity reveal.
Dinner Service (75 minutes): Multi-course meal with retro band performing. Volume levels allowed table conversations. Food quality demonstrated NEL's commitment to client experience.
Entertainment & Networking (60 minutes): Rakesh's stage illusion show provided spectacle. Then open networking with continued music. Clients mingled freely. Many stayed past planned conclusion time, indicating genuine engagement.
Venue & Production Quality
The Mumbai venue selection balanced accessibility with ambiance. Located conveniently for clients coming from across the city. Professional enough to reflect NEL's stature.
Production elements reinforced brand messaging. Stage design incorporated new brand colors subtly. Lighting created sophistication without darkness. AV systems ensured clear visibility of sand animation projection. Every detail communicated quality and attention.
The Event Experience
Arrival & First Impressions
Clients entered a transformed venue. Professional branding welcomed them without overwhelming. Registration staff knew each guest by name. This personalization set immediate tone.
The cocktail area featured conversation zones. Seating clusters encouraged small group discussions. Rakesh's close-up magic gave clients reasons to approach strangers. "Did you see what he just did?" opened conversations naturally.
The Sand Animation Moment
When guests moved to seated area, anticipation built. What would happen next? The lights dimmed. Manas's hands appeared on screen. Sand began flowing.
The first image formed. NEL's founding moment visualized through sand. Gasps from audience as the detail became clear. Then the image transformed. Flowing into the next chapter of the story.
For 15 minutes, absolute attention. No fidgeting. No phone checking. Just pure engagement with visual storytelling. When the final image revealed the new brand logo, applause erupted spontaneously.
Dining & Entertainment
The meal featured quality cuisine reflecting NEL's respect for clients. Multiple courses paced to allow both eating and conversation. The retro band's music created soundtrack without dominating.
Between courses, Rakesh appeared at tables. Quick magic moments surprising each group. Laughter rippled across the room. Clients who arrived as strangers were now sharing experiences.
Post-Dinner Energy
The stage illusion show reinvigorated the room. Dramatic moments building to impossible conclusions. Clients leaned forward watching. Smartphones emerged, but for photography not escape.
Final networking phase felt organic. Clients genuinely wanted to stay. Conversations continued around tables and standing areas. The entertainment had provided shared experiences facilitating connection.
NEL leadership circulated freely. Previous entertainment allowed them to focus on relationships rather than hosting duties. Many clients expressed appreciation for the creative approach to rebranding announcement.
Measurable Impact & Results
The rebranding launch event achieved outcomes extending beyond the single evening, demonstrating how creative customer engagement builds B2B relationships:
Event Success Metrics
- 87 of 90 invited clients attended (97% attendance for B2B event)
- Average dwell time of 4.2 hours exceeded planned 3.5-hour program
- Sand animation rated most memorable element by 84% in follow-up survey
- Social media posts by 63% of attendees amplifying brand launch reach
Client Relationship Impact
- 12 new business conversations initiated during event networking
- 3 dormant client relationships reactivated through reconnection at event
- Client feedback scores averaged 4.6/5 for event experience quality
- Request for similar format at NEL's next annual client gathering
Brand Launch Success
- New brand recognition at 94% among surveyed clients within two weeks
- Positive brand perception increased 23 percentage points post-event
- Media coverage in industry publications citing creative launch approach
- Internal team morale boost from client appreciation of company evolution story
What Made This Rebranding Launch Successful
Artistic Storytelling Over Corporate Presentation
Sand animation transformed potentially dry company history into captivating art. Clients remember stories, not statistics. Visual narrative created emotional connection to NEL's journey that PowerPoint never could.
The live performance aspect added urgency. Audiences watch live art differently than recorded video. The ephemeral nature mirrors brand transformation perfectly. Each sand image exists briefly before flowing into the next evolution.
Entertainment as Networking Facilitation
Each entertainment element served strategic purposes beyond mere spectacle. Rakesh's close-up magic broke ice between strangers. The retro band created nostalgic connection. Stage illusions provided shared experiences generating conversation topics.
This differs from entertainment as time filler. Every performance actively facilitated relationship building. The networking wasn't despite entertainment but because of thoughtful entertainment selection.
Sophisticated vs. Extravagant
The event felt refined rather than excessive. B2B clients appreciate quality but distrust lavishness. They wonder if their contract prices fund unnecessary extravagance.
Our choices projected success appropriately. Award-winning sand artist. Professional illusionist. Quality band. These communicate thriving business. But nothing screamed wasteful spending. The balance built confidence rather than concern.
Networking Time Prioritization
We allocated 60% of event time to networking versus 40% to brand presentation. Many companies reverse this ratio. They focus on their message forgetting clients attend for relationship value.
By making networking the primary activity, clients felt the evening respected their time. The brand story was important but didn't dominate. This positioning generated goodwill that pure marketing presentations cannot achieve.
Production Quality Signals
Every production detail communicated NEL's attention to quality. Seamless AV. Professional lighting. Comfortable seating. Quality catering. These operational elements reinforced the brand message.
Clients subconsciously evaluate companies through event execution. Smooth logistics suggest reliable service delivery. Technical glitches raise doubts about operational competence. Excellence in event details builds confidence in core business capabilities.