As the UK basked in Mediterranean-style May Bank Holiday Monday sunshine, Rapiergroup flew to Nice after nine months of planning for the Shell Executive Summit. It was held at the Le Meridien Beach Plaza in Monte Carlo. We landed, and it was raining!
Two hundred senior energy executives from around the globe were invited, with their partners, to five days of presentations, debate and valuable networking opportunities at a time when world energy provision was at the top of everyone's agenda.
A busy programme offered a welcoming 'al fresco' style dinner, an evening of opera and music at the Hotel de Paris, a Black & White themed jazz dinner at Le Deck and private hospitality at the Cafe de Paris, Casino Square, for the Monaco Historic Grand Prix.
Inside the conference room the build took place throughout the Tuesday with a twin-screened set that played host to a semi-circular stage with interview sofas and lectern.
Using the plain white set as a canvas a spectrum of lighting moods were created to mirror the broad range of topics and session styles that lay ahead. Following rehearsals on Wednesday, the summit got underway with a poolside welcoming dinner.
The style of the summit was deliberately interactive with content including audience polling, open debate between an on-stage international panel and the floor and delegates actively encouraged to ask questions and quiz presenters.
Simultaneous translation into Chinese and Russian and language specific slaved presentations made the conference sessions fully inclusive. Over two days of the conference the high-calibre presenters provided a fascinating blend of topics from chemistry to exploration to commercial, with guest presenters including the innovative Kjell Nordstrom and Jonas Ridderstrale.
Whilst guests enjoyed the themed Friday evening, in the beautiful setting of Le Deck, the conference set was dismantled and moved downstairs in readiness for a brunch hosted by Ferrari on Saturday morning.
Here, the centrepiece to the stage was a Formula 1 Ferrari and the guests were treated to some Shell and Ferrari footage ranging from the early 20th Century to the current day, with accompanying guest speaker Dr. Carlo Tazzioli of the Ferrari factory in Maranello.
As guests departed to start their Monaco weekend the sound of Practice Day vintage grand prix cars, buzzing like angry wasps in the heat, wafted the kilometer, or so, from Casino Square, signalling the end of a highly successful on-site production.
