The Brief
The conference themes were Live, Work and Play and relate to the priority areas as set out in the NSW Disability Inclusion Plan:
- Employment for people with disability
- Liveable communities and accessible and inclusive tourism planning
- Assistive technology and accessible IT to enhance inclusion for all, particularly people with disability
BCS were engaged 14 weeks before the Conference. The conference took place over two days with 85 speakers, four breakout streams, a VIP networking session, exhibition space with 30+ exhibitors plus art installations and entertainment performances.
The Solution
Accessibility was at the heart of this conference, we were required to provide inclusive planning for all aspects of the conference, from onsite logistics to online communications. BCS liaised with the ICC, speakers, exhibitors, vendors and suppliers to ensure that all accessibility requirements were met, from organising wheelchair lifts and ramps for stages, to scheduling Auslan interpreters for delegates.
In addition to this, we created online communications that met the accessibility standards. This required extensive understanding for assistive technology applications and programs and compatibility with websites and emails.
We worked closely with Exhibit Systems to provide exhibitor booths and Arts NSW to coordinate the art installations and performances. For accessibility purposes we worked with Auslan for interpreters and AI media for Live captioning.
Our responsibilities as PCO included:
- Venue management – ICC liaison across the full programme for F&B, room allocation, AV
- Delegate Accommodation Options
- Design of accessible website including registration platform
- Onsite registration
- Exhibitor management – once confirmed, managing all exhibitor deliverables and communication
- Conference speaker management – creating speaker briefing documents and speaker registrations for 85 speakers
- Run sheet creation
- Project Management timelines & reporting – weekly WIP updates
- Supplier Management support
- Budget Support – sourcing quotes from suppliers and ICC for sign-off
To find out more about NSW Government State of Inclusion Conference.
The Results
- 30+ Exhibitors
- 600 Delegates (target 500)
- 85 Speakers
The Client
LIVE, WORK AND PLAY – NSW State of Inclusion Conference 17-18 May 2017, Sydney ICC
The two-day conference was held at the then new International Convention Centre (ICC) in Sydney, the objective of the conference being to showcase the progress being made towards building an inclusive society for all in NSW.