1000 students at the beginning but only 250 remained. Four EHL students had the honour to be selected to participate in the INSIDE LVMH event that took place in Paris on November 22nd, 2016.
A unique experience
INSIDE LVMH is about understanding the world of luxury from within and to get a glimpse of its future. The goal of that special day is to present the various aspects of the group and to help the students get a greater understanding of LVMH’s spirit, activities and challenges.The visit of four LVMH Maisons, various presentations at the Louis Vuitton Foundation, and a final workshop were part of the unique experience's program.
Christian Dior Perfumes, Louis Vuitton, Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche, and Moët & Hennessy were the four luxurious Maisons that our EHL Bachelor students had the opportunity to discover over one morning. Here is a glimpse of what each of the students respectively experienced.
Christian Dior perfumes
The morning spent in the prestigious brand started with the story of Dior. Members of the PCD team then talked about the launch of the new Red Smile Lipstick for which Natalie Portman is the ambassador. The process from packaging development to the communication, marketing research, customer satisfaction and advertising was also explained. The managers from each department presented themselves and their functions and responsibilities at PCD. The session ended with a Q&A with Claude Martinez, CEO of Perfumes Christian Dior.
It was a fabulous experience ! I felt extremely lucky to have the opportunity, through EHL, to visit the Dior Perfumes Maison !
Caroline Thevenaz - Bachelor Student.
Louis Vuitton
Pieces from the new collection with their high quality materials and textiles were presented to the candidates. The new technologies used to build the new history of the brand which goes through 3D scan, video conference, 3D printing, digitization of the traditional products with the synchronization devices or finally apps for smartphone were also discovered by the privileged students. A Q&A then took place in the heart of Louis Vuitton with the whole team and CEO and director of LV. A private visit of the LV Boutique was also organized where the personalization of the services was proven to be crucial throughout every step of the customer journey.
The whole journey inside LV was an extreme WOW moment. They showed us the real passion and the competences of the whole range of craftsmen which can bring a selected raw material from the suppliers to a high quality product to the boutique.
David Sautaux, Bachelor Student
Le Bon Marché Gauche
While visiting the different departments, Le bon Marché proved to not only be an ordinary department store, but a Lifestyle Gallery. People from each department gave an overview of what they do and how they make their respective department unique. Following the presentation from the CEO, which seemed more like an interactive exchange, the participants were able to ask all kinds of questions. Finally, the group went to the Epicerie Le Bon Marché where they received a short introduction on the recent launched house products followed by a tasting of their various creations.
From the outside unreachable, from the inside one family.
Marie-Sophie Ludewig, Bachelor Student
Moet & Hennessy
To reinforce our brand attractiveness and influence throughout the world, we continue to innovate at all levels, from production to communication, putting quality at the center of our approach.
explains Christophe Navarre, CEO of Moët Hennessy.
The students got an insight view of Moët & Chandon – historical and charismatic leader in champagne with an inimitable identity -, Dom Pérignon – only available as a vintage and produced with the best grapes from unique vintages, taking risks - , Joseph Krug – the only champagne house to have created prestige champagne only every year since its foundation in 1843 -, and Veuve Clicquot – represents a chic and audacious “art de vivre”.
Individuality, which means uniqueness, distinction and originality, is especially at the core of Krug philosophy. That's as well what I experienced as spirit in the team of that specific LVMH Maison.
Marie Zimmermann, Bachelor Student.
The Louis Vuitton Foundation
The final destination of the day was the Louis Vuitton Foundation, where the students explored the Icons of Modern Art from Chtchoukine, a visionary Russian collector of French modern art. One of the highlights of the day was the speech from Bernard Arnault. The Founder and CEO of the prestigious foundation highlighted the five values that the LVMH group represents and requires: creativity, desire, efficiency, permanent innovation, quality and entrepreneurship
The final step - workshop at Louis Vuitton headquarters
The participants later met at the Louis Vuitton headquarter, where they all participated in a final workshop that required a 1.5 minute pitch about what was learned while discovering each Maison. Teams of 10 students competed against each other after having had an hour to prepare, one of the aims being to prove the capability of each group to work with people from different universities. A team speaker was chosen to present the work from each group. It was then the role of each Maison to nominate their three favorite pitches. The teams that won second and third place – Christian Dior Perfumes and Krug – included two EHL students.
Authors: Marie Zimmermann, Marie-Sophie Ludewig, Caroline Thevenaz, David Sautaux, Bachelor Students
