ASEAN-Australia Special Summit
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Melbourne, Australia
CASE STUDY
Congress Supports ASEAN-Australia Special Summit
Background:
On March 4th—6th, 2024, ASEAN held its Australia Special Summit to discuss the economic, political, security, and socio-cultural development of the South Asian Nations.
This year, as ASEAN celebrated the 50th anniversary of the partnership, Congress Rental was entrusted with a crucial role in supporting the event. This decision was based on the success of our previous collaborations, including the 33rd ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Singapore (2018) and the first-ever ASEAN-Australia Special Summit (2018).
Our State-of-the-Art Technology Configuration:
A meeting of this calibre necessitated a fully integrated system to capture audio and video of the delegates and provide seven channels of simultaneous interpretation. This allowed each delegate to participate in the meeting in their own language, using their own interpreters.
For microphones, we used Bosch DCNM-MMD2 Dicentis Multimedia Devices equipped with conference-style, long microphone stems. As the most premium conferencing system, it delivers high-performance, secure, latency-free audio. The devices were also pre-programmed with a graphic to display the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit branding.
For cameras, we used Avonic CM-93 4K PTZ Cameras. They are high-quality PTZ cameras known for their ability to deliver in low-light conditions with their user-adjustable colour matrix. The cameras were pre-programmed according to seating arrangements, allowing them to automatically pan to the active speaker upon microphone activation, capturing them in 4K50 video.
Interpreters worked in our 3-person Audipack Silent 9300 Soundproof Interpreter Booths - considered to be the best in the industry for conference interpretation applications. These booths are fully ISO 4043:2016 compliant for proper sound insulation.
Inside the booths, Interpreters worked using Bosch DCNM-IDESK Dicentis Interpreter Desks. These are reliable and intuitive and easily integrate with the entire Bosch Dicentis system. These interpreter desks conform to ISO 20109:2016, the internationally agreed standard for interpretation equipment.
For the leaders at the table, interpreted audio was delivered through the Bosch microphone’s built-in headphone jack. This ensures there is no possibility of feedback as the headphone output is reduced when the microphone is active.
For observers and listening delegations, we used the Bosch Integrus Infrared language distribution system to distribute the language feeds to delegates. Our team implemented redundancies for the radiators so that if a chain of radiators went out, the signal would continue to be transmitted. Delegates listened using lightweight Bosch Receivers with Bosch Headphones. A guide was provided at each table to outline the available language channels.
With this system in place, delegates were able to communicate seamlessly in English, Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Malay, Khmer, Lao, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese.
"With a strong team of technical producers, we shared our knowledge and worked collaboratively to elevate our standard and ensure the client was met with our best solutions."
- Sebastian Ennis, Head of Production
The Setup Process:
The central meeting was held at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre. To prepare for the setup, we worked with the set designers, ExpoNet, to create custom schematics to ensure that our cameras and microphones were placed exactly as the client wanted.
A false floor was constructed so that new carpet could be laid to match the room's theme. Cables for microphones, cameras, and media splitters, along with redundancies, had to be installed during the floor installation, as our team would not be able to access the cables once the floor had been laid.
After all the cabling and equipment were set up, we conducted two days of rigorous technical checks to ensure the reliability of our setup.
"Over our years of experience, we have supported many high-level events using similar setups. We know what works and what doesn’t, so we knew how to create the most fitting system for a meeting at this level”.
- Lucas Flood, Technical Producer
Client's Vision:
Our client's primary concern was to ensure top-quality equipment for all visual and audio aspects of the Summit. To meet the client's requirements, our team installed our top-of-the-line Bosch conference microphones and purchased 4K cameras specifically for the event. We also used MVI AudioVisual software to guarantee that these aspects would run smoothly during every meeting in the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit.
Additionally, due to the size of the venue, our client was concerned about potential time constraints that could hinder our ability to set up before the flooring or furniture was brought into the meeting rooms. Fortunately, our team of trained and efficient technical producers were well-prepared for any challenges. They commenced set-up eight days prior to the event, allowing us to set everything up to the highest quality in time for both plenary and bilateral meetings, meeting the client's standards.
Leaders Plenary
6 March 2024
Bilateral Meeting
5 March 2024
Australia-Singapore Press Conference
5 March 2024
'We gained access to the building eight days before the event, which allowed us time to get the setup right and test that everything was rock solid."
- Michael Cousins, Event Producer
Unique Challenges:
Planning
With an event of this scale, the allocation and scheduling of equipment to be brought in started just over a week before the event's commencement. The required equipment was sourced from our Congress Australia warehouse, and all our cables and equipment needed to be laid out and tested before the flooring and furniture were set up in each meeting room. Arranging this layout and testing the equipment required a considerable amount of planning and organisation before and during the event.
While our Congress Australia team was preparing for the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit, we were also responsible for providing and setting up equipment for other related events and meetings in Melbourne. Our team effectively planned logistics, so we successfully delivered services across all requirements.
Complexity
In the plenary room, we initially provided six 4K cameras to ensure the meetings were captured to the highest quality possible.
Our client needed last-minute changes to the position of these cameras. Due to the cables and equipment already being set up under the flooring and furniture, two extra 4K cameras needed to be set up before the meeting. The technical producers on site ensured our client's needs were met and provided this solution as quickly as possible to deliver the shots they wanted effectively.
Our team was well organised, planned the amount of equipment needed, and brought extra equipment in case of such changes. This is a testament to our technical producers' efficiency and preparation for sudden changes.
Security
Tight security maximised safety before, during and after the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit. This meant that access to certain rooms and movement around the venue were tightly controlled.
Our access was restricted, limiting our technical producers' time to test equipment and their ability to move around the venue.
The Congress Australia team planned to be set up and ready days before the event because we knew that the venue would be locked down two days before the event and that we couldn’t make any additional changes to the setup.
With Congress Rental technicians working on-site at the ASEAN Australia Special Summitt, we were able to deliver a smooth and successful multilingual meeting experience. Delegates were able to listen to every speaker and communicate in their own language using our seamless interpretation solution.
