Because it's her last hurrah, TV talk show queen Oprah Winfrey has spent the 25th and final season of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" wowing her viewers with personal revelations, like the new discovery of her half-sister; blockbuster guests, such as President Barack Obama; and jaw-dropping giveaways, the biggest of which was a seven-night trip to Australia for 300 viewers in December 2010.
Although destination management companies (DMCs) are used to planning meetings, events and incentives for their clients, the Oprah show — produced by Oprah's Chicago-based production company, Harpo Studios — is not your average client.
Australian DMC ID Australia found that out firsthand when Tourism Australia asked it to plan and manage Oprah's "Ultimate Australian Adventure," the results of which it shared in a new case study that was published this month by Reed Travel Exhibitions' Americas Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings (AIBTM) trade show, taking place June 21-23 in Baltimore.
"Established in 1973, and internationally recognized as one of Australia's leading destination management companies, in early October we were appointed by Tourism Australia to manage the 'Ultimate Australian Adventure,'" reads the case study, written by ID Australia Director of Sales and Operations Karen Mathieson. "A complex operation involving 302 'Ultimate Viewers,' 200 Harpo Crew and arguably one of the world's most high-profile celebrities, government, security and dozens of stakeholders from the U.S. and Australia."
ID Australia's mission was to manage the logistics seamlessly.
"We were asked to come up with unique ideas for the audience members traveling," Mathieson continues. "OK, we do that all the time — no immense challenge there. We're used to working with many stakeholders — again this isn't a problem — being accustomed to delivering under pressure and, sometimes, immense scrutiny."
Of course, Oprah's Australian adventure wasn't a typical incentive trip. While a typical incentive has a group of people traveling together, staying in the same place, and then going home — usually as a group — Oprah's trip included several different itineraries for several different groups.
"Firstly, we had to consider that many of the experiences and destinations on the itinerary were to be filmed and later used to create a television program," Mathieson says. "So, to showcase as much of the country as possible, 10 separate itineraries were created, which all highlighted unique parts of Australia, with the 302 Ultimate Viewers breaking into smaller groups to traverse the country on this mega incentive."
ID Australia hired security and required everyone involved in event planning and management to sign confidentiality agreements. Because of the large amount of itineraries, and the complications each presented, it also assigned account managers to each destination who were charged with planning, creativity, staffing and execution.
"This doubled our team and saw us bring in staff from as far away as London and the U.S.," Mathieson says. "Luckily we already had a remote and mobile work policy. Everyone is set up from home, which proved invaluable as the numerous emails from Harpo would pour in overnight, and all requiring immediate attention."
Last month on "Season 25: Oprah Behind the Scenes" — a documentary-style show featuring behind-the-scenes moments from Oprah's final season, airing on Oprah's new OWN cable TV network — Oprah revealed that she had some concerns about the trip. She was worried about large crowds in Melbourne and on Queensland's Hamilton Island, for instance, and about flies and heat at Uluru.
Ultimately, though, the trip was a major success. "When I say I love Australia, I mean what I say. I LOVE AUSTRALIA," Oprah said in a statement, after Australian newspapers reported on comments from her behind-the-scenes show. "It was one of the most life-changing, mind-expanding, once-in-a-lifetime extraordinary experiences for all of us, and I would never want any of my comments taken out of context to make it seem otherwise."
Concluded Mathieson, "The energy our team had during this project was amazing, our staff were completely inspirational, everyone was so dedicated and determined to make it work. We all aspire to an opportunity like this: Having delivered such an amazing project, with hurdles approached with energy, enthusiasm and professionalism, this was certainly ID’s moment."