IBM GLOBAL SALES KICKOFF REDEFINING HYBRID EVENT EXCELLENCE
IBM
TECHNOLOGY
STRATEGY CONSULTING – MULTISITE LIVESTREAMS
AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT – GAMESHOW PRODUCTION CREATIVE – ANIMATION
LIVE STREAMING – 16 REGIONAL SALES KICK-OFFS PRODUCED
EXTENDED REALITY – CUSTOM STAGE BUILD
IBM’s Global Sales Kickoff is a quarterly event delivered across four geographies—Americas, Europe/Middle East/Africa, Asia Pacific, and Japan—to align over 30,000 sellers and business partners on strategies and initiatives for the coming year. Held simultaneously in each region, the live event ensures IBM’s global salesforce remains informed, motivated, and connected without the need for extensive travel or downtime. Steady Now Productions has proudly partnered with IBM for over six years, delivering 16 hybrid events annually (over 50 events total) with precision and creativity.
Steady Now Productions collaborated with IBM to craft a groundbreaking sales enablement campaign that has garnered industry acclaim, winning six Telly Awards and one Stevie Award, including Gold for Internal/Employee Communications (2023 Stevie Awards), Gold for Virtual & Hybrid Events (2023 Telly Awards), and Gold for Employee Communications (2022 Telly Awards).
As a testament to innovation and creativity, Steady Now developed a recurring musical animation series featuring a conference mascot and a world of custom characters to support learning objectives. This series, now with 10 episodes, has become a signature element of IBM’s employee engagement strategy and was honored with the 2022 Gold Telly Award for Employee Engagement.
Faced with the challenge of creating an engaging, unifying experience for a distributed audience, we crafted a hybrid model leveraging IBM’s existing infrastructure and local venues. This solution not only maintained a cohesive, in-person energy but also resulted in a 35% cost reduction compared to traditional event models, while achieving an impressive Net Promoter Score of 4.7.
Our mission was to immerse attendees in a seamless narrative that combined innovative design, technology, and storytelling. From Unreal Engine-powered virtual stages to interactive watch parties that showcased local pride, every element fostered connection. A standout moment was a large-scale game show hosted by Netflix comedian Gianmarco Soresi, where over 10,000 attendees participated simultaneously, reinforcing engagement and excitement.
Steady Now Productions also introduced groundbreaking technology to enhance the experience, such as tools for watch party check-ins and dynamic session configurations, ensuring real-time interaction. Robust project management infrastructure guaranteed flawless execution across scoping, planning, delivery, and post-event analytics phases.
The IBM Global Sales Kickoff exemplifies the transformative power of hybrid events. By combining innovation, efficiency, and creativity, we delivered a truly global experience that inspired participants. Attendees echoed the sentiment, saying, “It just keeps you glued to the screen!”