Requirements And Categories Of Conference Proceedings

Spatial and functionality operational requirements

Discuss about the Requirement and various categories of conference proceedings.

This assignment attempts to describe the spatial and other requirements of the three various categories of conference proceedings. In the first three segments of the first part of this essay, the requirements of the small, medium and international level conferences have been highlighted. In the second part, actual venues within the Australian territory have been selected based on the specifications and the spatial requirements highlighted in the previous part of the assignment.

The first criteria for the organisation of this small conference is the setting of the conference date well in advance of the possible days on which it can be held. The date can be fixed by opinion polling from all the delegates concerned with this meeting. In case of a small meeting the procedure of registration/RSVP would be completed by means of Google form fill up and subsequent paper sign ups. The basic details that needs to be provided in the form are name and address, company and designation, contact information, email and other demographic data. Personal issues like complications with certain food products or if vegan or not have to be mentioned in the concerned columns. The event manager should be vested with the responsibility of arranging transportation and accommodation for the small business forums’ delegates who would visit the conference. Since the conference would involve workshops that would be held for two days, a minimal registration fees of $20 to $30 would be charged from every delegate. The exhibitors are expelled from the liability of paying the registration charges.

The number of heads for this gathering is anticipated to be 150 to 200. About 25% of the budget allocated for the conference can be collected from the grant funds and the rest is liable to be contributed by the title and the associated brand sponsors. A premium public sector bank should play the role of insurer to the conference and bear the financial liabilities. The decision regarding the selection of the venue is crucial. Depending on the strength of the meeting, the venue should be 6000 square feet free space banquet. The conference with around 200 delegates would better be conducted in a circular podium with seats allocated for every candidate in the gallery. The Exhibitors would be seated in the centre with the other important personalities. The workshops would be conducted in different auditoriums. Other necessary specifications include pantry room, facilities for physical handicapped and others. The set up of the conference room will be circular and that of the workshop rooms would be like a theatre.

Small conferences with workshops and forums

This conference requires the physical presence of every delegates. Hence no teleconference or video conference facility would not be available for any of them. The event management committee should have in possession a list of the details of the topics to be covered in the meetings or the other contents like workshop details. Even, Hämmerle et al. (2015), opines that this practice is essential for the safety of the delegates. The company hoisting this conference should bear the expenses incurred by the Exhibitors. Commencing at 9.00 am the initial phase of the conference would include the introduction to the facilities and personal introduction if the delegates. Equity discussion would be carried on since that until 1.00 pm. After that break session would go on up till 2.00 pm. Up to 3.30 pm since then the Wrap up comments as well as question round for the day would take place. Since 4.00 pm till 8.00 pm the workshop session would take place.

In the initial phase the conference requires a closed door call with the organising committee regarding understanding the nature of the conference. The delegates who would be participating in the meeting would be named and their weightage would be specified. Accordingly, the conference committee would arrange for the securities of the delegates as well as the Exhibitors. The selection of the venue is also another crucial activity. It is suggestible that three different venues be selected for the 3 days for which the sessions would go on. Local marketing organisations should be communicated for the supply of deliverables of food or transport or other services. The organisation providing accommodation can be contracted for speciality services of the delegates for in house amenities like Gym, swimming pool and other facilities. An experienced meeting planner should be contracted for this conference who would work in collaboration with the accommodating authorities (management of the hotel). Since every concurrent session of the conference requires social media activities, a strong and uninterrupted supply of internet connectivity is very essential. The conference hall authorities or the event management committee should arrange this. The conference schedule would be conveyed to every delegate and the exhibitors much in advance from the bend of the managerial committee. The respective role would also be indicated there. As suggested by Ferreira et al. (2014), These information can be conveyed by means of official email. The exclusives of the minutes from every concurrent session of the meetings are supposed to be conveyed to the delegates after every active session. It is better if the conference is hosted in the auditorium of the facility where the delegates are receiving hospitality. In another case, if such a facility with the appropriate arrangements cannot be arranged then a conference hall have to be rented and a capable event management organisation have to be contracted. A web portal have also been opened by the concerned organisation so that the delegates can post their respective queries regarding the upcoming procedures in the conference.

