350 years of Merck: The global employee event

All employees were able to participate in a worldwide live broadcast during the employee celebration in Darmstadt on 19^th April. Our live marketing unit were the leads behind the concept, development and implementation of the global employee event, supported by an integrated team of digital, design, moving image and communication experts.

“We’re driven by curiosity at Merck – the curiosity of our employees, who have shaped our company for the past 350 years and work every day to improve people’s quality of life and help solve the global challenges of the future,” says Brigitte Alexander, Project Manager for Merck 350 and Head of Meetings and Events.

Setting new standards for the event and festival sector

“The global employee event gave us the opportunity to set new standards in the event and festival sector. We were able to create a digital world and bring it to life at a real event, enabling us to connect employees around the world in a unique experience. Merck has laid the foundations for forward-looking employee communication,” says Dino Büscher, Managing Partner fischerAppelt, live marketing.

The city of curiosity

In order to strengthen unity amongst employees spread across different countries and locations, Merck worked with the team from our digital subsidiary Fork Unstable Media to create a place where all employees could meet, even in the run-up to the anniversary celebrations: CurioCity – the city of curiosity.

CurioCity is a digital platform that is constantly changing and growing through the actions of its “residents” i.e. Merck employees. It is divided into eleven regions and can be accessed by every employee using any device. Each Merck location was invited to host its own event on the day of the global employee event.

Worldwide live stream for 24 hours

12 locations played a particularly special role. They held a local employee event and created their own 30-minute programs, which then featured in a worldwide live stream that was aired for over 24 hours. A specially composed anthem served as a virtual baton which passed between the locations, each time with a slightly different theme in a nod to the local culture, ensuring the employees and their content remained in the limelight at the anniversary celebrations. We managed the worldwide live stream and ensured satellite transmission as well as coordination with the employees responsible for the project at each individual location.

The digital CurioCity was brought to life when around 10,000 employees came together to celebrate at the Darmstadt location. Part of the site was transformed into a city of curiosity, featuring a vibrant and varied programme in different parts of the city. The undisputed highlight was a finale with eight large LED screens and a projection of the mapping of the new Merck Innovation Center on a façade.