A successful hybrid event for global collaboration

Challenge

The Ministry of Justice and the New Zealand Women Judges Association faced the challenge of organising the International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) Conference 2021 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally planned as an in-person conference, it had to be redesigned as a hybrid event to accommodate COVID restrictions and ensure the participation of the wide-reaching IAWJ community comprising 1090 delegates.

Solution

With the support of Tourism New Zealand and the Auckland Convention Bureau, the Ministry successfully secured the right to host the conference and collaborated with our team to manage the event. We adapted the conference into a hybrid format, allowing 295 New Zealanders and several Australians to attend in-person while 790 delegates from 75 countries joined online via our virtual platform. The virtual platform, managed in-house, provided seamless connectivity for the online audience and enabled multilingual interpretation in English, Spanish, French, Dari, and Arabic. Both in-person and virtual sessions were organised, ensuring that speakers had the flexibility to present in their preferred language.

Results

The International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) Conference 2021 was hailed as a highly successful event by the IAWJ's Executive. Despite the challenges faced by the Organising Committee, our team, and the suppliers, the conference achieved remarkable outcomes:

‍

Increased global participation

The hybrid format enabled judges from around the world to participate, overcoming barriers that may have prevented their attendance at an in-person conference. This expanded the conference's reach and facilitated diverse viewpoints from different regions.

‍

Seamless multilingual delivery

The conference successfully implemented simultaneous interpretation in five languages, ensuring that speakers could present in their preferred language while the online audience listened in their chosen language. Parallel sessions in specific languages accommodated the needs of the virtual attendees, further enhancing inclusivity.

‍

Tangible actions and global collaboration

The conference facilitated the development of resolutions to support women judges in Afghanistan, which were subsequently actioned. The IAWJ's reputation as a global organisation uniting its professional community was further enhanced through the successful collaboration and impactful outcomes of the conference.

Despite the complexities of managing the hybrid event, our dedicated team, comprising both in-person and virtual support staff, successfully delivered a seamless and engaging experience for all participants. The IAWJ Conference 2021 exemplified the power of virtual platforms in fostering global collaboration and inclusivity within the judicial community.