A panel discussion at the Defence People Symposium at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on 29 June 2022.

EVENT MANAGEMENT

2022 Defence People Symposium

Major General Natasha Fox AM, CSC, Deputy Chief of Army, speaks during a panel discussion at the Defence People Symposium at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on 29 June 2022.

THE CHALLENGE

RD Consulting’s Event Management team was tasked with delivering a first of its kind, people-focused event for Defence that would allow the organisation to address workforce challenges and barriers that were prohibitive to growth and progress.

The 2022 Defence People Symposium targeted all areas of Defence, not just the tri-force. The event was to be a combination of in-person and virtual and have an interactive component to allow questions and engagement from the audience.

THE SOLUTION

The Events team navigated shifting dates and scope to meet the client’s changing requirements. Throughout the planning phase, key documents including the production schedule, risk register and event communications plan were drawn up and reviewed by key stakeholders. The focus of the communications plan was internal, with the audience to consist only of Defence members, except for select invited industry and international partners.

The production schedule formed the nexus of the event, a comprehensive document that incorporated key milestones from all team members to allow full visibility for the client and project lead throughout the leadup to and the execution of the event. The clear delineation of roles within the core team ensured that all aspects of the project were covered by the team, and that small hiccups or unexpected occurrences were dealt with seamlessly by the respective lead.

The RD Consulting Design team played a key role during this phase, producing the full suite of creative assets for the event in collaboration with the Events team, including several complete overhauls in limited time due to changes in event ownership. Notwithstanding, all products were delivered within deadline and in accordance with the communications plan, which resulted in attendance numbers that reached capacity and exceeded expectations.

THE RESULTS

The 2022 Defence People Symposium was the inaugural version of the event, and was delivered over two days in Brisbane, with the Events team based in Brisbane prior to, during and post event.

Monday and Tuesday were spent bumping into the venue, working closely with the venue team and fine-tuning timings and key documents to ensure a seamless execution. A ‘dry run’ on Tuesday identified areas of the MC script and running sheet that required amendments, and this was able to be done ahead of time to be ready for Wednesday’s event opening.

The development of a close working relationship with the convention centre team meant that any issues arising throughout the two days of the event were dealt with quickly and without impact on attendees, and the feedback received at the end of the two days indicated that the event itself was clearly a success and well received.