In March 2018, Australia hosted its first Summit with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The Special Summit included Leaders of the Member States and the Secretary-General of ASEAN. The importance of the event and its significance in terms of future relationships was recognised by the Australian Government,
“The Special Summit will mark a new era in our partnership. It will build on our deep legacy of economic cooperation, political dialogue, and the natural interweaving of our people to establish a contemporary, outward-looking partnership for the rapidly changing world we live in.”
CrowdComms was thrilled to help the Summit Taskforce stage the Leaders’ Summit (the centrepiece of the Special Summit) and the Business Summit. The latter being a series of key business focused events that formed part of the lead-in to the Leader’s Summit.
The Summit Taskforce comprised of government special advisors charged with organising the event.
One Portal, Multiple Events
The Special Summit needed separate event apps that would support each individual forum but sit within a single branded portal.
With attendee connections and information exchange a high priority, the event app had to support networking, activity feeds and interactive session details.
The Events
The Business Summit complemented the initiative’s objectives by providing specific forums to foster trade opportunities, knowledge exchange and regional prosperity.
The CEO Forum and SME Conference gave focus to economic integration, supply chain and export opportunities amongst other important issues.
The Leaders’ Summit was the focal event. This was where ASEAN leaders came together to discuss challenges and opportunities relating to economic prosperity, security and people.
Specific Challenges
Security and Confidentiality
Given the nature of the event, adherence to the Taskforce’s confidentiality agreement was paramount. Each CrowdComms team member working on the project signed the necessary documentation.
Within the office we isolated the event project team in designated spaces so event discussion could take place freely and without risking inappropriate disclosure.
Onsite Support
As a major first time event the Taskforce had to make sure every event element was properly established and executed. The Taskforce therefore required onsite technical support for the duration of the event app build.
CrowdComms provided onsite technical expertise courtesy of our experienced production specialist, Alex Heath.
Over a period of 3 weeks, Alex spent time with the Taskforce in Canberra to make sure the event app functionality and user experience was perfect and ready to launch at the first event.
Responsive Build
A week before the Business Summit launch, the Taskforce made a decision to include an appointment booking feature within the event app. This would mean attendees could book specific times with exhibitors to ensure a smooth and steady visitor flow.
CrowdComms built the required feature within the timeframe, making sure it was fully tested prior to launch.
Successful Outcome
The pre-event work and collaboration ensured that the portal and its event apps supported the specific requirements of every event.
CrowdComms facilitated the meeting and scheduling of the SME Conference, which included 400 meetings scheduled with 14 different governing bodies.
The CEO Forum app connected influential CEOs from Australia and ASEAN and supported discussions around business opportunities and best practices regarding ASEAN market engagement.
For the Leaders’ Summit we ensured the event app would provide detailed information about the day’s agenda. Attendees could access information regarding security and the biographies of the Leaders of Member States. Additional useful information was stored and made available to support staff who would manage each Leader’s personal itinerary.
Key Promotion
Australia’s Prime Minister, the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP, included the event app as part of his welcome speech. The introduction provide to be a powerful useage prompt and ensured nearly 1,000 people accessed the app.
What They Said
“On behalf of the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit Taskforce I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to CrowdComms. CrowdComms played a pivotal role to providing a positive experience to our invited guests.
In particular I would like to recognise the excellent work that Alex Heath and Vanessa Bishop undertook in supporting the Taskforce and our events, as well as their support staff. The team showed the highest levels of professionalism and were wonderful to work with throughout the engagement period. The Prime Minister commented quite favourably on the event app which reflects on the diligence and extensive experience of your team.” Louise Perez, Head of Operations – ASEAN Taskforce
