14th March, 21st March and 28th March, 2026 

Client: NICO Group

Assignment: Event management, Event coordination

When an organization operates across multiple subsidiaries, creating a strong sense of unity can be a challenge. For NICO Group, the answer was to move beyond communicating its “One NICO” philosophy and create an experience employees could actively participate in, connect with and remember.

NICO Group partnered with Mirage PR, a leading strategic communications, public relations, event management and experiential marketing agency in Malawi, to bring its One NICO Lived Experience initiative to life.

The multi-city employee engagement campaign was designed to strengthen collaboration across the Group’s diverse subsidiaries while turning the One NICO philosophy into a shared corporate experience.

Mirage PR approached the project as more than a corporate event. The objective was to create an immersive employee engagement experience that would encourage collaboration, break down departmental barriers and reinforce a shared organisational identity. Through strategic event conceptualisation, creative design, event coordination and experiential marketing, Mirage PR developed a dynamic experience built around participation, symbolism, teamwork and collaboration.

One of the key elements was a colour-coded participation system. Employees from different NICO subsidiaries were intentionally mixed into teams, with coloured wristbands determining seating arrangements and groupings.

This simple but purposeful event design encouraged employees to interact with colleagues outside their usual departments and subsidiaries, reinforcing the central message which is One Group.   

Interactive Experience Design

Mirage PR crafted a series of high-energy, purpose-driven challenges designed to reinforce the One NICO philosophy. These included the Synergy Sprint, where teams solved a dynamic word-search featuring terms from various business units to emphasize collaboration and cross-functional understanding. The Integrity Grid required participants to open a locked vault using logic and ethical decision-making, reinforcing values of transparency and disciplined execution. Finally, The Innovation Hub challenged teams to answer complex questions creatively, pushing them to think differently and collaborate under pressure in alignment with the Group’s forward-thinking culture.

Multi-City Execution

To ensure inclusiveness and full workforce participation, the campaign was rolled out across three cities: Blantyre (approximately 800 employees), Lilongwe (350 employees), and Mzuzu (130 employees). This consistent experience across multiple locations demonstrated Mirage PR’s ability to scale a large-scale concept while maintaining high production quality, engagement levels, and brand consistency throughout the entire Group.

Full Production & Experience Management

Mirage PR delivered end-to-end execution, managing every aspect of the production process. This included creative concept development, stage and set design, event branding, and the full run of show and scripting. They also handled voice-over and sound effects production, the development of a theme song with performance coordination, interactive game design, traditional dancer coordination, and a CEO flag ceremony. Furthermore, the agency managed all printing, fabrication, event hosting, and on-site production, as well as comprehensive videography and photography.

Impact and Media

A standout feature was the One NICO Lived Experience theme song, performed by NICO Group artists, which served as a defining element of the experience and reinforced the emotional connection to the initiative. The campaign’s success attracted significant media attention across television and online publications, successfully amplifying the internal initiative into a broader brand moment for the Group.

Campaign Highlights

  • Interactive games captivated audiences across all three cities, creating excitement and strong employee engagement.
  • Traditional dancers added cultural richness and elevated leadership entrances with memorable visual storytelling.
  • Production leads were clearly identified with name tags, improving coordination and operational efficiency.
  • Branding and décor execution consistently brought the One NICO Lived Experience concept to life across venues.
  • The One NICO Lived Experience theme song became a crowd favourite and strengthened emotional resonance.
  • Cross-subsidiary seating successfully encouraged collaboration and interaction among employees.
  • Strong attendance across all cities demonstrated high internal buy-in and enthusiasm.

The Result

The campaign successfully transformed the One NICO philosophy from a strategic message into a shared organisational experience. Employees engaged across subsidiaries, leadership visibly championed unity, and the Group delivered a consistent cultural moment across multiple locations.