INCENTIVES
Client: Insurance company
Origin: France
Participants: Best clients
Number: 90 people
Location:
Pallavicini Palace lies in the heart of Vienna and forms, together with the imperial “Hofburg” and the Spanish Riding School, a harmonious setting. In the past it was and still is the place where official receptions for monarchs and heads of state are given by the Austrian government.
The building was erected on the initiative of Count Moritz Fries between the years 1782 and 1784 by Ferdinand Hohenberg von Hetzendorf. In the design of the Pallavicini Palace the rich decoration and the luxuriant play of fantasy typical of the Viennese High Baroque style gave way to a massive size and rigid structure, that are livened up in a subtly charming way by the portal and the Attica.
Moritz Fries, who had the palace built, was one of the most important bankers of the time. Only decades after the construction the palace became a property of the Pallavicini family. For more than 150 years this magnificent palace has now been the property of the margraves Pallavicini, who still reside there today.
Challenge:
As this Dinner was supposed to be a suprising, ancient costume dinner focused on the time of Mozart – some 200 years ago - it was a hugh challenge to organize and realize everything as authentic as possible. Even the music programme for the evening was tributed to Mozart´s life, from his childhood to the stage of becoming a well-known composer all over Europe. Thus every “step“ of his life was part of the evening entertainment ... starting with a little boy on the pioano ... Another challenge was to get the historic costumes for the participants, which should be worn during the dinner and should fit perfectly, which is – especially for women – very difficult.
Realization:
1. During a city tour in the morning, guests were brought to one of the biggest storage of historic costumes in town and – as part of the programme – they could try which costume would fit best.
2. Tailors were helping them to fit into the costume and marked spots on the costume for any changes to make during the afternoon and early evening. Furthermore, each costume was marked with the name of the guest.
3. The costumes were brought to the hotel during the late afternoon and delivered to each room, so that the dresses were there when the clients entered. There was an invitation on the bed for the historical dinner for which they were invited to wear the costume and also the historic mask, which lay next to the invitation.
4. The tailors were on-site in a meeting room of the hotel to help them – if necessary – into the costume – and to make last corrections ...
5. The group was then taken to the hotel bar of this very modern hotel and the contrast of the costumes & masks with the trendy furniture of this bar was amazing ... Additionally guests could not guess anymore who is who as everyone was wearing the mask, which made the situation quite funny and interesting.
6. Outside the hotel 25 horse carriages were waiting to pick up the guests and make an inner city tour via the illuminated Ringstrasse and Imperial Palace to the Palais.
7. Upon arrival at the Palais Pallavicini the group was welcomed by the Master of the Ceremony – also dressed in a historic costume - into the welcome salon, where guests were served welcome cocktail and finger food from waiters in historic costumes.
8. Then, the large door of the dining salon was opened and guests were lead to their tables while little Mozart (an 8 year old boy from one of the best private music schools in vienna) was playing the piano.
9. The whole evening developed into an authentic Mozart spectacle set in original times. The aim was to orchestrate the time 200 years ago so that people were able to witness the huge differences between society today and in Mozart‘s time.
10. After dinner guests could feel free to use the different salons of the exclusively rented palace for talking, smoking, dancing and drinking cocktails before they were brought back to the hotel ...