RONA Connexia
Client
RONA
Industry
Retail
Know-how
Digital
Events
Identity
Challenge
What you should know
In 2023, like in previous years, RONA turned to Bob to design and plan its annual flagship event: RONA Connexia.
For the first time since the pandemic, dealers from across Canada were invited to attend a two-day event at a single location, with the city of Mont-Tremblant selected to welcome them in September.
While preparations were underway, internal changes at RONA led to the event being postponed, resulting in a complete overhaul of the event format and the realignment of the messages sent out to dealers. RONA management wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to discuss a major change of course in how it works with affiliated dealers, returning to its roots to place them at the heart of its strategy to win back the Canadian market.
With less than three months’ notice, our teams would have to work within new parameters that would have a major impact on preparing the 2023 edition of RONA Connexia. The location, concept, programming, communications with vendors and dealers… We’d have to redo everything.
Solution
What we did
Our team hurried to leverage all its experiential expertise to make the shift as seamless as possible.
The first major challenge: quickly find and book a new location for the event, which would now be held in Montreal. Not only would the venue need to have the capacity to welcome hundreds of participating dealers and vendors, but it would also have to allow us to create distinct spaces for the numerous activities on the program, which would now be concentrated into a single, very busy day.
At the same time, Bob helped RONA with its communications to participants to avoid creating confusion or a loss of interest among the dealers and partners, who would now have to adjust their schedules and repeat the registration process and their preparations for the event. Our team also adjusted and relaunched the two-pronged registration platform (dealers/vendors), ensuring that it remained both pleasant and easy to use. In addition to direct contact from RONA’s team, Bob managed a concierge service that responded to the needs of the participants and any concerns they had, to help the transition run smoothly.
Our second challenge was to enable RONA management to explain, as clearly as possible, the major shift the company would be taking by returning to its roots and placing affiliated dealers at the heart of its strategy to win back and dominate the market.
In addition to orchestrating the usual trade show where vendors present the latest trends and their best deals, we doubled down to ensure the interactions between RONA management and the dealers were productive and memorable. For example, as a major conference was featured in the program, we created an impressive stage decor to enhance the speakers’ message, and we provided them with coaching prior to the event. Emotionally charged videos produced by Bob also demonstrated the important role dealers have played for RONA since its very beginning, as well as their key contribution to provide a promising future for the company. To cap off the event, we planned a cocktail reception and networking opportunity to strengthen the feeling of belonging, promote discussions, and ensure the new directions were clearly communicated.
Result
What we accomplished
We’re proud to say all our hard work with RONA paid off. Hundreds of dealers and vendors from across Canada converged in Montreal, where they received a warm and well-organized welcome despite the short planning timeline.
RONA management successfully delivered its messages and rallied affiliated dealers around the key announcements that aimed to project the company into the future by reconnecting with the people who make its network so strong. Enthusiasm among the attendees was palpable.
Our team made sure to create activities that would foster enriching discussions between dealers, RONA management and partner vendors, who don’t always have the opportunity to get together during the rest of the year.
Bob demonstrated our ability to react quickly to unexpected challenges and take charge of every aspect of a major event, from managing registrations and planning festive evenings to supporting participants (before, during and after the event), strategic communication, conferences, and the audiovisual environment.
What they said
“At the 2023 edition of our RONA Connexia event, we marked a new chapter in our history by returning to our roots with our affiliated RONA dealers, with whom we’ve been working for nearly 85 years. This event was so successful thanks in part to its flawless execution and the attention to detail that made it a unique experience for all participants. We’re thrilled to count on the collaboration of our loyal partners at Bob, who share our values and who allow us to surpass ourselves, year after year.”
– France Berthiaume, Manager, Products, Training, Tools and Communications, Dealer Services
