Innovation on Display at MH Lab 78

Image of Wine & Spirits: Moët Hennessy's area of expertise

Image of MH Lab 78A traditional Haussmannian building in Paris’ 16th arrondissement houses a very modern surprise: MH Lab 78, the digital innovation hub of Moët Hennessy, LVMH’s Wine & Spirits division.

Myself and 11 other members of the HEC MBA Luxury Club had the pleasure of visiting this exciting space, where we met with Caroline Grenthe, the lab’s Director of Marketing Innovation, and Flore Lajouanie, Innovation Project Manager.

Caroline kicked off the visit by introducing MH Lab 78’s work with startups (the lab currently houses around 20) and with Moët Hennessy’s different maisons. MH Lab 78 offers an inspiring space where these storied maisons can interact and experiment with companies at the forefront of digital innovation. The lab is a place of creative experimentation for the maisons to find solutions to business problems, experiment with new technologies and create the future of the luxury Wine & Spirits industry.

And, from what we saw, we can definitely say that this future looks exciting.

Image of Spoon, the first non-humanoid emotional robot

Spoon, the first non-humanoid emotional robot

Flore took us on a tour of some of the imaginative inventions created by MH Lab 78’s startups. These included Spoon, a very endearing artificial creature which can educate and entertain on Moët Hennessy’s product offering; Kuantom, a digitally enhanced mixology machine which will reinvent how we enjoy cocktails; and Tangible Display, an interactive digital screen which educates about the product and offers a deeper customer experience.

We were impressed by the range of ideas and technologies on display, with many using technological developments to enrich the customer’s enjoyment of Moët Hennessy’s Wines & Spirits. Other startups focused on digitally enhancing the in-store experience.

Moët Hennessy profits hugely from the “test and learn” philosophy typical of fast-moving startups and, inversely, the startups benefit from Moët Hennessy’s expertise and guidance. MH Lab 78 is a place for Moët Hennessy’s traditions to be challenged and modernised, and for emerging companies to gain valuable feedback and exposure.

Image of MH Lab 78's innovative technology

Tangible Display at MH Lab 78

Today, France is a hotbed of tech and innovation activity. Station F, Paris’ vast startup campus is leading the charge. It’s no surprise therefore that even the most traditional of French industries are starting to rethink how they approach business development. MH Lab 78 is a valuable way for Moët Hennessy to challenge their approach while investing in the industry’s future talents.

Find out more: https://www.mhlab78.com/en/. 

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Text by Clare Cartwright

 Clare CartwrightClare Cartwright, MBA ’20, is a digital marketing and communications professional with 7 years of experience working across Europe in Luxury and Retail. Originally from the UK, Clare graduated with a BA and MA in English Literature from Trinity College Dublin. She spent one year studying at Columbia University, New York, before working for NET-A-PORTER, Tommy Hilfiger and Karla Otto. As President of the HEC MBA Luxury Club and Social Media Ambassador for the MBA program, Clare is passionate about creating opportunities for the HEC community to learn more about the Luxury industry, and sharing the diverse MBA experiences with the world at large.