ULTRALUXE
Jean-Luc Manneback is the CEO of Impact Production
Group, the leading events company in Mauritius. Mention
the words fireworks, lighting, shows and Jean-Luc’s eyes
light up immediately.
Impact Production has been present in Mauritius for fifteen
years. How did you end up in the events industry?
I started in the audiovisual industry when I was 16 years old by
organising big themed nights. At that time, it was more rock operas,
but we still had up to 1000 people attending our shows. After that,
we provided technical assistance and decoration for “dance nights”
and then for big fashion shows. I then chose a different lifestyle by
moving to Mauritius fifteen years ago where I developed the local
events industry, as we know it today.
et de la nourriture ; nous avons d’abord appris à appréhender le
marché tout en apportant nos compétences. D’une entreprise de
cinq personnes, nous sommes arrivés à un staff de 70 permanents
en passant de quelques événements ponctuels en 2000 à près de
250 événements en 2014-2015. L’événementiel est donc devenu
un élément prépondérant pour les entreprises. Cependant,
il est important de personnaliser les événements – et c’est là
toute la difficulté de notre métier – car comme vous l’imaginez,
ils s’adressent très souvent aux mêmes invités. Il faut donc se
réinventer et se remettre en question tout le temps.
Quel est l’événement le plus extravagant que l’on vous ait
demandé de faire ?
Je retiens ce feu d’artifice de 10 minutes synchronisé musicalement
pour les 9 ans d’une petite fille russe ou des spectacles privés tels
que ce concert de Patrick Bruel pour les 40 ans d’un richissime
client français. Il y a tellement d’événements exceptionnels qui sont
réalisés à Maurice derrière les murs feutrés des hôtels 5 étoiles,
dans des villas privées ou des endroits insolites. Mais nos clauses
de confidentialité ne nous permettent pas d’en parler.
Quel est celui que vous rêveriez d’organiser ?
Un spectacle avec de la grande illusion ou faire venir un magicien
tel que Dynamo pour un spectacle de rue, mais en essayant d’en
faire profiter les enfants défavorisés et tous ceux qui n’ont pas les
moyens de voir des choses extraordinaires en réalité. Le luxe,
c’est aussi de savoir partager.
IMPACT PRODUCTION GROUP
Black River Road, Camp Benoit
Petite-Rivière
T +230 233 1904
M +230 5 729 0084
[email protected]
www.ipg.mu
68
LUXURY MAURITIUS
From conception to organisation, you do more than 200 events
per year such as weddings, brand launches and fireworks.Which
type of project inspires you the most?
When the client gives us carte blanche and when we can stir
emotions. It is quite simple to use innovative technology to assist
us in our job; what’s hard is to create excitement. For me, a truly
skilled stage designer must be able to enthral an audience by
touching the heart. This is our mission.
We live in a society where entertainment and image occupy
a major place. Is hosting an event an essential element for a
company wishing to distinguish itself from its competitors?
When I first came to Mauritius, an event was often limited to a
hall with food being served. We learnt how to change the market
while applying our core competencies. We started out with 5
employees; we now have 70 people working for us on a full-time
basis. We went from a few one-off events in 2000, to nearly 250
events during the 2014-2015 period. Event creation has therefore
become a decisive element for companies. However, it is important
to personalise the event or literally create a new one – and this is
where the difficulty of our profession lies – because as you may
imagine, it is very often the same guests that are invited. It is,
therefore, important to always reinvent oneself and keep evolving.
What is the most extravagant event that you have been asked to
organise?
What comes to mind, is the 10-minute musically synchronised
fireworks display we did for the 9th birthday party of a Russian girl
or private shows such as the Patrick Bruel concert organised to
celebrate the 40th birthday of a very wealthy French client. There are
so many exceptional events that are showcased in Mauritius behind
the tall walls of 5-star hotels, in private villas
and other unusual places. However, our existing confidentiality
clause forbids us to talk about them.
What is your dream event that you would like to work on?
Either an illusions magic show or to bring over a famous
magician such as Dynamo for a street show, but with a goal to get
underprivileged children and all those who cannot afford to see and
enjoy such extraordinary things in real life. Luxury is also about
sharing.