Case Study 2 – Conference Management for a key government health institution and a major UK research funding body
The Clients:
A key government health institution and a major UK research funding body
Tasks:
To fully organise and manage their residential meeting on an ongoing international public health emergency at Oxford.
o For approximately -125 participants, including several key government officials and scientists
o Held over one and half day
o Accommodation, either on-site or close to the meeting venue
They wanted us to:
o Find appropriate venues for the meeting, networking dinner and accommodation either on-site or in nearby hotels/B&Bs
o Liaise with the venues and negotiate pricing, catering, menus, etc
o Set up and maintain a dedicated website for the meeting, including online registration, money collections and invoicing
o Full site management, including, for example, site preparation, IT/AV equipment and WiFi
o Liaise with the speakers and collect presentations, including dealing with any specific IT requirements
o On-site delegate registration and staffing, point of contact for delegates and speakers, message board and provide miscellaneous local information to attendees
Conclusion:
The challenge to us was to find an appropriate venue for this meeting at a very short notice. We used our local contacts to find appropriate meeting place and accommodation at local University of Oxford colleges, hotels and B&Bs. The project was completed to the satisfaction of the organisers and the attendees. Here are some of the comments from the attendees:
“I just wanted to thank you all so much for putting together a really super conference. I don’t think that I’ve enjoyed a conference and its content so much before. It was all so fascinating. Good job!”
“Thank you for arranging everything so quickly and so well. We could not have made all the arrangements ourselves and at such a short notice.”
“Excellent and timely meeting! I am heading off to the affected area in a few days and have gained a lot of first-hand insight into the evolving situation and the outbreak.”
“The meeting was excellent and a valuable opportunity for networking. I am truly grateful for being given the opportunity to both attend and speak.”
“Very good couple of days; thank you for all your help with finding accommodation and for answering so many questions in the run-up to the meeting”
“Thank you again for the wonderful conference last week – I really enjoyed it and felt privileged to be there and meet so many clever and dedicated people.”
