CASE STUDY: Unique venues
CLIENT: Australian Museums and Galleries Association – full service conference
The Challenge
Since 2012 Conlog has been engaged by the Australian Museums and Galleries Association (AMaGA) to project manage their annual conferences. As Australia’s peak body for the Museums and Galleries sector, AMaGA like to include regional locations in their conference rotations, where delegates can explore the unique local museums and galleries outside of major cities.
In 2024, they decided on the Victorian rural town of Ballarat. The challenge for this conference was to find venues that can host a large number of delegates for plenary and concurrent sessions, an exhibition area and social events. Many of the venues in Ballarat did not have facilities for a large conference such as AV and catering, so all these services have to be externally sourced, providing additional logistical challenges.
The Solution
Ballarat is a town with great historical significance in Victoria. Early in the planning process, we started our research on the local area and looked for venues that can facilitate a large number of people. Site visits were conducted so our staff and client can walk through the venues to ascertain suitability. Local suppliers for AV, accommodation and catering services are also thoroughly researched.
The main plenary sessions were held in the Civic Hall, but due to the lack of adequate rooms for concurrent sessions, we had to utilise 4 other locations all within a couple of blocks walking distance. For those who had mobility issues, we had cars available with drivers to shuttle delegates to and from the different venues. All concurrent sessions were held in buildings of cultural significance and offered their own individual uniqueness.
The exhibition (and all lunches, morning and afternoon teas) was then held in another separate building, The Mining Exchange where external catering services had to be bought in. An AV company was hired to coordinate sound, lighting and videography across all venues.
The Outcome
It was difficult to know how delegates, sponsors, exhibitors and other key stakeholders would respond to the spread of venues at Ballarat, particularly given the amount of walking required.
However, it soon became evident that delegates loved the walk between sessions, and in their time off were able to explore the myriad of smaller galleries and museums that are located in the main streets of Ballarat.
Post conference feedback was extremely positive and the overall conference experience was a unique one that cannot be replicated when utilising a traditional large conference centres in major cities.
