Shangri-La Dialogue Bi-Lateral and Tri-Lateral Defence Ministers Meetings 2022
CASE STUDY
Congress Rental and Conference Systems Inc (CSI) Support the Shangri-La Dialogue Defence Ministers Meetings
Background:
The 19th Shangri-La Dialogue Hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), opened in Singapore after a two-year hiatus. It serves as Asia’s premier defence summit and offers unique opportunities for ministers to meet, discuss pressing security challenges and come up with new approaches through diplomacy. We were excited to be a part of it, our role was to support bi-lateral and tri-lateral meetings between various nations' defence ministers.
One specific bi-lateral meeting stood out, attracting a significant amount of media attention. This was the first meeting between US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and China’s Minister of Defence Wei Fenghe. It served as a return to direct communication between top US and Chinese defence officials. During the meeting, each party emphasised the importance of keeping their relationship stable and “adding guard rails” to it. This meant more communication and reduction of risk. They also discussed global and regional security issues, extending the meeting for double the time initially allotted.
Several other bi-lateral and tri-lateral meetings were held between other defence ministers. These were used as an opportunity to build upon partnership networks throughout the various regions. One between US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, Japanese Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi and South Korean Minister for National Defence Lee Jong-sup was said to have resulted in “strengthened trilateral solidarity”. Another between US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, new Australian Defence Minister Richard Males and Japanese Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi also displayed an “absolute high-degree of strategic alignment among the three nations”.
Equipment Breakdown:
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4 x Audipack Interpreter Booths
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8 x Dicentis Interpreter Desks
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15 x Dicentis Wired Conference Microphones
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30 x Integrus Infra-Red Receivers
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2 x Integrus Infra-Red Radiators
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1 x Integrus Infra-Red Transmitter
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1 x Dicentis Server
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1 x Dicentis Audio Powering Switch
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1 x Mixer
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2 x Handheld Microphones
Thursday, June 9th:
Starting from 7:30 am, Congress Rental technicians arrived at the venue and proceeded to load in and set up the interpretation booths. Next, we set up the table mics and arranged them for Friday’s first Bi-lateral meeting. Vigorous testing and system checks were performed to ensure a smooth first meeting. At the end of the day, several walkthroughs were conducted so that all parties involved in the meeting were on the same page and ready to work in unison the next morning.
Friday, June 10th:
We arrived at the venue at 10:00 am to take part in a final walkthrough and perform some final checks to ensure the system was in place as we left it the day before. Between 12:45 pm and 6:00 pm, three bilateral meetings and one multilateral meeting took place, each with a short break in-between. Using these breaks, our technicians quickly moved in to reconfigure the room and perform testing so that each meeting had its unique requirements met for each delegate involved. At the end of the day, we did one final reconfiguring of the room for the first meeting the next day.
Saturday, June 11th:
The day started at 10:00 am when we arrived to again, perform technical checks on the final setup prepared the day before. Between 10:45 am and 3:45 pm, one bilateral and two trilateral meetings took place, each requiring a new arrangement of equipment and technical checks in between. Over the three days, all interpretation feeds remained smooth and stable throughout each of the meetings. There were no major interruptions and the technology performed perfectly from start to finish.
Client Outcomes:
Each of the meetings were technically sound and achieved our standards. Our partner for the project, Conference Systems had this feedback:
“The meeting at the Shangri-La went very well. Azren Asbori and his set-up crew worked tirelessly to massage the booths into place and provide the perfect microphone placement.
The team of technicians that operated the equipment during the event was very professional and worked well with the clients’ many changing requests, often making suggestions to improve efficiency, and help the meeting flow smoother. They managed several set changes flawlessly, and in a timely, professional manner. Their work made the meeting a success. Our end client was very pleased.
Azren, and team are very knowledgeable in the field of simultaneous interpretation, and meeting protocol. This made my job easier, and worry free, and the end client confident of a successful outcome. Their professionalism was appreciated by everyone involved.
I cannot thank you enough. Please relay my extreme gratitude to Azren and everyone on the team that helped make this meeting a total success!”
- Shel Gallun (Conference Systems Inc)