Medium sized Conference

The concerned authority have decoded that the conference would be promoted through regular social media based activities. The clientele is expected to grow rapidly with such social media activities. However the maximum number of delegates who can be accommodated in the proceedings are 1500. The funding plan for this conference hoisting would incorporate both sponsors and exhibitors as well.

The responsibility of arranging the registration program for the conference would be born in joint venture by the attendees of the accommodating management as well as the event organising committee. The keynote speakers would start their program in the beginning of each of the 3 days of the conference, immediately after the plenary session. The first activity would refer to the interest of the conference session for the day. The session afterwards would discuss the equity of the conference. These proceedings would go on up till 7.30 pm on the evening. After that social networking activities would be conducted. The minutes of the conferences would be summarised and promoted. The higher personalities who needs to be referred about the proceedings of the conference would be communicated through online video sessions. This is supposed to be the last activity of every day and is expected to run up till 8.30 pm.

Preparation of a precise checklist should precede the planning of a rigorous planning program of an international level conference. The first important process in this context is the registration process. In order to give a professional outlook to the registration program, a registration desk with capable employees is very essential. Registration forms should be offered to the various participants of the conference including the speakers and other exhibitors, the delegates as well as the sponsors. The registration document or ticket (electronic or paper print) should be accepted against the entry of each of the participants of the conference. This is an occasion of national importance and heavy security should be implanted in the facility that is supposed to host the conference.  Most preferably the conference is supposed to be hosted in a governmental facility. Electronic or printed badges are supposed to be circulated to the participants with some signature mark so that these tickets or badges cannot be imitated. This process is particularly important since the expected number of delegates expected to be present are 5000 approximately.

The next important aspect in this connection is the relationship management. The conference can pertain to any non-governmental organisation also. In that case the in house organisers would work in unison with the event management representatives to plan the program. The facility should have the strength of such a big delegate group. In this context, it can be opined that any indoor event podium should be selected for the program. Other than the delegates and the exhibitors, there should be adequate room for accommodating the IT team who would render the IT services to the participants. Online communication is very essential for the conference. There should be an intranet supported software framework that should record the feedback or the comments of each of the delegates in the context of the issue under discussion. The facilities that the international delegates would enjoy like the free gifts or the extra services would be provided for by the concerned organisation or government that is the ultimate responsible head for the conference. Other major charges like the rent for the hall or the promotion for communication with the various stakeholders of this conference would be borne by the sponsors.

Major international conference

In order to manage such a big group of delegates, it is essential that the volunteers play an active role. Other than an impeccable internet connectivity the conference needs immense It support for recording of valuable data and exhibiting the compare and contrast of the various contemporary data. The event managers should also have translators in the group, so that linguistic limitations of any of the participants do not pose as a big issue during the process of the conference. In case if the conference involves press communications, then a satellite station should be installed adjacent to the conference arena. Lastly, a speaker service should be available for all the five days of the conference, so that any issues faced by the participants can be communicated to the concerned authorities.

