ICCA Best Marketing Award 2007 Luigi Cammi - October 30 th 2007 15 TH CONGRESS OF EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION FOR PSYCHOTHERAPY 3 O CONGRESSO DELLA FEDERAZIONE ITALIANA ASSOCIAZIONI DI PSICOTERAPIA Humour and other strategies to survive emotional crisis Florence, 14-17 JUNE 2007
Overview The beginning In February 2006 Florence Convention Bureau asked four PCO s to compete for EAP - FIAP Congress 2007 We worked on distinguishing our services Not a routine job of a PCO we started thinking about something new and creative
Overview Market elements Analysis of Psychotherapy events in Italy and in Europe and previous Congresses (from ICCA database): 10-13 July 2003 Lviv Ukraine 320 participants 24-27 June 2004 Belgrade Serbia 280 participants 06-10 June 2005 Vilnius Lithuania 800 participants 13-16 July 2006 Cambridge UK 300 participants Inspection visit and promotional stand at EAP 2006 Congress, in Cambridge (UK) Psychotherapists and Psychologists do not prescribe medicines
Overview Market elements The selected theme of the scientific works was very strong and we started using it in order to create the brand of the Congress itself! The aim of the campaign was to involve: Institutions, Sponsors, Media and Scientific audience raise funds for the Meyer Paediatric Hospital of Florence
Idea HUMOUR in Therapy The link between HUMOUR, SCIENTIFIC RESULTS and HEALTH LIFE was a special purple clown nose The design of all printed materials was created mixing an image of Palazzo Vecchio with the famous comic actor Charlie Chaplin and a boy, holding a picture of Sigmund Freud, father of Psychotherapy.
Goals from beginning New President Election for 2009 More students and young fellows PR and Media recognition of both EAP and FIAP Associations We moved to other opportunities Using HUMOR in managing Hospitals Using HUMOR to bring wellness and happiness in daily life Asking MEYER HOSPITAL to bring their knowledge Asking PATCH ADAMS to join us in the Project
What we had done MEYER foundation, FIORENTINA Calcio, Florence Population Politics, Sponsor, fellows, institutional EAP Congress
The project Let Florence being the Capital of Humour for more than just the four days of the Congress duration. Several ingredients, in a city theme dressed to show how humour can be useful in different realities, from psychotherapy to medicine. The target audience was: 1.200 people (psychotherapists, psychologists, paediatricians, social assistants, educators and teachers), as an International Scientific Congress; simultaneous events reached 55.000 people in the whole city.
Overview First press conference al the Congress Palace in May, to launch the events related to the Congress and Fiorentina Soccer game At the end of the month, we filled the soccer stadium with purple noses (more than 30.000 noses were sold) Second press conference in Palazzo Medici Riccardi, to present the special picture show on Humour and other strategies to survive emotional crisis. The presence of Patch Adams at the Charity Dinner for the Paediatric Hospital, and his final speech, concluded the successful event.
Marketing Campaign Marketing campaign of the whole project started in April 2007, then we launched the football game and the raising of the funds for Charity. After that, we promoted the Congress and the presence of Patch Adams Different locations have been chosen in order to involve the whole city Selected locations in Florence were: Artemio Franchi Soccer Stadium Congress Palace Limonaia of Medici Riccardi Palace Repubblica Square Budini Gattai Palace Grand Hotel Baglioni
Campaign The event has been promoted through: advertisement on several web sites for doctors, psychologists, paediatrics, educators, family therapists; dedicated web site (www.humourintherapy.com); articles and advertising on daily and monthly magazines; scientific programme sending and postcards; t-shirts and obviously...purple clown noses! These simultaneous events reached a larger target: the Florentine citizens first of all, the supporters and the national and international medias.
Unique Features Two main moments: The first one with the handing out of purple clown noses into football stadium, on May 27 th The initiative, to support the Meyer Pediatric Hospital Foundation, colored the last Fiorentina Championship match, involving the whole terraces with the hymn of both teams (Fiorentina and Sampdoria), sung by the Melograno Little Chorus of Florence, and letting all players take the field strictly wearing a purple nose.
Unique Features The second topic moment took place at the presence of PATCH ADAMS He attended a round table, on Saturday June 16 th ; Successful and attractive (for both media and citizens) lectio magistralis, on Sunday 17 th. Finally, he was guest star at the Meyer Foundation Charity Dinner.
Results A cheerful atmosphere spread all around from the very entrance of the Congress venues, at the secretary desk, where famous quotations on humour and psychotherapy themes were drown up. Purple was the main colour of the staging: flowers, bags, badge collars, pens The staff members put on purple noses during all the event, nicely welcoming all the participants - who have been on good terms with the Meyer Paediatric Hospital Clowns, too.
Results 1.200 delegates (four times as large as the last years) 60% young fellows and student 350 participants to dinners and social events; 32.300 purple noses handed up - at the Stadium (26.300) and at the stand in Repubblica Square (6.000). Funds raised from purple noses, for the new Paediatric Hospital of Florence more than 55.000 euros.
Results The Congress President, Prof. Rodolfo de Bernart, thanks to the success of the event, obtained the future EAP Presidency. We are planning other similar project in Italy with MEYER Foundation and politics in Florence to raise money - April 2008 A huge project to be announced soon with PATCH ADAMS to make Florence the first HAPPY CITY in world - May 2008
Results Besides the joyful atmosphere in the air of our offices, our Company, obviously, gained lot of media promotion and hundreds of newspaper articles. It has been a big lesson on making our job with more FUN. Opportunity to present here our professionalism to ICCA member!