A successful hybrid event for global collaboration

International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ)

The Challenge

The International Association of Women Judges Conference (IAWJ) is a biennial event that brings together judges, judicial officers and members of the legal profession, of all genders. Planned by the Ministry of Justice and the New Zealand Women Judges Association to be held in Auckland, the mission was to celebrate diversity and offer a rare opportunity to bring thought leaders from around the world into the same room.

The challenge was one of timing - all of this was to take place in 2021, right in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally planned as an in-person conference, our challenge was to help the team rework their plans into a hybrid event, accommodating the current restrictions while still involving a wide-reaching international community of 1090 delegates.

The Solution

With the conference in a hybrid format, we had to coordinate an event that would engage both the 295 New Zealanders attending IRL (plus several Australians) - and the 790 delegates attending online. 

Via our virtual platform (managed in-house), we connected an online audience from 75 countries to multiple virtual sessions - with multilingual interpretation in English, Spanish, French, Dari and Arabic. With speakers able to present in their own language, and audiences able to listen in theirs, it opened up all-new opportunities for inclusivity. 

All the while, we managed in-person sessions for our Kiwi attendees, delivering a seamless experience that fostered further connection and engagement with the New Zealand judicial community.

The Outcome

The IAWJ Conference 2021 was hailed as a huge success for all involved. Despite the challenges, the hybrid format was delivered seamlessly and actually expanded the number of judges who could attend. With a more international pool of delegates able to participate, a range of different viewpoints were heard from thought-leaders all over the world. 

As a result, a number of resolutions to support women judges in Afghanistan were developed, and subsequently put into action. With such a genuinely impactful outcome, the IAWJ Conference 2021 showcased the unique power of a virtual platform run well, bringing community together and enabling the conversations that lead to genuine change.

Acknowledgement

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

We recognise their continuing connection to land, waters, and culture, and acknowledge the important role Indigenous people continue to play within our community.

Toitū te Tiriti. We recognise the sovereignty of Māori as tangata whenua across ngā motu o Aotearoa. We're committed to a cultural journey of relearning and growing in relationship with te ao Māori and respecting this within our business practices.