The Brand
Yandex is an established Russian-language internet product services company. Everything from a search engine to eCommerce services and mobile applications is made available to the millions of Russian speakers around the world.
Yandex wanted to create a comfortable and fun event for Russian-speaking professionals working in tech – the focus was to be on the food, drinks, and a generally relaxed atmosphere. Guests were attendees of the 2019 NeurIPS conference in Vancouver.
The year before, Yandex asked Fervent Events to plan an upscale evening networking event for Russian speakers attending the 2018 NeurIPS conference in Montreal. You can read about that here.
The Venue
Yandex was looking for a sleek and sectioned space that would wow guests as they walked in.
It became clear early on that the only option was the Vancouver Lookout.
The Vancouver Lookout at Harbour Centre offers a 360-degree view of the city’s famous neighbourhoods, the beautiful mountains across the bay, and nature parks that cover the city’s landscape.
Guests entered the top floor of the Vancouver Lookout and were greeted with a seasonal signature cocktail – mulled wine.
Staffing
Fervent Events has a roster of over 900+ brand ambassadors that speak dozens of languages. For Yandex’s networking event, Fervent provided five Russian-speaking brand ambassadors to station the welcome desk and coat check.
The Fervent event staff welcomed the 250 guests with smiles.
The space was separated into two main areas: the “lounge” which featured two large red circular couches near the centre bar, and a salon area with red high top tables next to a four-piece jazz band that played while Fervent brand ambassadors welcomed guests.
Food & Entertainment
As guests filtered in a four-piece jazz band entertained those in the salon part of the venue.
Fervent Events placed two bars with open-bar service on either side of the venue, one being a vodka bar serving classic Russian cocktails.
Several food stations served guests with a variety of meats and finger foods. Fervent Events organized a table of Canadian dinner fares including a poutine station, a Canadian cheese board, and charcuterie.
Other food offerings included a turkey dinner station, a sirloin carving station, and platters of antipasto with vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. The dessert table included delicious tarts, tiramisu, and chocolate mousse.
The space was filled with furniture and decorations sourced by Fervent, that included decals, ice sculptures, and a light filter projection of the Yandex logo.
Results
A spectacular evening event, with 250 people in attendance enjoying a carefully curated menu of traditional Russian bar snacks and cocktails, in a backdrop of ice sculptures, decorations, custom lighting, and jazz music.
