HSBC Brunei celebrates anniversary

THE BRIEF
To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Hongkong Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) in Brunei. The celebrations began in August 2007 with a number of events being held in the sultanate.
This gala dinner was held as the final celebration, which was a grand banquet held at the International Convention Centre.

CHALLENGES
His Majesty the Sultan of Brunei was in attendance, as were many members of the royal family. Therefore the event needed to offer the prestige that this accorded.
The Group Chairman of HSBC Holdings, Stephen Green, also attended. Salamah Embran, business banking officer at HSBC Brunei says the key to the event’s success was teamwork, with several subcommittees arranged within the bank to help manage the event’s workload.

“We had eight working committees on the event,” says Embran. “Among these we had one for the programme, one for listings to make sure all the invites went out and RSVPs were received, one for overseeing the entire event, another in charge of audiovisuals and backdrops, and yet another to arrange the entertainment, for which they needed to work closely with the
ministry of culture.”

HSBC Brunei CEO Tareq Muhmood was also closely involved in the planning due to the important nature of the event. Starting four weeks before the event, he held weekly progress meetings to ensure that each subcommittee was making progress with its particular set of responsibilities.

“Each committee was very committed and supported by the CEO during the organisational phase,” says Embran. “This was obviously a big production for us so it was important to get it right.”
HSBC Brunei had six weeks in which to get things organised for the function. “We engaged different government ministries to seek advice on the best way to do the event in terms of seating,” says Embran.

“There were 1,150 guests so it was rather important to make sure the royal family and other VIPs were seated in appropriate locations throughout the venue.
HSBC also had to work closely with the International Convention Centre. “We had several meetings with the ICC to tell them what we wanted on a regular basis, in terms of lighting and settings that should be in place,” says Embran. “However we normally hold our big functions at the ICC so it was quite easy to deal with them.”

EXECUTION
Upon arrival the Sultan and Royal Family were greeted by the group chairman of HSBC Holdings Stephen Green, chairman of HSBC Asia Pacific Vincent Cheng, and CEO of HSBC Brunei, Tareq Muhmood.
HSBC staff members were also on hand to guide guests to their seats.
The evening began with a lively dance performance by dancers from the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Sports. This was followed by a speech welcoming the royal family and delegates, and a 15-minute video presentation showing highlights of HSBC’s 60 years in Brunei.

During the dinner there was a performance of different musical groups representing traditional and contemporary styles, as well as performances by local artists and HSBC staff.
The highlight of the evening was a guest performance by famous Indonesian artist Rossa. Thirty HSBC staff – members of the company’s choir – also contributed with a song.

VERDICT
“I can sleep well now the event has been done,” says Embran. “Feedback from our CEO was positive. In turn, our CEO received excellent party feedback from our London and Hong Kong offices.”
Government officials also were pleased that the event was a success, as was the ICC management.
Embran says: “As the ICC is the only venue that can cater for this capacity in Brunei, it’s fair to say that the location is considered strategic with spacious parking and the support that they have provided towards our event throughout has been appreciated.”
Shannon Sweeney