Global gathering for the Department of Food and Agriculture.
The team at Agiito were thrilled to be entrusted with the development and delivery of the very first International Plant Health Conference 2022 for the Department of Food & Rural Agriculture (DEFRA).
This global gathering was booked to take place in London and would welcome top-level thought leaders from the agricultural science industry across 70 countries. The conference welcomed an audience of 550 in person and a further 2,000 watching via live stream.
Location
London
Number of delegates
550
Duration
3 days
Lead time
8 months
Project management
Attendee website
Delegate registrations
Event technology
On-site management
What made it stand out.
Every element aligned to reinforce conference values and messaging.
The International Plant Health Conference 2022 stood out for us as every element of the event was closely aligned with the messaging of the conference content. From sustainable initiatives such as the vegan menu and no single-use plastics to the celebration evening taking place at Kew Gardens, 500 acres of wild botanic gardens and plant conservation.
Carbon reporting.
For Agiito, we felt incredible value from the close collaboration we had with our client on this project and what it stood for. We were able to produce a Carbon Report from the event which will provide a benchmark of data, ensuring both ourselves and our clients are able to reduce this at future events.
Setting new standards.
The event was a showcase that set the standards for what will hopefully be many International Plant Health Conferences to come in the future.
Objectives.
As this event was the first of its kind, it was crucial that we delivered our usual high-class standard across all elements to give the audience a great first impression of the conference.
One of the key objectives was to ensure that delegates took value from the event, many of whom had made long-haul journeys to attend. In order to achieve this, the event needed to foster open and in-depth discussions within the content sessions.
Sustainability was another core objective for the planning of this event. As the focus of the content was about protecting the environment and addressing climate change impacts, it was important that we aligned the various event touchpoints with this messaging.
Solution.
The first experience of an event is the registration and check-in process, so we utilised our full event technology package to offer a seamless solution.
We built a custom event website, registration page and event app, all branded with our client’s assets. As the conference aimed to encourage conversation, there were multiple break-out rooms and side-sessions taking place, all of which delegates had to register for.
Our registration platform allowed us to add all sessions with speakers, timings, and descriptions, so delegates could choose their desired options and add them to their registration. All of this was reflected in their personalised event app and timetable.
The app also contains a QR code that delegates can scan upon checking in and have their badge instantly printed, a process taking roughly 10 seconds per attendee. We were able to further utilize the app to send push notifications, updating delegates with any current needed to know information.
To fulfil the sustainability aspects of the event, we negotiated with the venue to offer a predominantly plant-based menu for lunches and break snacks. Removing meat from the menu meant a large reduction in the events CO2e footprint.
It was a huge success, welcoming nearly 600 delegates from more than 70 countries. It truly had an international feel and helped remind us all about the significance of our plant health work in a global context.
I want to thank everyone that was involved and helped to make it such a success, the attention to detail was incredible, from the smooth running of the sessions, to the guides who made sure everyone made it to Kew (and back), the ‘green sash’ brigade was so impressive and many delegates commented to me about how they felt so well cared for.
We have set the bar very high for this first event, I am sure more will follow, but we can all be proud of what we achieved and the significant legacy that the conference will have.
Chief Plant Health Officer and Deputy Director Plant and Bee Health, Varieties and Seeds | Animal and Plant Health and Welfare Directorate
Results.
The QEII Conference Centre is positioned directly opposite Westminster Abbey, a perfect location for international delegates to easily find. However, two days before the conference, the UK saw the sad event of the Queen’s funeral take place at Westminster Abbey.
Due to the heightened security of the area, access to the venue was restricted and many of the event deliveries were therefore delayed, not able to arrive until the morning of the conference.
Our team is no stranger to curveballs and so we re-organised shipments to alternative locations and made up for lost time by negotiating early access the morning of the conference to set-up.
The overall results from the conference were a resounding success. We saw high usage of our customised app and special thanks given to Agiito onstage for our part in the delivery of the event.
Speak to you soon.