This report discusses the spatial requirements as well as the interior requirements and designs that would suit the conference processes of all the three kinds, discussed in the previous part. In the beginning the venue selection is focused upon, followed by a justification for the selected venue in the context of the three individual conferences. The first kind of conference is ideal to be held in the Mercure Conference hall, an in house facility of the Mercure Convention hotel. This conference involves delegates who are arriving from various areas of Australia. Hence, the location of this conference centre is ideal. The second kind of conference that might expect a face off involving around 1200 to 1500 people. An ideal location for the organisation of this conference would be the Australian Technology Park in Sydney. The creative and industrial outset of this conference centre makes it appropriate for such meetings. These meetings are also ideal for organisation of workshops. The third kind of conference proceeding has various critical requirements and multi layered safety issues, since international delegates would be attending the conference. This is why it is essential that the conference be held in some venue which have the experience of hosting international conferences in the recent past. An ideal location for this kind of conference would be the Conference arena at the Pullman Melbourne Albert Park, Melbourne in Australia. A secondary survey can be conducted in order to identify the venues that can be justifiable for the organisation of these conferences. The parameters t5hat were focused upon for the selection of the selection of these venues are connectivity, distance from the airport, the space of the auditorium, workshop space and availability for multiple number of days. Another major criteria of selection had been the level of security that the delegates gets in the conference venue. The governmental agencies were reported regarding the organisation of the conferences and their views about organising such conferences in Australia were considered.

This kind of conference can be quite easily arranged in the selected venue. The premier function room is ideal for this conference. However there are other spacious facilities for the arrangement of a conference. Hence, in case if there is a difference of opinion among the delegates regarding the conference date, an alternative setting can be easily arranged on a desired date. In absence of the Premier function room, the Premium meeting centre (of same accommodation strength) or the Grand Ballroom can be arranged also as an alternative venue (refer to appendix 1). Besides, this is a hotel that have an in house event management team who would be liable for the arranging the accommodation. The hotel also have the arrangement for picking up delegates from junctions and airports. The conference facility is open 24 hours and has equally tight security arrangements throughout the day. Besides, they have the facility to accommodate hourly stay also. The theatre style seating that is offered in the conference halls of this hotel will help in the communication among a small group of delegates. After the confirmation of the conference proceeding, the hotel authority takes up the charge of sending candidature and facility team for catering to the needs of the guests. The exhibitors who would be conducting the workshop sessions would be arriving from various parts of Australia. Hence the vicinity of the conference hall to the airports and junction stations is a positive factor. The bright yet sober décor of the conference halls give a rich feel to the delegates. Optimum temperature is always maintained in the conference halls so that none of the delegates feel uncomfortable. The hotel facility generally provides 300 MB high speed data every day to every individual user. Nevertheless, during the conference proceeding, an uninterrupted 10 to 15 MBPS speed of internet would be provided. The integrated IT facility of the hotel always works to provide the best technological assistance to the clients during important conferences. The next important factor for choosing this facility is the workshop theatre. They have the best in class and highly updated audio-visual equipment, easily usable adaptors, powerful and high quality projector with high quality screens and also charts and extension leads. The hotel provides point of contact for any queries or enquiries regarding any conference and its arrangements is also readily available throughout the day (accorhotels.com, 2018). The seats and other facilities like the tables and lounges are compatible and have a corporate attire in their layout (refer to appendix 2). Beverages and snacks are also readily served at the conferences here. Lastly, the 7000 square feet of space would allow the easy manual adjustment of the facilities also.

The vibrant and high tech centre precinct at the Australian Technology Park is the most ideal location for the big conferences like the scenario described in the context of the second kind of conference. The dynamic atmosphere of the Dialaton Conference and Exhibition hall at the Australian Technology Park is reflected by the state of the art facilities available here and the proficiency of the expert in-house staff. This facility also have an expert team for client support and event management. The management team is client specific and is always ready for personal co-ordination. The points of contact are well in communication with the whole management team of the concerned organisation that is hoisting the conference. The convenient surround networks including wireless electronic as well as video conferencing equipment, the landscaped grounds and the convenient location within 4 kilometres of Sydney’s CBD, all justifies this setting as the most feasible centre for the conference (refer to appendix 3). The professional security service that is in charge of the management of conference proceedings at the Australian Tech Park is experienced in handling such big conferences occasionally here.

