What's the point of giving a company's incentive operations a cultural flavour?
Daniel Verschaere - There are enough bridges between business and culture to cover all kinds of issues. I'm passionate about culture, and I've always tried to incorporate it into the life of a company. I used to set up my customer meetings in a museum, around an exhibition... I took care to choose an unusual venue so that I could share with my contacts a special moment outside the world of work. Clients really appreciate this approach. And so is playing up the exceptional! For example, we organised a private event for 150 people at the Picasso Museum. And we did it in the month before the museum reopened. It was a huge success! A law firm even contacted me to buy this option. But other modules are easier to set up. I work with CAC 40 groups, which means that I deal with busy business people. And museum or other cultural venue privatisations early in the morning or late at night fit in perfectly with their schedules.
Is culture also adapted to internal communication?
D. V. - Of course! For example, Atos Consulting, which is a patron of the Quai Branly Museum, has joined forces with the contemporary art project located on the main access ramp to the museum. The work is by Vietnamese artist Trinh T. Minh-Ha. A whole internal communication plan has been put in place to ensure that employees take ownership of the museum by offering them free, no-obligation access. People who had never set foot in a museum before went on to visit the Quai Branly museum with their families. This action totally united the employees.
What advice would you give to companies that are still hesitating?
D.V. - They should go for it! France is teeming with cultural sites to suit all budgets and all communication policies. We are witnessing an extraordinary democratisation of venues and a broadening of audiences. I've seen the rise of the Cluny Abbey, for example, and the reopening of the Musée de l'Homme this autumn should be a huge success.
So culture is always topical...
D.V. - Yes, particularly thanks to new technologies. Already, in the UK, the Evergeek platform makes it possible to share concerts virtually live. Elsewhere, digitised plays are being shown in cinemas, multiplying the number of spectators. Museums are using social networks to communicate. So have companies, with privatisations being enhanced with various modules such as interviews with well-known artists and specialists, or backstage tours. These 'extras' are then broadcast on social networks, where everyone can have their say. Access to culture is now open to all. At last!
