How do you make complex financial information engaging? For Söderberg & Partners, we created a large-scale kickoff in the form of a game show at Avicii Arena – an experience where learning, entertainment, and participation came together.
The process
Söderberg & Partners is a global financial services company facing a common challenge: how to communicate complex financial information in an engaging and accessible way.
Since their previous kickoff, the company had grown significantly, adding 700 new employees. The task was to bring the organization together, strengthen company culture, and create a sense of pride and engagement.
The goal was to design a kickoff that would not only inform, but truly activate employees – enabling them to share knowledge, connect, and feel part of something bigger.
To meet this challenge, we created The Game – a kickoff event where all company communication was delivered through a large-scale game show format.
Based on how people learn best, we designed an experience where strategy, values, and offerings were communicated through gameplay, storytelling, and interaction. The result was seven hours of high-energy engagement, with participants actively involved throughout.
Through formats such as jeopardy, bingo, taskmaster, and hot seat, complex information was transformed into accessible and engaging content. A custom-built app enabled real-time participation, reinforcing both involvement and learning.
The experience took shape inside Avicii Arena, where participants were welcomed into a setting far from a traditional conference. A massive stage was built with four distinct platforms: a green room, a commentary booth, an analog game zone, and a central stage shaped like a globe. Lighting, design, and production created an environment that worked equally well as a live experience and as a broadcast format.
Throughout the day, participants were guided through key focus areas such as sales, sustainability, values, and offerings – all through gameplay rather than presentations.
The evening concluded with a networking dinner, a gala with custom performances, awards, and the grand finale of The Game – reinforcing a shared sense of energy, pride, and belonging.
The kickoff resulted in record-high engagement across the organization.
Employee commitment increased to 84%, the highest level ever recorded since engagement tracking began. Participants actively contributed to the experience and amplified it by sharing content across social media.
By combining learning with experience, the event increased understanding of the company’s strategy while energizing employees for the continued growth journey.
The Game demonstrated how a kickoff can move beyond information sharing to become a powerful driver of engagement, alignment, and business impact.