The Exhibition Hall theatre have a seating arrangement of 2500 people and the lounge have a strength of 5000 people. Hence, by all means the conference with 1500 delegates can be easily organised here. Leading IT companies have established the facilities at the Conference and Exhibition centre at the Australian Technology Park. This is why the tech Park conference theatre have a hundred percent wireless infrastructure and a separate technical support body that is present during the tenure of the live conferences. There is also an in house audio visual management team that works for live hours during the conference proceeding. There after this facility is closely located to several premium hotels, each of which have accommodation strength of over 1000 rooms. In case of large conference bookings the Australian Technology Park makes complimentary bookings for the delegates. Even the event management team at the ATP have transport facility for the clients which they can use for their personal usage and for the purpose of conferences at their free will. The 24 hours availability of the Dialaton Hall would make it easier to organise the equity discussion at the end of the conference (Refer to appendix 4). The video sessions are supposed to go on until 8.30 pm. This continued technical connectivity might require additional power supply. In order to suffice that the organisation has an additional power supply support system (refer to appendix 5). This makes this destination an ideal choice for the conference (mirvac.com, 2018).

There are six conference rooms in the facility of the Watson Park Convention Theatre. This space is enough for accommodating a strength of 5000 (refer to appendix 7). The international conference would comprise of 8 plenary meetings as well as 10 round table meets. These meetings are scheduled parallely. However, the themes of the themes of the meetings would be different. The economic team would sit in round table with the sales team. The business sector entities coming from various countries have to be provided warm reception and most luxurious accommodation. This is why the facility at the Watson Park have been selected which have deluxe suites for the international guests. A 2 day meeting with the governmental forums would also be held during this conference proceeding. The organisation since its advent have arranged about 11 million business meetings and every single conference room is backed by the support of a data manager.

About 250 employees of the Watson Park Convention are involved in providing technical support. The initial investment for every plenary face off is $250000. However, open network and permissions to access international proxy web addresses have been arranged by the Watson Park IT committee. The event management committee comprising of the managers of the concerned organisation and the hospitality managers of the Watson Park would take in to consideration so that the visa of all the delegates coming from the Latin American and the African countries do not face any concerns. In the conference some international delegates would be felicitated for their remarkable contribution. The felicitation program would be arranged wholly by the Watson Park managerial committee. This is one of the scheduled facilities of this hotel (watsonpark.com.au, 2018). The facility also have an in house press conference arena. Besides, a satellite room is also there for the convenience of the international media that would cover the event (refer to appendix 6). The accommodation of the international guest can be arranged in Park Hyatt and The Rialto. The same event management committee would be liable for the felicitation and convenient accommodation of the guests at the hotels.

Conclusion

The report deals with the spatial and other requirements of the three conference settings. The variations of the size of halls, the power back up requirements and digital settings including database and laptop connectivity are different for the three settings. Analysing the requirements of the third and the international requirements, it can be concluded that security of the delegates is a crucial issue and besides that the list of deliverables for arranging the press conference is large. The in house security system is insufficient and this requires national level security. Hence, the national militant group that would arrive to provide security to the delegates also requires accommodation. In case of the second and the third conference, the theatre structure halls would not be adequate and for that purpose the gallery shaped halls have been selected.

The second part of the assignment deals with selection and justification of the selection of specific venues that satisfies the criteria highlighted in the first part of the assignment. The Mercure Conference hall is selected for the first conference because the delegates who would be arriving for this conference are all coming from various parts of Australia ad that is why the strategic location of this place beside the airport is highly favourable. The second meeting involved around 1400 delegates and that is why the Tech Park was selected as an ideal location. The workshop facilities of this place are marvellous and the digital connectivity including high speed internet that is required for the demonstration at the workshops are al present here. The last international conference can be held at the Albert Park. This is an international hotel franchise and this facility has been selected because the security settings of this place is impenetrable. They have an in-house trained security group. Besides, two international level; conferences were being organised here in the last few years. The conference auditorium is easily connectible and fulfils all the criteria that is being demarcated by national Security Council of Australia. This justifies the appropriateness of this international conference venue.

References and Bibliography

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