It has been just
over a year since OPEN HOUSE events were held at CHIRON and STAMA… people shook
hands, machines were observed in action, projects were discussed, and delicious
catering was served up. But things had to be done differently in 2020. And, as
it turns out, doing things differently actually works – and really well too:
With around 1,000 visitors, the CHIRON Group's first OPEN HOUSE ONLINE – OHO for
short – was a complete success.
While many companies were still hesitating and mulling over whether it was even possible to put on an event to replace their 2020 in-house trade fair, and exactly what form it could take, a decision was taken quickly at CHIRON Group: We're going online! We grabbed the opportunity to meet our customers and prospective customers in a new way that would allow them to network with each other while experiencing our technology »live«.
The »making of« –
a genuine feat of strength
A fantastic idea and a real challenge for the
organization team, which had to get a completely new event up and running
practically from scratch: An interactive platform with videos, communication
and expert information in real-time. The content was tailored to the customers
of CHIRON and STAMA and it was all incorporated into a joint event under the
umbrella of the CHIRON Group.
Marketing and the specialist departments discussed, designed, rejected, rethought – and ultimately did the job bravely and decisively. In the end, the objective was to be able to welcome the customers of the CHIRON Group to the OPEN HOUSE ONLINE as close as possible to the planned dates of the actual open house days.
Once the framework was clear, attention turned to implementation and preparation: Scripts were written, machines polished, texts rehearsed for the video shoot, the online platform was designed, programmed and optimized. Entirely new skills were also demonstrated by our colleagues from Sales, Research and Development, Automation and Service: Instead of working with the actual machine, the machining options, process steps and customer benefits had to be explained digitally – in web conferences, on the telephone and, if invited by the chat agent, in a live chat.
The OHO was uncharted territory for the Sales team in particular, where much of the work is done straightforwardly in direct, personal contact in »normal times«. Worldwide, the lines were kept busy and emails were sent. The Sales employees convinced their customers that the OPEN HOUSE ONLINE would be worth a visit and, in times of COVID-19, would be a good opportunity to find out about new products and join in expert dialog.
Finally, the time
has come
Despite the best preparations, everyone was
properly nervous at the start of the open house on May 14: Would their various
efforts pay off? What if far fewer customers and prospective customers turned
up than were registered? What if – worst case – the phones stayed silent? As it
turned out, these fears were unfounded: In total, there were around 1,000
visitors to the OPEN HOUSE ONLINE. Some even visited several times! Happily,
this time, the CHIRON Group was also able to welcome many European visitors from
beyond the DACH region, as well as visitors from Asia and America. What the
visitors liked in particular: The machines and services were presented by the
respective experts, meaning it was easy to find out the right contact persons
for further questions or future projects straight away.
Now as before:
Lots to see and experience
Anyone
who wasn't able to visit the OPEN HOUSE ONLINE or would like to see the
highlights again at their leisure can find a few videos below: For example, a
spectacular clip of the complete machining of a wing slot with the DZ 25 P five
axis and an entertaining and funny collage of everything that, for good reason,
didn't make the final cut. More subject-related videos are included in
different articles of this edition.
