TANDEM: When AXA THEMA Brings Ambition to Life
To kick off 2026 with a shared sense of ambition, AXA THEMA entrusted Acmé with the design and execution of its annual New Year’s reception, bringing together 200 wealth management advisors and strategic partners at the Hôtel de la Vaupalière, AXA’s Paris headquarters, which had just reopened after four years of renovations.
Far from being a mere formality, the event was intended to mark a turning point: THEMA, having risen from 7th to 4th place in the Périclès rankings in 2025, is now openly aiming for the podium with its "Back to the Top" plan. Acmé responded to this ambition with a unique concept, TANDEM, the central theme of an evening built from start to finish around the complementary relationship between THEMA and its financial advisors.
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Even before the event, the building served as its own ambassador. The Hôtel de la Vaupalière, freshly reopened after four years of renovations, was prominently featured in the invitations and email signature banners sent out ahead of the event. Showing off this venue before actually hosting an event there was already a way to create anticipation: the wealth management advisors knew they were about to discover a rare space, in a state that few had yet had the chance to experience. The invitation didn’t promise just another evening; it promised a first-time experience.
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The highlight of the evening took place in the plenary hall, when the lighting effects split the space in two to visually bring the core of the TANDEM concept to life. On stage, Thomas Buberl, CEO of AXA, and Mathieu Godart, CEO of AXA France, addressed 200 financial advisors in a fully digital setting designed for maximum impact. Two leaders, a stage built around complementarity, an entire room hanging on a conversation about the future of a market that is also their own: this moment crystallized everything the evening sought to achieve.
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When the plenary session concluded and the voices of the opera singers filled the atrium of the Hôtel de la Vaupalière, the evening underwent a rare transition: from the institutional to the emotional, without a break in tone or register. This shift from conviction to celebration is what lingers long after the guests have departed. The 200 financial advisors in attendance did not merely hear a strategic message; they experienced it in a memorable setting, accompanied by a sensory experience that continues to resonate. The partnership between THEMA and its partners was not just a concept for the evening; it became a tangible reality.
A rise to the top worth celebrating.
In 2025, THEMA rose from 7th to 4th place in the Périclès ranking, an industry benchmark that measures the performance of life insurance and investment providers serving independent financial advisors. This three-place jump reflects a genuine, confident repositioning that is now visible in the market. The goal for 2026 is stated plainly: to reach the top three. In this context, the New Year’s reception could not simply be a social gathering. It had to be an act of leadership, a demonstration of alignment between the company’s stated ambitions and the quality of the experience offered to the brand’s most strategic partners.
Hosting 200 financial advisors at AXA’s renovated headquarters was part of the same strategy: to demonstrate, through the quality of every detail, that THEMA upholds its commitments even in its partner relationships. It was with this standard in mind that AXA THEMA asked Acmé to design an event that would reflect its rapidly accelerating momentum.
TANDEM: From the invitation to the concert, a single purpose
TANDEM reflects two simultaneous realities: the collaborative relationship between the THEMA teams and the CGP, and the dual nature of the Hôtel de la Vaupalière, where modernity and historic architecture coexist. Visually, this concept resulted in a mirrored identity: the key elements of THEMA’s visual identity were reinterpreted as a pair, a dual image featured across all media, from invitations to the evening’s screenings.
In the run-up to the event, the building itself was the primary draw. Having reopened after four years of renovations, it was a discovery in itself for nearly all the guests. The invitations and email signature banners prominently showcased the venue, making the Hôtel de la Vaupalière a key selling point in its own right.
Precision for a smooth experience
The plenary session brought together 200 guests for a fully digital experience: lighting effects that divided the room in two, audio and visual jingles custom-designed for the screen’s dimensions, and motion-design transitions. Cédric Hebinger opened the evening before giving way to interviews with Thomas Buberl and Mathieu Godart, in a conversational format chosen for its liveliness in front of an audience of experts.
The cocktail reception took place in the atrium, adorned with large-scale projections on the facades and illuminated by colorful lighting effects. A pianist and opera singers provided the musical entertainment; through their harmonious collaboration, they embodied the evening’s theme and transformed the corporate cocktail reception into a truly celebratory occasion.
When the message becomes a conviction
The event served as a testament to consistency: between the strategic vision and the attention to detail in the experience, between the stated ambition and the quality of the experience itself. The building spoke louder than the speakers. The digital setup made the message memorable. The discussions with the two AXA executives gave the wealth management advisors direct and rare insight into the convictions of those driving the group’s strategy.
The concert completed the shift in tone: from the formal to the celebratory, without any artificial break. The 200 CGP members left with a shared conviction: THEMA and its partners are moving in the same direction, with the same high standards. The partnership wasn’t just a concept for the evening. It was a promise brought to life.
Client information
AXA THEMA is the division of AXA dedicated to wealth management, primarily serving independent wealth management advisors and brokers. It offers them structured products: life insurance, retirement savings plans, financial investments, and customized investment solutions. A subsidiary of AXA, one of the world’s leading insurance and asset management groups, THEMA operates in the high-end segment of a market where the quality of the partner relationship is just as critical as product performance.
Curious corner
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The event’s dual foundation: the collaborative relationship between THEMA and its wealth management advisors, and the architectural duality of the Hôtel de la Vaupalière, which blends historic heritage with contemporary renovation. A concept chosen to describe a reality, not merely to dress up an evening.
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Reopened after four years of renovations, AXA’s Paris headquarters was a discovery in itself. Inviting them to get a sneak peek is, in itself, a strong signal to each wealth management advisor of the high regard in which THEMA holds them.
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It served as the visual framework for the TANDEM concept: the lighting that divided the room in two, the custom jingle, and the motion design in the transitions. Form and content didn’t simply add up; they reinforced each other.
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The harmony between the instrument and the operatic voice was itself a living embodiment of the TANDEM concept. This choice also added a touch of elegance and surprise to a corporate cocktail party—something that would have been difficult to achieve otherwise.
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The TANDEM concept wasn’t simply tacked onto an existing event; rather, it served as the overarching theme, from the invitations to the musical lineup. This end-to-end consistency, designed to convey a specific strategic message, is Acmé’s hallmark in the high-end institutional sector.