Our 141 launch of the All New Honda Civic launch project was a huge success. PR had an all record-high of 192 media turn out. Of course 50% of that were from marketing but still 100 pax from editorial are already damn fantastic. *grin*
We've been working non-stop the past 2 weeks on this launch, and yesterday's success was a culmination of the 141-Honda teamwork and hardwork. Yeah, essentially, I spent my birth day at KL Convention Centre, Convention Hall 4. Nope, didn't celebrate it as there really was no time, no breather, not in-betweens. Our client is very meticulous and being Japaness made them all the more of a perfectionist. We rehearsed well into the wee hours and late of the morning.
Yours truly was in charge of packing 500 paperbags worth of catalogues, press releases, and speeches. I can understand packing the Media Kits but we had to pack for the dealers and guests too which I think should not be our responsibility. Call me sour-grapes but I detest people who do not work as hard as we do but act all superior. Anyway, I digress. Each media kit contain 12 items! And the materials only arrived at 9pm on the eve of the launch! We had to rush like mad packing up those paperbags. After midnight, the 141 team called a halt on their rehearsal but when they came out and saw my team of 2 packing the paperbags, they chipped in too, of which I am very thankful coz they were so tired.
So there we were behind the KLCC registration counter, with a factory-like assembly line formed. There were 9 of us and we got the job done by 2am in the morning. Phew...
Finally fell into bed at 3am and had to wake up at 6.30am for the 7.30am FINAL final final (x 10) rehearsal. By the time I got there, the Honda PR & Marketing team was already there. Not to be mean, but some of those people there that day were darn snobbish! But their Corporate Comms girl was nice, thank god for small favours or else working there on that launch day would've been a pain is in the ass.
I love the launch gambit. We started with the VIPs pressing the launch pad. When they pressed down, blue lights apeared on the launch podium and one by one lighted up the runway. Then the SFX of a helicopter came on the speakers, and there was wind in the ballroom. Cold wind to simulate the whirling draft from a copter's blades. Then this air traffic controler guy appears from the back of the hall, waving his lighted batons, as though directing a helicopter and he was a good actor too. Before he went off-stage, he put his hand on the top of his helmut as though keeping it from being blown off, and crouched and half ran as though avoiding the deadly spinning blades of the imagenary helicopter.
After that, a SFX of siren of heavy doors opening blared over the speakers, with yellow and orange warning lights flashing, and a moment later, the backdrop split-open to reveal, with dramatic stage smoke, the All New Honda Civic. The car was driven by a male model, who inched the car down the ramp and onto the stage where he alighted and went over to the passenger side and assisted his pretty passenger out of the car, and both of them posed. *role eyes*
Anyway, that was the launch gambit. I actually didn't get to see any of this real launch gambit as I was stuck behind the registration counter the whole time. There were some media who were late and very late. After the Press Conference, lunch was served and we PR people mingled with the press for a while.
Then I got an smsed from a colleague asking us to "...assemble in the ballroom now, boss taking us for lunch". We did and then we went next door to have lunch. We went to Mandarin Oriental. Except that we didn't really have like a sit-down lunch, we had our lunch and beer at the bar. Alcohol in the afternoon. Haha, by the time we left, all of us were tipsy. ^_^
My PR head offered me a ride back but when we got to her car, which was parked in the open car park lot outside the convention centre, we discovered that her passenger side window was smashed. Her car was burgled. The parking attendant was useless, all he sulkily said was, "You shouldn't park here. It's not my fault! This is not a 24 hour car-park!" Whatever dude. I sure as hell aint ever gonna park in that lot ever coz it's not safe. Veron then called her husband and after he reached the "crime-scene", Veron urged me to go home, which I did, after seeing that I was no longer needed.
When I got home about 4pm, changed my clothes and just crashed onto the living room sofa. What a day.
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