JTB Delivers a Global MICE Event for Postman Inc.: A 400-Person Corporate Conference in Barcelona

Client :Postman Inc.

Industry :Software development

Participants :approximately 400

Destination :Barcelona, Spain

Period :Late May 2024

# Case Studies
# Event Solution
# Europe
# Asia

JTB Delivers a Global MICE Event for Postman Inc.: A 400-Person Corporate Conference in Barcelona

Project Summary: Uniting a Global Remote Workforce Through a Strategic Global Corporate Event

Bringing a remote workforce together in one physical location
Navigating bureaucracies, visa applications, and time zones
Balancing the need to satisfy dining expectations with new experiences
Bringing in impressive and inspirational guest speakers

Project Objectives: Strengthening Collaboration Through an International Corporate Conference

JTB India’s client, Postman Inc., is a global software company headquartered in San Francisco, USA that offers an API platform for developers to design, build, test, and collaborate on APIs. Postman employs over 400 people across more than 20 countries, operating as a fully remote global workforce. This remote work style meant that, despite having been in business for ten years, the majority of employees had only ever met their colleagues in virtual settings. To foster team spirit and strengthen employee engagement across its global workforce, Postman introduced company-wide initiatives such as branded T-shirts. However, with literal oceans separating colleagues from each other, only so much can be done to strengthen relationships.

With the COVID-19 pandemic over, In late 2023, Postman’s management decided to bring employees together in a single location through a large-scale international MICE event with the aim of encouraging relationship-building through a two-day conference coupled with themed dinner parties, music, and celebrity appearances. More than a workcation, they desired an opportunity to enhance collaboration across the company. After several proposals and revisions, Barcelona, Spain was selected as the destination for this international corporate conference, where we would organize a conference featuring a variety of inspirational speakers capped with fun-filled evenings of food and festivities.

Key Challenges in Delivering a Large-Scale Global Corporate Event

The Postman project presented significant challenges typical of large-scale global MICE event management. Having over 400 employees scattered across over 20 countries meant a serious effort would be devoted to managing documentation. Moreover, with the majority of Postman’s employees being of Indian heritage, most expected Indian fare to be the main dining option, despite being in Europe. Additionally, Postman’s leadership wanted this incentive trip to be inspirational and unforgettable, putting pressure on us to hold nothing back.

Visa and Regulatory Challenges in Global MICE Event Planning

While most of Postman’s employees resided in the United States and India, many others lived in over 18 other countries. To make matters more complicated, not everyone who lived in a particular country was a citizen of that country. For example, many employees who lived in the US or Canada were actually Indian nationals. When it came to making travel arrangements into Spain, Visa procedures proved especially complex due to differing regulations across multiple countries.

In fact, the documentation requirements for Indian nationals to enter Schengen countries are among the most difficult to satisfy. Clearing these requirements for over 400 individuals living in over 20 different countries, each with their own specific circumstances, would require exceptional attention to detail, organization, and persistence.

Managing Multi-Time-Zone Coordination for a Global Corporate Event

In addition to visa-related complexities, our office coordinated across three major time zones—India (IST), Spain (CET), and the U.S. West Coast (PST)—adding significant operational complexity to the project. Mr. Vinoj, the main supervisor in charge of overseeing the Postman project, resided in Bangalore, India, while Postman’s headquarters was located in San Francisco, USA.

All coordination with the client therefore needed to take the 12-and-a-half-hour time difference between Indian and Pacific Standard Time into account. Since the destination was Barcelona, most hotels, event venues, restaurants, insurance companies, and government offices were operational during Spanish working hours only.

Addressing Cultural Dining Expectations at Large-Scale Incentive Events

Catering logistics and dining expectations posed another major challenge for this corporate incentive trip. With the majority of Postman’s employees being Indian nationals or of Indian heritage, most were expecting Indian fare despite being in Spain. With this being a clear expectation of the guests, we felt obligated to satisfy the client’s desires.

Securing Inspirational Speakers to Drive Employee Engagement

Two days of the trip consisted of a conference that would be capped with a music-filled, festive dinner. As Postman’s leadership emphasized their desire that the trip serve to inspire its employees, we invited celebrities and inspirational speakers.

Event Solutions: How JTB Managed a Complex International Corporate Event

Overcoming Visa Complexity Through Meticulous Planning and Documentation

We were able to overcome the labyrinthian regulations and individual circumstances for all of Postman’s participating employees through exceptional attention to detail, meticulous organizing, and beginning the process early to ensure no one would be left behind.

Coordinating Across Time Zones Through Strong Local Partnerships

Overcoming the time zone challenge required much of the supervisor from our team. Over the course of the six-month planning period, he would spend many long days planning from his office in Bangalore, working well into the night coordinating with local partners in Spain, and even calling many hotels and other venues himself to ensure that all the arrangements were in place.

Balancing Familiarity and Discovery in Corporate Event Dining Experiences

Since the overarching goal of the incentive trip was to provide an unforgettable experience, our supervisor proposed taking a risk. While several of the meals would be of familiar Indian cuisine served in a traditional buffet style, one night would feature local cuisine in a sit-down style with food brought to the table by servers. For 400 guests, this would involve a serious level of organizational effort. Ultimately, this approach successfully balanced familiarity with discovery, delivering a memorable culinary experience for a large corporate group.

Curating High-Impact Speakers for Global Corporate Conferences

After negotiating with several candidates, we invited speakers like American author and long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad, who gave an inspiring talk about her athletic endeavors; Indian actor and filmmaker Ranganathan Madhavan, who spoke about his experiences in the film industry; and award-winning teacher, scholar and global advisor, Behnam Tabrizi, known as one of the world’s foremost experts in organizational transformation.

Conclusion: Delivering a Seamless Global MICE Experience

JTB India leveraged the full resources of the JTB Group to successfully deliver a large-scale, high-impact global MICE event for Postman. The project for Postman showcased what’s possible with the extensive experience, global presence, and attention to detail that we can bring to bear for MICE events.

For companies seeking a reliable and capable partner for their MICE-related services, JTB’s track record and commitment to excellence make us an outstanding choice.