Dream teams at client work – the virtual Raute RxEvent and showroom were a joint effort between firms and the client

The international virtual Raute RxEvent was created in close cooperation between several firms. In the core of the project was showroom aka RxMill which was created by Wakeone's team of 3D designers, Unreal Engine and web-developers and concept designers.

With clear roles and a good briefing, the result is sure to be first-class. Joint projects between several operators are commonplace for Wakeone.

Valve’s webinar on 26 May talked about the case and the cooperating parties.

Raute RxEvent?

Raute RxEvent, a joint project of Raute, Valve, Wakeone, Nitro, Crasman and Bright and many other partners, was held virtually in May. At the same time, Raute launched its digital showroom aka RxMill.

When Ligna, the largest annual event in the plywood industry, was canceled due to the COVID-19 situation, Raute sensed an opportunity: it filled the resulting void with its own virtual event to bring the industry together.

“We wanted to connect with stakeholders and current and potential customers and generate sales leads,” sums up Pauliina Kuokka, Head of Events at Valve.

At the same time, Raute implemented its vision with an event and a showroom. The showroom serves as a platform for the presentation of the latest products and services and as an expansion of the website.

It illustrates the plywood factory of the future with no people or dust and where everything is data-driven. The heart of the implementation was a 3D visualization of Raute’s vision for the future. It was realized as a photorealistic 3D visualization by Wakeone.

“Raute’s wish was that no new systems would have to be introduced, so the implementation was integrated into the client’s environment,” says Tommi Palvimo, CEO of Wakeone. The showroom aka RxMill will live on after the event as an immersive web application.

The event was the culmination of Raute’s digital year.

“As we work within the digital world, we wanted to seize the opportunity and stretch the boundaries – to explore what digital encounters can be like beyond Teams meetings. The design was very customer-oriented – if the customer can’t get to Ligna, how can the experience be created virtually?” Kuokka says.

Many operators, more resources

There was only about six months to prepare and implement the project. According to Raute’s Chief Marketing Officer Päivi Talonen, no single party would have had the human resources to pull it off – in addition to Wakeone and Valve, more than twenty people were involved.

“We were well on schedule, thanks to good preparation,” Tommi Palvimo praises. The good briefing by the client also played a significant role in the success. “We wanted the most efficient combo possible. It would have been pointless to acquaint new operators with the details of plywood manufacturing, so the contents came from our normal partners. The event organizer does not need to have in-depth knowledge of our offering,” Talonen says.

Seamless cooperation

Valve’s and Wakeone's combined team was responsible for the event as a whole: marketing, scripts, platform selections, HubSpot and integration between the showroom and the event. The first thing to decide was how to tie it all together and get all the parts to breathe in the vision created by Nitro and the client.

“An event is one way to implement a vision. It starts with identifying target groups and designing an experience path. The financial aspect must also be taken into account: what is made possible by a digital investment compared to traditional physical events or trade fairs and what kind of results can be achieved,” Pauliina Kuokka says.

Wakeone was responsible for the implementation of the showroom: concept, visual design and technical implementation.

“We discussed with the client what kind of an experience the visitor might want. Indeed, all the details have been carefully considered: there is a sunrise gleaming through the windows, and the landscape is a cultivated forest in neat rows. Describing nuances as text or through photos would be arduous,” Tommi Palvimo explains.

The 3D material produced for the showroom was utilized in the virtual setting of RxEvent’s keynote speeches, made using Unreal Engine. This ensured a straightforward progress of the project on a tight schedule and made sure that the visual look was in line with the concept everywhere. The studio production was impelemented by Bright.

“If the client had shopped for the showroom, studio productions and event from different operators, it would have received a bunch of different projects that would have looked nothing alike and the user experience wouldn’t have been smooth,” Palvimo says: “Now the work was carried out in close cooperation. Everything was openly talked through, and the client got to feel at an early stage that we were on top of things.”

Satisfied partners

Because the client wanted to avoid any redundant systems, it was important that there was open dialogue with Raute’s technical partner, Crasman, from the beginning regarding the showroom.

“We served as a technical implementer and consultant. The analytics of the showroom aka RxMill are our handiwork,” Crasman’s Account Manager Sakke Somerma says.

The client was kept at the center, and the open discussion made the roles and responsibilities clear.

“Each party handled their responsibilities excellently, and we had a strong feeling throughout the project that all the partners were in the same boat, so to speak,” Palvimo grins.

According to Somerma, the cooperation with Wakeone and Valve went well, the Teamschat was used a lot and there was an active connection between the developers.

“As we compete on many things, full openness is not self-evident. But during this project, everyone has spoken openly and put all their cards on the table,” he praises.

Marika Tulivuori, Executive Producer responsible for concept and branding at Nitro, is also very satisfied with the project. According to her, you can tell that cooperation is good when there is no need to intervene in the implementation:

"There has been no need for crisis meetings. Everyone served the client together, focusing on their own areas of expertise. This kind of a cooperation model provides the client with the best possible result and best value for its investment.”

However, Valve’s Project Director Tuulia Hakamäki emphasizes that the most important role is played by the client:

“The link that brought it all together was Raute’s Project Manager Ville Nikunen, who took care of the common vision and budgets. He brought us operators together and always made quick decisions.”

Joint offers are common

Nitro is familiar with the cooperation of several operators.

“Joint offers are how it is done today. What is best for the client is also the most fruitful for the partners. Rivalry and bullheaded fighting usually just benefit the competition,” Tulivuori sums up.

“It’s rare these days to have a case with just one supplier. Projects are nowadays more and more often carried out as collaborations,” ponders Somerma from Crasman.

The decentralization of a project is also the safest and most sensible solution for the client.

“The work was successful with everyone when the responsibilities and boundaries were clearly defined, without allowing the emergence of silos, however,” Tommi Palvimo says.

“We almost always do multi-operator projects, where effective cooperation is essential. In these projects, the other firms are not competitors, but partners – everyone has their role to play.”

How was it?

Were the desired results achieved – did the event do what was intended?

“The cooperation worked, and the number of visitors exceeded our target,” Tuulia Hakamäki rejoices.

Detailed results are provided in Valve’s webinar, where you can also hear concrete tips on how to create an international virtual event and a digital showroom.