WHAT YOU DID: International Association of Dental Research (IADR) is divided into 23 divisions throughout the world with a membership of 11,000, including individual and institution and corporate members whose work is conducted primarily at universities, research laboratories, government run institutions and privately run laboratories. The program for the meeting incorporated 53 concurrent sessions with 390 oral presentations, 2201 poster sessions, 17 symposia, six workshops, 15 ‘lunch and learning’ tables, and 17 keynote speakers.
SPECIAL TOUCHES: Gwynn Breckenridge, director of meetings at IADR cited the quality of service provided by the BCEC staff as the high point of the meeting. Ms Breckenridge said: “The staff at the convention centre truly do understand how to produce a quality meeting.” According to Ms Breckenridge the meeting ran like clockwork. “There was no area of the meeting which fell behind schedule or were short of staff; you could rest assured if it was customer service, organiser’s breakfasts, welcome reception or a large plenary session, the staff and service were ‘top notch’.”
CHALLENGES: The 14-hour time difference between the US and Australia provided some communication and organisational challenges. Delegates’ high use of local taxis also meant taxis were in great demand and at times in short supply.
OVERCOMING CHALLENGES: Due to the time difference, 99 per cent of communication was done by email. By allocating extra time to the planning process, in the end the time difference had no effect on the successful outcome of the event, with written instructions being executed perfectly. Brisbane’s public transport system worked efficiently and was easily accessed by delegates, easing the need for taxis. Because of Brisbane’s layout as a city with river walks linking all parts of the city and the convention centre, many delegates enjoyed walking and exploring the city.
CLIENT’S COMMENT: “I think the convention centre is one of the most useful and wonderful facilities for scientific congresses.”
Takayuki Kuroda, IADR President
“I found the BCEC to be marvellous in layout, function, support and value. I would return to Brisbane again and again – the people in the city and the hotels were incredibly cheerful and helpful.”
Stephen Bayne, IADR Annual Session Committee Chairman
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