Congress is a success

THE BRIEF
The World Glaucoma Congress 2007 conference programme had 84 courses, 24 symposia, 12 morning sessions, six science sessions, two video sessions and two sessions on laser treatments. EuroCongress wanted all aspects of information technology (IT) for the presentations to work smoothly and to enable speakers to make any last-minute changes to their presentations.

CHALLENGES
The congress was spread across 31 different meeting rooms on Levels 2 and 3 at Suntec
Singapore, Ballrooms 1 to 3 on Level 2, and the Concourse on Level 3.
M-Events supplied the IT software and hardware required to manage about 800 presentations and videos. Suntec allocated two rooms for IT operations and its IT team worked closely with suppliers to address technical issues.

Speakers submitted their presentations for upload to M-Events’ central server for processing, checking and distribution to the designated rooms. In the control centre, the nine-member team monitored proceedings, ready to troubleshoot and correct any tech crashes.
Ahead of the conference’s first day, a routine check detected the potentially serious problem of sudden ‘drops’ in the network.

EXECUTION
The Suntec and M-Events technical teams ran tests late into the night to identify the problem. A media converter from another supplier did not meet specifications.
Suntec’s assistant manager of telecommunications, Winston Sze, says: “We determined the necessary specifications to meet the organiser’s specific requirements. We also made alternative back-up plans and provided on-site support to ensure that the whole network system was running smoothly in time for the event.”

M-Events operations director, Roy Quek, says: “Although the converter was outside our respective scope of responsibility, Suntec and M-Events worked closely as a team to
find a solution.”

VERDICT
Good teamwork was a major ingredient in ensuring the conference’s success. After the
conference, several speakers expressed their appreciation to M-Events and Suntec staff.