How Beherman organised a product launch for 100 guests in one month
The successful launch of the Farizon V7E at InnStyle
The challenge
How do you make sure an event in your industry is a success, even at the last minute?
The idea
Ideally, you plan your events months in advance, but we all know that marketing and events are fast-paced fields. So how do you make sure your event comes together perfectly amid the rush, even at the last minute?
Eef Vanrusselt, marketing manager at Beherman Motors, knows all about it. She single-handedly runs the marketing department for Farizon in the Netherlands and Belgium and recently organised a successful launch event for the new Farizon V7E under tight time constraints.
The idea was a two-part gathering, with a press session for journalists in the morning and a broader event in the afternoon for 100 dealers, leasing companies and industry contacts.
We spoke to Eef about her approach to organising the event.
The background to Beherman and Farizon
Beherman Motors is a trusted name in Belgium’s automotive sector, where the company spent many years importing brands such as Saab and Mitsubishi, but today focuses entirely on commercial vehicles. Alongside brands such as FUSO and Piaggio Commercial, Beherman Motors is also the importer for Farizon in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg.
Farizon is a young brand with one clear promise: 100% electric vans for the business market, summed up in the slogan Born Electric. Built for Business. The brand launched in juni 2025 with the Farizon SV and is now entering its next phase of growth with the V7E.
More than showcasing a new model
When the Farizon SV launched a year earlier, Eef had focused entirely on the product. Although that worked, she learnt something important: journalists will not travel to Utrecht from across the country just for a new van; there needs to be more to it.
For the V7E, she therefore chose a two-part story, with the morning press session focusing not just on the new vehicle, but also on the business journey over the past year. What has Farizon learnt, what worked well, what worked less well, and what is still to come? An honest account of building a strong brand from scratch. Something that resonates far more with journalists than a standard product presentation.
That choice paid off: the press coverage that followed conveyed exactly the message Eef wanted to get across.
“I walked onto the grounds of InnStyle and knew straight away: this is the one. It was an easy choice.”
Eef Vanrusselt, marketing manager at Farizon
Love at first sight with the venue
Eef had worked with InnStyle at a previous employer, so when she was looking for a venue for the Farizon V7E launch, InnStyle was naturally on her list. She visited several venues in Utrecht that day, but the first stop turned out to be the best.
She walked up the drive, saw the presentation space with its plant wall, green lighting and views, and knew straight away. She still went to see the other venues - an old power station and a former church that had once housed a metalworking business - but their emptiness meant they needed more work than Eef had time for: beautiful spaces, but blank canvases that she would have to furnish and style entirely herself.
'A blank canvas is perfect if you have three months. I had one month. Then it’s not an option.'
What she was looking for was a venue that already worked, that didn’t force her to create the layout, the flow and the atmosphere herself, and that also suited Farizon: electric, sustainable, green. Farizon’s brand colours - green, black and steel with earthy tones - fitted seamlessly with InnStyle’s interior, allowing her to add decorative touches rather than having to build everything from scratch.
One month of preparation
Preparation time was tight, as the V7E vehicles arrived by sea from China and only just made it in time. In the end, swift action was needed to get the vans out of the port on time.
Meanwhile, Eef was already discussing the programme with InnStyle early on: a presentation, two workshops in separate rooms and test drives outside. InnStyle immediately helped plan the routes and technical set-up so that Eef could focus on the content. The evening before the event, she made further changes to the presentation, sent over the final version the next morning, and it still ran flawlessly.
She deliberately kept the branding understated: no walls plastered with graphics or garish posters, but a stylish and elegant approach that fitted the event perfectly, thanks to the match between the Farizon colours and InnStyle’s interior.
“You do what you promise: take care of everything. And that really makes a difference.”
Eef Vanrusselt, marketing manager at Farizon
What happened on the day
The afternoon programme was intended for 50 people, but at one point the guests were so enthusiastic that the number was set to rise to 100. A telling sign of the positive energy surrounding the brand.
Dealers were eager to try out the demo vehicles, one prospective dealer joined the Farizon network on the spot, and the delegation from China, who had travelled over especially for the launch, walked in, saw the view and reacted with a 'wow'. Afterwards, Eef heard from the guests that they had had an interesting and enjoyable time: a lovely result.
What she would do differently in hindsight
If Eef could have changed one thing, it would have been the timeframe: ideally, she would have had three months, but she only had one. Although she pulled it off, that extra breathing space would have saved her a lot of unnecessary stress.
She also had one suggestion for improving the content: InnStyle's revised quotes included all the information from the initial quote again, which was useful and informative the first time, but resulted in a rather lengthy document with every revision. These could be shorter.
'If I had done this at a venue that was a black box, where I had to work everything out myself, it simply wouldn't have been possible in such a short time.'
Tips for event managers planning a launch
Eef has organised many events by now and knows what makes the difference.
- Choose a venue that already works. A blank canvas takes time and energy you don't have when preparing at the last minute. A venue with the right atmosphere and a team that helps you think through the logistics saves you a lot of effort.
- Tell a story that goes beyond the product. Business contacts and journalists come for the story: where you've come from, what you've learnt and where you're heading. An honest story works better than a glossy product presentation.
- Make sure you can focus on the content. Anything that distracts you from your message works against you, and the less you have to organise yourself on the day, the better you can welcome your guests.
- Allow more time than you think you'll need. One month was enough to make it happen, but three months would have saved a lot of stress.
With this approach, your next event will be a success too.
