Customer Success Story: Building a brand experience with iLOQ’s Life Made Limitless event

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iLOQ, a leader in digital access management, recognizes the strategic power of live events in defining their brand, engaging with audiences, and driving business growth. With the brand promise of 2023, "Life made limitless," iLOQ set out to embody the essence of their innovative technology aimed at enhancing lives and unlocking the potential of smart living. 

To maximise impact, streamline operations, and reduce their carbon footprint, iLOQ combined their annual event series into a single, powerful week-long event titled  iLOQ20 – Life made limitless. This event not only celebrated iLOQ’s 20th anniversary but also served as a key milestone in their journey toward future growth, brand awareness, and sustainability.

An event concept celebrating togetherness 

The concept for iLOQ20 centred around uniting various target audiences—customers, partners, suppliers, and employees—into one cohesive event that would amplify the unique iLOQ culture, foster collaboration, and strengthen the company’s thought leadership in the global market. 

Ville Tolvanen, CMO of iLOQ explains: “Events have a unique opportunity to create and nurture a brand. iLOQ has a relatively difficult product, long value chains, and a real ambition to change the world, and the only medium that can get people excited about the brand is an event. It allows the audience to experience something extraordinary and at the same time gain knowledge about the product and the company vision.”

The event was designed with a 360° holistic approach, ensuring sustainability was a core focus across the entire ecosystem. The strategic decision to combine multiple events into a single week allowed iLOQ to optimise efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and create a more significant and lasting brand experience.

The iLOQ brand on display

The event planning and implementation embraced a limitless approach, consistent with the brand's 2023 promise. The year kicked off with a "Life made limitless" campaign, which successfully introduced the new brand promise and generated excitement across social media, achieving 1.8 million impressions. 

The campaign laid the groundwork for the event week, which brought over 600 attendees from 24 countries to Oulu, Finland, iLOQ's birthplace.

A tailored event journey was created for each target audience, providing customised experiences that included:

  • Global Supplier Days: An incentive trip for suppliers that facilitated valuable networking and industry knowledge exchange.
  • Partner Days: Exclusive opportunities for partners to share market insights and experiences.
  • Customer Experience:  iLOQ customers were invited to engage directly with key personnel and experience the brand in interactive hubs.
  • Personnel Activities:  iLOQ employees participated in team activities, onboarding for new hires, and the memorable iLOQ Family Dinner.

All these experiences converged at the "iLOQ20—Life made limitless" arena, transforming Ouluhalli into a world-class brand experience centre. Here, attendees witnessed iLOQ's past, present, and future innovations. 

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The main arena featured:

  • Internal and external speakers discussing future innovations and collaboration opportunities.
  • Digital audience activations and AI-powered interactions.
  • A special appearance by iLOQ brand ambassador Kimi Räikkönen.
  • The Award Gala, celebrating iLOQ's history, future, and culture.

Results

The success of  iLOQ20 – Life made limitless is evident in the event’s measurable outcomes.

“The audience sort of rewarded our big event investment by posting about it on social media or by even completing a sale. We gained both the short-term gratification and the long-term benefits, which both validated our brand vision,” remembers Tolvanen.

The event had a huge impact on the overall business. Sales figures post-event showed exceedingly positive trends, with partner and end-customer sales boosting company performance. Collaboration with key suppliers resulted in up to 1,7M€ in savings.

Feedback was naturally asked from all attendees, and the event received an overall average score of 4.7/5 and an NPS of 83, indicating high satisfaction among participants. The event reached full capacity, with an additional 50 seats added to meet demand.

Content plays a big role in every kind of event, and at this particular gathering, the relevance of the content was rated 4.5/5. Brand awareness campaigns garnered 1.8 million impressions and significantly increased social media engagement during the event week.

Events will always leave a mark on the environment. In iLOQ’s case, though, the company achieved a 52% reduction in carbon emissions because different events were consolidated and sustainable practices were implemented throughout the planning and execution phases.

Strategic event partnerships

iLOQ has trusted Lyyti’s event management system for many years, and the platform plays a key role in creating meaningful event experiences. Just like events are part of the overall business strategy, so are key partnerships a part of the success of all individual events.

Of course, another key partner was iLOQ's event agency, NJ Production. They collaborate with the in-house teams to create moments that make events an integral part of the brand messaging. The pair also won the category "Events as part of a strategy" at - the Evento Awards with the "Life Mafe Limitless" event.

iLOQ, NJ Productions and Lyyti share the same view about the purpose of events. Events need to be able to shape and change how people think about things, which leads to action, whether it be sales of a company’s products, becoming a fan, or any type of change in behaviour.

Conclusion

iLOQ’s Life Made Limitless was more than just a celebratory event; it was a strategic move that solidified iLOQ’s market position, enhanced its brand awareness, and demonstrated its commitment to sustainability. 

“Whenever we are making strategic decisions, whether they are about expanding to new markets or getting staff familiarised with a new product, we always start mapping out a holistic way how to bring these stakeholders into the world and family of iLOQ. The best way to do that is with events and that’s why they are a strategic part of the company’s business planning. iLOQ’s strategy is set for three years at a time and events are mapped into key moments that are defined for example product development. We are always keen on meeting the people we are doing business with, so we make sure to have a variety of touch points where we can do that,” tells Tolvanen.

The event successfully united a diverse range of stakeholders, fostering collaboration and creating a strong sense of community within the iLOQ family. The innovative approach to event planning and execution, coupled with the positive business outcomes, underscores the pivotal role that live events play in iLOQ’s growth strategy. This flagship event has not only left a lasting impact but has also set the stage for future success and a sustainable, limitless future for iLOQ.