Challenges
This private plane would be the largest passenger plane to ever land in Siem Reap, requiring EXO to meticulously plan every detail and work closely with the authorities at the new airport to ensure a smooth arrival.
In addition, the guests trip fell during one of Cambodia’s biggest annual holidays: the water festival. EXO carefully arranged the timing of each transfer and tour, selecting specific roads to avoid the crowds and traffic jams.
‘Even though it was a public holiday, we had a big team on hand to help with logistics. Thanks to our planning and teamwork, the arrival and departure of 200 guests was just as smooth as a group of 20 guests.’‘
Record-setting private plane
The group flew on the largest passenger plane, a Boeing-777, to ever land in Siem Reap. The airport, which opened one month prior to the group arrival, was built, in part, to accommodate larger aircraft and EXO worked with the authorities to ensure this first arrival was smooth.
The arrival was not only smooth but also memorable. Upon landing, the plane received a symbolic water shower arranged by the local authorities and guests were greeted with a live local music performance, flowers and traditional Cambodian scarfs. The event was featured across local media, with the Cambodian Prime Minister also sharing the news on his social media feed.
Memorable evening events
EXO Events arranged two memorable evening meals for the group that required careful planning and strong operations.
On their second evening, EXO arranged a special gala dinner at the Angkor Archeological Park. A multi-course dinner was served on the grounds in front of the historic Terrace of the Elephants. During the meal, guests were entertained by traditional Khmer apsara dancing and other cultural performances.
For the final evening, a pool-side dinner was scheduled to start at 19.00. At 17.30, an unexpected storm arrived requiring EXO’s team to swiftly move all decoration and seating arrangements into a hotel conference room. Coordinating with the hotel team, EXO was able to recreate the outdoor set-up into the new space in time for the guests’ arrival and dinner service.
‘We hired more than one-hundred tuk-tuks, providing income to local drivers and giving guests a chance to experience a typical form of Cambodian transportation’
Buddhist monk blessing ceremony
In addition to sightseeing, the event organisers wanted guests to experience traditional Cambodian culture.
EXO Events arranged several opportunities for this, highlighted by a private Buddhist monk blessing. Under the guidance of our local guides, guests participated in this tradition, making offerings then sitting in front of a dozen monks to receive blessings of good health and safe travels.
The blessing took place in at a pagoda in the Angkor Archeological Park. Guests were welcomed with a fresh coconut drink before partaking in the ceremony.
Sightseeing by local transportation
With more than 200 guests, buses were used to transport the guests to and from the airport and around Siem Reap. To enhance their journey, EXO wanted to provide guests with a local transport experience and arranged for more than 110 remorks, local tuk-tuks, to be used for a day of sightseeing.
Due to the celebrations surrounding the public holiday, many of the Siem Reap streets were blocked. Our team mapped out special routes that avoided the crowds and coordinated for the fleet of remorks to stay close together so that guests all had a smooth, enjoyable experience.
