Festival-Style Internal Convention: Uniting 1,700 R&D Employees Sustainably
How do you turn a three-day R&D seminar into a festival experience for 1,700 employees from around the world? WMH Project designed an internal convention built around encounter, with an eco-responsible framework targeting minimal carbon footprint and maximum social impact.
Why choose a festival format for an internal convention?
When 1,700 employees from international sites barely know one another, the challenge is above all human. WMH Project bet on the festival: a positive format rich in sharing, inclusive because it celebrates diverse profiles and cultures, creative because it fuels boldness, and festive because it builds collective pride. Three convictions drive the design: the encounter with the venue, the encounter among colleagues, the encounter with innovation.
How do you engage 1,700 participants before the event?
An invitation funnel spread over four months builds anticipation. At D-100, the invitation and registration platform; at D-80, a teaser video; at D-75, a talent call where employees submit an artistic performance on video, followed by an internal vote and the selection of 10 coached finalists. Add a collaborative playlist (D-50), a no-download web app (D-40) and a festival checklist adapted to the weather (D-20).
What role does technology play on site?
A dedicated web app carries the journey: personalized profile, custom agenda, floor plan, who's who, internal social wall and interactive plenary (quizzes, votes, questions). Each participant receives a connected RFID badge, reusable and made in France: contact exchange by tapping two badges, live voting, automatic detection at workshop entrances and reminders 15 minutes before each session. Badges light up in different colors to guide groups to their auditoriums.
How do you combine scientific content and human experience?
The program unfolds over three days around three hashtags: #INSPIRE (learning expeditions, site visits, forward-looking keynotes), #UNITE (ice-breakers, themed coffee breaks, workshops, networking formats like the videomathon or the wall of 100 questions) and #INNOVATE (an e-live plenary broadcast across four auditoriums, a scientific poster exhibition, a time capsule to be opened in 2030). Bold formats — world café, silent roundtable, debates, live scribing — replace top-down prose.
How do you unite people through a collective challenge?
The final day features a large-scale team building: a graphic choreography inspired by high-level creations, adapted for non-dancers and filmed by drone, aiming for a certified record. As an alternative, a giant chain-reaction machine built in teams, mobilizing communication and mutual aid. Two ways to create a shared memory together.
How do you reduce the event's footprint?
The framework targets a demanding sustainability certification and a post-event carbon assessment. Reuse and rental of furniture, systematic waste recovery, vegetarian or local and seasonal catering, soft mobility (electric shuttles, carpooling), reusable cups and zero single-use plastic. A kiosk calculates and offsets each guest's travel carbon. On the social side: welcome teams from inclusion programs, accessibility for reduced mobility, and providers from the sheltered and solidarity-based sector.
At WMH Project, we make encounter the heart of the experience — boldness, impact, responsibility.
FAQ
How many employees does this internal convention bring together?
The event gathers 1,700 employees from international sites over three days, around the pillars inspire, unite and innovate.
How does the event limit its environmental impact?
The framework targets a sustainability certification and a post-event carbon assessment: furniture reuse, local and seasonal catering, soft mobility, zero single-use plastic and travel carbon offset.
Which technology tools structure the experience?
A no-download web app (personalized agenda, interactive plenary, social wall) and a reusable connected RFID badge enabling networking, live voting and automated workshop access.