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, a forum for leaders to share their vision for our region and discuss ways to strengthen our practical cooperation, from deepening ties between our people and economies to boosting our cooperation in education.
The ASEAN-Australia Special Summit is a political and economic union meeting held by members of ASEAN to discuss economic, political, security, and socio-cultural matters of the South-East Asian Nations.
This year was a significant milestone, marking the 50th anniversary of the partnership.
Discussions centred around many different topics, including:
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Safeguarding our region’s security and stability
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Securing a prosperous future
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The wars in both Gaza and Ukraine
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Working together to deliver stronger economic integration
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Enhancing partnership
ASEAN leaders made the following joint declaration: “Our 50 years of partnership have positioned us well to respond to current and emerging strategic shifts and complex challenges for a more secure, resilient, and prosperous future. We are strongly committed to continuing to work together, harnessing opportunities that exist to enhance our partnership. We celebrate the 50 years of partnership and welcome the future partnerships before us.”
Participating world leaders included:
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Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia
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Anwar Ibrahim, Prime Minister of Malaysia
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Ferdinand R Marcos Jr, President of the Republic of the Philippines
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Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei
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Hun Manet, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia
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Joko Widodo, President of the Republic of Indonesia
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Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary-General of ASEAN
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Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore
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Pham Minh Chinh, Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam
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Sonexay Siphandone, Prime Minister of the Lao PDR
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Srettha Thavisin, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand
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Xanana Gusmao, Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
In addition, there were many more guest countries and international organisations.
Our Solution:
A meeting of this level required a fully integrated system to capture audio and video of the delegates and provide 7 channels of simultaneous interpretation so that each delegate could 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 interpreting 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 interpreting 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.
Setting Up:
The central meeting took place at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre. To prepare for the setup, we collaborated with the set designers to draw custom schematics, which would help us ensure our cameras and microphones worked best in the client’s desired placement.
A false floor was built so new carpet could be laid to match the room's theme. Cables for microphones, cameras, and media splitters, including redundancies, had to be run during the floor installation, as our team would not be able to access the cables once the floor had been laid.
Once all the cabling and equipment were set up, two days of rigorous technical checks ensured the robustness of our setup.
'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
Client's Concerns:
Our client's main concern was that we would provide the highest-quality equipment for visual and audio aspects throughout the event. The client was able to understand the performance of our equipment and experience our high-quality audio and visual quality.
To ensure we could provide everything the client requested, our team purchased 4K cameras specifically for this year's ASEAN-Australia Special Summit and installed our top-line Bosch conference microphones to ensure our client's standards for clear visual and audio aspects were reached. These cameras and microphones are of the highest quality and essential for delivering high-performance footage, capturing every meeting throughout the event in the best way possible. It was clear to see that the Bosch conference microphones were an excellent option, and our 4K cameras were a beneficial purchase for this event.
We also used MVI AudioVisual software to guarantee that these aspects would run smoothly during every meeting in the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit.
Due to the size of the venue, another client's concern was that our team would efficiently manage time while setting up equipment and cables. We were able to meet their standard and set everything up in time for both plenary and bilateral meetings.
Leaders Plenary
6 March 2024
Bilateral Meeting
5 March 2024
Australia-Singapore Press Conference
5 March 2024
Our team of trained and efficient technical producers were prepared for any challenges and changes that were faced during the event.
Up to eight days prior to the event, the Congress Australia team worked closely with an alternative supplier throughout the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit, especially during the setup and testing.
We were expected to lay out all cables and set up equipment before any flooring or furniture was brought into the meeting rooms by other companies. Our client was concerned about Congress' time management and ability to set up before the flooring, but our team of skilled technical producers were able to get this done on time and to the highest standard.
"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
Unique Challenges:
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 political meetings in Melbourne. Our team effectively balanced the two and put our best foot forward to provide the high-quality solutions we guarantee.
PLANNING
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.
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.
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.
SECURITY
How we overcame challenges:
Our team of skilled technical producers from our Congress Australia office were on site throughout the duration of the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit.
Having a team from one location was a huge benefit. The teamwork and collaboration of our technical producers were beneficial to solving any issues that needed to be resolved.
While communication within the team was essential, we also ensured that our client was kept up to date with any changes or concerns, and our technical producers onsite consistently contacted the client throughout the event.
Our daily and direct communication was vital to ensure that the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit was up to standard.
"Our team planned and prepared for last-minute changes, so when they came, we were ready with extra equipment and extra hands to fulfil additional needs."
- Puneeth Gopal, Operations Manager
"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
