Overcoming the Challenges of a Multilingual Virtual Conference

Managing High-Level Delegates and 100 Active Speakers

CCAMLR-39 involved over 100 active speakers, including around 40 Heads of Delegation (HoD). If any Head of Delegation disconnected during a session, the meeting chair would be required to suspend proceedings until the connection was restored. In response, Congress technical producers monitored all speaker connections and conducted audio checks before each session. A dedicated technical team was responsible for troubleshooting connection issues in real time and ensuring that speakers could quickly reconnect without disrupting the meeting.

Delivering Reliable Multilingual Interpretation Online

The meeting required high-quality remote simultaneous interpretation and live captioning for more than 300 online participants, many of whom were connecting from different regions and under varying network conditions. Congress Australia delivered a secure, multilingual streaming environment that ensured clear audio across all interpretation channels. Captioning and interpretation services were integrated directly into the platform, allowing delegates to access language services easily throughout the event.

Preparing Speakers and Interpreters for a Virtual Conference

For many participants, CCAMLR-39 was the first time such a complex international meeting had been conducted fully online. Speakers, interpreters and staff required training to use the virtual meeting platform effectively. Congress Australia implemented an extensive training programme over eight weeks, delivering over 145 hours of interpreter and speaker training to ensure that participants were confident using the system before the meetings began.