Building trust is not an instantaneous process; it often takes a bit of work. That’s why we value it when clients give us the opportunity to demonstrate our dedication to their cause and the chance to understand their needs.
“Our partnerships with people are central, and we invest time and consideration in these relationships, to ensure they last,” says JBE senior events manager, Emma Norris.
Elanco Animal Health is one of our longest-standing clients, with a partnership spanning 10 years. We’re proud of the huge array of projects we have delivered with Elanco, and a lot of it comes down to a strong level of trust between our team led by senior event manager Emma Norris, and Elanco’s ruminant marketing manager, Louise Cowan, and her team.
From cross-sector exhibition stands, to live events, and through Covid and beyond, we have developed bespoke hybrid events in many arms of the Elanco business, which continue to be effective today.
We have navigated significant business changes, shifts in agriculture and the huge challenge of Covid, and we’d like to say thank you to Louise and her team for an amazing collaborative partnership that we all commit to developing further.
Thoughts from Louise Cowan
“Trust is central to the partnership with JBE. Life and work will always throw up challenges, but working with people who know what they’re doing really helps. Our partnership is rooted in mutual understanding and an open environment where creative ideas can be brought to life,” says Louise.
“Each event is different, and there are many inevitable curveballs to navigate. JBE goes above and beyond to ensure that the brief is delivered,” she says.
Louise emphasises the importance of upholding high standards across all events, underlining Elanco’s position as category leader. “Maintaining professionalism in every aspect, especially in events integral to our marketing strategy, is paramount. They must be impeccably executed.”
“In a busy role that takes you in different directions, it’s important to surround yourself with experts you trust, and we have complete confidence in JBE,” says Louise.
Spotlight on our Elanco projects
Our projects have included multiple trade stands of varying scale and complexity, often with interactive delegate challenges, which we’ve worked creatively with the Elanco team to successfully overcome.
When Covid began, Louise noted our diversification into virtual and hybrid events and approached us to discuss ways to present their Annual Layers Conference online rather than in person. That led to us delivering their Layers Conference in September 2020 using green screen filming, virtual studio technology, custom animation, and a registration and a livestreaming platform for delegates.
The initial success of the hybrid Layers Conference led us into full virtual delivery of the Elanco annual internal sales conference followed by global poultry team events including co-ordination and technical production for multiple remote speakers with varied presentations, an introduction from the Elanco Global CEO based in the USA, a high-profile motivational speaker, translation into multiple languages and always a live Q&A.
The Layers Conference concept evolved over the next few years including the creation of in-person studio settings for a high-profile panel, with additional remote speakers, pre-recorded presentations, and a live ‘vision mixed’ production broadcast to remote registered delegates. In 2022 it transitioned into three face-to-face events in Shropshire, Harrogate and Edinburgh where we sourced and managed venues, delegate hospitality and catering, branding, AV, and facilitated a live cooking demonstration.
We also developed the A2K hybrid events series during Covid, which has continued to evolve. This A2K collaboration has included on-farm and remote filming for video production and broadcasts to remote delegates gathering CPD points, studio set building, working closely with host Adam Henson, and even livestreaming Cammy Wilson from a livestock trailer at the National Ploughing event in Ireland!
The last three or four years have seen us transition across to other sectors of the business. We have designed and built large scale custom exhibition stands for Elanco’s parent company, Lilly, as part of its human pharma diabetes portfolio.
We have worked with the companion animal team including stand design and build at London Vet Show’s, BVA Live and BSAVA. These stands are now delivered using our in-house system to ensure optimum re-use of materials and graphics as part of the Elanco sustainability brief, and a range of bespoke features aimed at maximum engagement including large format LED screen, touchscreens, catering and competitions.
The future
We’re so proud of what we’ve achieved with Louise, Elanco Animal Health and Lilly, and with the sustained popularity of face-to-face and hybrid events, we’ll continue to deliver out of the box ideas, and push boundaries, to meet objectives, always prioritising mutual honesty and trust.
“We’re excited about the future – with JBE we will continue to push boundaries, come up with new innovative ideas and learn from technology to make our events more valuable for our delegates,” adds Louise.
