NAME: Australian Pipeline Industry Association Ltd
TYPE: Industry association conference
CLIENT: Canberra-based association
BY: Conference Coordinators
NO. ON ORGANISING TEAM: Four
PAX: 321 delegates plus 133 partners, 47 children and 50 exhibition staff
LOCATION: Alice Springs (Alice Springs Convention Centre)
BUDGET: Top Secret
BACKGROUND: The first APIA Convention was held in Melbourne in 1969 and has been held every year since in locations in every Australian state and territory. The Alice Springs event was the 38th convention and the third one held in the Northern Territory following Alice Springs in 1991 and Darwin in 2003.
WHAT YOU DID: The event was held over four days commencing on a Saturday and ending after the dinner on the Tuesday evening. It was a fantastic blend of business, exhibiting and socialising and so the venue was sourced to enable this blend to be achieved.
Saturday commenced with the annual golf tournament for 72 people and this was followed by an informal off-site welcome dinner (approx. 350 people) at the Milky Way Café. Sunday is Partners’ Day and more than 300 people, including families and children, travelled to a venue of interest for lunch and exploration. This year it was held at the Alice Springs Desert Wildlife Park. While people were attending this function exhibitors were setting up their stands in the exhibition centre and at 6pm an exhibition opening cocktails function was held within the exhibition. A state politician officially opened the exhibition and then the attendees moved next door in the Alice Springs Convention Centre for the opening dinner (approximately 420 people).
Monday and Tuesday were the two days of business sessions (24 speakers and presentations on current industry issues) and the exhibition (generally 50 – 60 stands). While these activities occurred, the partners were taken on half day trips to local areas of interest – Standley Chasm and the important historical sites around Alice Springs.
Monday night is the traditional fancy dress dinner (approx. 350 people) and this was held off-site in a themed environment at Ooraminna Homestead. The Tuesday night dinner is the black tie formal night (approx. 440 people) and presentation of awards and, again, this was held at the convention centre.
CHALLENGES: Organisers struggled to fit in all of the exhibitors who wanted to exhibit, and had to cope with a record number of delegates.
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