Congress case IUMI - Insurance | D’M&S Communications

Go to text About IUMI

Who?

IUMI, the international union of maritime insurers

Question:

IUMI was looking for a special location for its annual international congress.

Our answer:

D’M&S Live exploited Bruge’s conference facilities and tourist treasures, and put together a complete working-plan for the three-day event.

D’M&S broadens horizons with successful IUMI congress

IUMI, de International Union of Marine Insurance, every year holds an extensive international congress at a unique location. Following in the footsteps of Vancouver, Copenhagen and Amsterdam among others, Bruges hosted this impressive three-day symposium, with over 750 participants from 45 countries attending.

“The main theme of the congress was water, with the highpoint being the gala dinner in ‘seven miles under the sea’ decor.”

IUMI was organised from A to Z by D’M&S Live. Our PCO department sought out and found a special location, coordinated hotel reservations, the various activities and social programmes that were set up around the congress, and closely involved its colleagues from D’M&S Office and Online in elaborating the project. This led among other things to an extensive website for the congress attendees, as well as a whole range of congress tools – a textbook example of a 360o project.

Tight shuttle plan

Getting 750 attendees to their destination without a hitch is no mean feat. This is why a watertight and well-timed shuttle plan was devised, into which unexpected changes could be worked automatically. That allowed congress managers to make adjustments quickly. Those arriving by air were collected at the airport and taken to their hotel. What’s more, thanks to the online hotel reservations, everyone arrived at one of the 17 hotels in the centre of Bruges without a hitch. During the congress itself most of the activities took place within Bruges – with walks being popular – while buses to Damme, Knokke-Heist, Ghent and Sint-Martens-Latem were used for the social programmes. Following the closing gala dinner, the shuttle plan provided its first shuttle at 3 am to take participants back to the airport. That mean that no-one missed their flight.

Successful relaxation

As well as the active side of things, attendees and their partners were also offered the chance for relaxation. The social programmes offered something for everyone: a trip to picturesque Damme, a stroll (or shopping) by the sea in sophisticated Knokke-Heist or discovering the culture and history of Sint-Martens-Latem and Ghent. Moreover, a spot of entertainment was of course provided for participants in the evenings. The opening dinner in Oud Sint-Jan welcomed the guests on the first evening with a Belgian-style feast. Delicious Event Catering offered attendees and broad range of Belgian specialities – from traditional Ghent-style stews to fine Trappist beer and the inevitable fries. Everything was presented in the form of a buffet and with refined culinary style, with actors brought in to provide entertainment. With absurd, hilarious and astonishing acts, they ensured a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere. The same theatrical act was scheduled in for the closing party: the classical, internationally renowned De Frivole Framboos ensemble. This extremely visual and musical show was ideal for the diverse, multi-lingual audience, with the performance in the concert hall receiving a standing ovation. Meanwhile, preparation for the dinner was in full swing in the exhibition halls located nearby. This was held with an appropriate “seven miles under the sea” theme, including water curtains and other flowing effects. After all, water was the main theme of the entire congress... Following the usual speeches, the DJ managed to coax the guests onto the dance floor, which was quite an accomplishment – there had been no dancing at an IUMI congress for eight years! It goes without saying that the participants thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Offline

Of course, a congress as big as IUMI needs communication material. The programme booklet with all participants and guest speakers, the entire programme and practical information, was compiled, edited, formatted and printed in record time. The tight communication plan – with the necessary attention to efficient signage – also certainly had a positive effect on the congress running smoothly, since during IUMI meetings, presentation, sessions and workshops followed on from each other quickly. In order to get all the participants at the right place at the right time, special attention was paid to putting the finishing touches to signage. Signs at the various venues in the recognisable IUMI 2009 style led the congress attendees directly to the halls. Message and notice boards en route kept everyone informed of what was taking place and where. No-one was left to fend for themselves, and everything was crystal clear.

Online

With congresses, it is of the utmost importance that registrations run smoothly. D’M&S set up a registration module for IUMI and linked this up to specially developed seating software. This platform allowed us to work with considerable flexibility, and registrations were channelled without a hitch. Last-minute changes could be immediately relayed to the caterer so that table arrangements always ran properly. Participants were fully equipped with all of the practical information on the location, the local attractions, payment methods, insurance, travel formalities and so forth. What’s more, the lectures were also streamed online – useful for anyone who couldn’t make it!

Action

What is it that actually makes a congress appealing? Research often reveals that above all, participants are swayed by the destination. In that respect, Bruges proved an excellent choice for IUMI. Furthermore, the venues selected were among the most remarkable locations in the “Venice of the North”. Thanks to the thorough rearrangement according to D’M&S Live's 3D plan, the centrally located Belfort tuned out to be the perfect congress centre. This historic site was fitted with the necessary audio-visual high-tech (including large screens for video projection, a powerful sound installation, a stereophonic congress system, adapted hall lighting, etc.). The 750 attendees see and hear the speakers perfectly from every corner of the hall – there were no dead corners, and no feedback. The 40 speakers who took the podium over the three days were able to do their thing in the best of circumstances. Speaker management was arranged down to the smallest detail: the presentations were shown consistently in IUMI master slides, and from the control room the speakers were precisely directed to the second. During the lunch interval, lunch was also served/the press lunches took place in the Provinciaal Hof situated walking distance away. Delicious Event Catering, who saw to the business lunches, managed to serve everyone (450 people) in one hour – a spectacular feat that certainly went down well. The various dinners were divided between the concert hall, the exhibition halls and Oud Sint-Jan. Each one of these venues that really captured the imagination.

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Congress case IUMI - Insurance