Case Studies

JTB Pulls Out All The Stops for Postman Inc.'s MICE Trip to Barcelona

Client :Postman Inc.

Industry :Software development

Participants :approximately 400

Destination :Barcelona, Spain

Period :Late May 2024

# Case Studies
# Event Solution
# Europe
# Asia

JTB Pulls Out All The Stops for Postman Inc.'s MICE Trip to Barcelona

Summary

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

Objectives

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 residing in over 20 countries, where they connect remotely to perform their work. 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 inspire a collective identity among its workforce, Postman had designed company t-shirts and pursued a variety of other initiatives. However, with literal oceans separating colleagues from each other, only so much can be done to strengthen relationships.

With the COVID-19 pandemic over, Postman’s management decided in late 2023 to bring its employees worldwide together in one physical location 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, we settled on Barcelona, Spain as the destination, where we would organize a conference featuring a variety of inspirational speakers capped with fun-filled evenings of food and festivities.

Challenges

The Postman project came with a set of significant challenges. 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.

Red tape

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 complicated.

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.

Multiple time zones

In addition to the bureaucratic challenge of obtaining visas, our office had to coordinate primarily across three time zones: India (Indian Standard Time), Spain (Central European Time), and the American West Coast (Pacific Standard Time). 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.

Dining expectations

Food comprised another challenge. 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.

Inspirational speakers

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.

Solutions

Red tape: meticulous organization

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.

Multiple time zones: coordinating with local partners

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.

Food expectations: balancing expectations with new 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. In the end, this effort paid off, impressing the guests with local flavors and an unforgettable culinary experience.

Inspirational speakers

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

JTB India was able to draw from all the resources the JTB Group had to offer to make Postman’s dreams about an extravagant MICE event a reality. 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.