Contrast 25 years - from team building to brand experiences through a quarter of a century
It all started with an adventure island in Småland. In the simplicity and closeness to nature, human encounters arose. Business relationships were strengthened by shared experiences. Team building was the buzzword at a time when high-performance consulting companies were looking for ways to increase their efficiency.
2021-08-15
For us, it was the beginning of close customer relationships and the realization that creative meeting forms develop. We learned early on the importance of 'seeing' people and getting to know their motivations, creating engagement, being proactive and genuine. And that good relationships are fundamental to all forms of business. On an island in a forest in Småland, we laid the foundation of Contrast. With these building blocks, we have managed to maintain and develop our position in the event market for 25 years.
Experience and constant relevance are two success factors
In our industry, we are somewhat unique to have been around for so long. In the mid-90s, we were just a handful of companies marketing events in Sweden. Today, it is a constantly growing industry with a turnover of SEK 7 billion.
In my opinion, succeeding and continuing to succeed is about making the most of experience and constantly keeping your ear to the ground and curiously keeping up with the times. Our experience is definitely a success factor that allows us to constantly deliver quality. But to stay relevant, we must also be prepared to constantly change ourselves and our offer. By sharing everything we know with young talent in the industry, we keep ourselves constantly challenged by new insights, thoughts and ideas.
Experiences change attitudes
The industry has gone through countless phases over the years. We have gone from simple team building activities to advanced content concepts. Agencies have shifted their positions and evolved into everything from communication agencies, brand experience agencies and PR agencies. We remain an event agency that works with experiences to strengthen relationships between people and with brands.
"We are an event company that works with experiences to strengthen relationships between people and to brands."
Climate-smart events are the future
The golden age of digitalization demands new smart communication solutions and more efficient ways of working. At the same time, it has never been more important to meet IRL than now. This places extra high demands on sustainable and climate-smart events, which are the single most important item on everyone's agenda.
To help create climate-smart events, we make demands on ourselves as well as on everyone we work with; contractors in hotels, transportation, restaurants, technology and more. We help our clients to make smarter climate choices by showing alternatives and the climate footprint that their particular meeting entails.
In this process, we are evolving and finding smarter solutions that benefit both the climate and our customers' businesses. Because humanity still needs the human encounter. It is in meetings that important relationships are created, and it is in meetings that we can overcome conflicts and reach consensus. It is in encounters that we develop and new ideas see the light of day.
Trendspotting: How events will be in 2020 (and the next 25 years)
The future was already here in 2019: Most of our clients have put climate change at the top of their agendas this year. 2020 will see more smart transportation solutions, more vegetarian and locally sourced food, more digital tools, as well as scheduled reflection time during the conference. At the same time, the number of meetings per year will be fewer, but more thoughtful and with smarter productions that create engagement and provide maximum return. Measuring your climate impact and carbon offsetting will become a hygiene factor.
We at Contrast are looking forward to 2020. We intend to roll up our sleeves and surprise with new climate-smart and creative events. However, we have no idea what events will look like in 25 years. But who knows, maybe we'll meet again on an island in Småland? Suddenly, experiences close to nature, free from digital buzz, feel right again. Betting on 25 more years may be too much (I myself will be 75 years old then, haha), but one thing that is certain is that we intend to have a hell of a lot of fun along the way, so we are at least heading towards 2044.
Here's hoping for a dazzling Christmas and a happy 2020!
/Ola
