Ericsson Studio designated a world-class center by the ABPM

Customer engagement, collaboration, inspiration and making space for creativity were key elements in the thinking behind Ericsson Studio – our headquarters-based VIP visitor center. Just seven months after it opened, proof has come that those objectives are being met, with the center becoming the first of its kind in Europe to be awarded "world-class" status by the Association of Briefing Program Managers (ABPM).

The US-based ABPM champions and provides resources for the development of programs mainly related to briefing centers, better known in Europe as experience centers.

The association presents "world-class" awards across a range of categories, including World Class Center. While multiple centers can be named world class, Ericsson Studio is the only institution to be granted a World Class Center status for 2011.

ABPM President Roxanne McCreery says Ericsson Studio met very high standards to be designated world class.

"Ericsson Studio got us thinking in new and exciting ways about the nature of what makes a center world-class," she says. "Ericsson Studio is brilliant and, for us, completely different."

The award was presented by Amy Russom of US firm Autodesk, a previous winner of the award. She said jurors were enthusiastic about Ericsson Studio’s fresh approach to the concept of visitor centers.

"The very name ‘Studio’ rather than ‘Center’ suggests that creation happens here,” she said. “With its theater/backstage theme, this is a space that pays homage to the creative process and invites its customers to participate and see themselves as an integral part of that process."

Ericsson also collected the Innovation in Sustainability award at the same ceremony. Jurors paid particular praise to the heat exchanger in the Ericsson Studio, which recycles heat from electronic equipment to warm the center.

Charlotta Mantell, Creative Director within Ericsson’s Experience Marketing department, says the company is delighted with both awards.

"Putting the visitor first in a welcoming, engaging, relaxing and inspiring setting that promotes dialog and creativity is what we wanted to achieve with Ericsson Studio," she says. "We wanted visitors to be surprised in a nice way by what they experience and to get away from traditional expectations of corporate experience centers or hosted presentations."

Mantell adds: "We wanted to stimulate visitors to think differently about certain topics on their journey through the studio and have their minds opened in a truly unique way. Alongside excellent feedback from visitors, the World Class award shows we are achieving our objectives.

"It is also nice to be recognized for our sustainability efforts, as these are an important part of our thinking."

The Ericsson Studio opened in Kista, Stockholm, at the end of August 2010.

Ericsson Experience Centers are also operational in Madrid, Spain; Rome, Italy; New Delhi, India; with two facilities in the US – at Silicon Valley and Dallas.