Outstanding Nature Attracts Delegates
The professional electrical engineering association CIGRE chose Cairns as the location to tackle the challenges with global energy transition. The biennial international event is for 1,400 association members, industry sponsors and exhibitors who are technically focused on the electricity industry with previous host locations including Oman, Dublin and Oslo.
Cairns A Natural Choice
CIGRE chooses a destination from its 90 member countries and organisers selected Tropical North Queensland for its climate, international aviation access, the refurbished Cairns Convention Centre, short transfers from the airport, and the potential for delegates to extend their stay with a holiday.
The event was promoted at CIGRE’s 2022 Paris Session to excite potential delegates about the destination where new technical content would be discussed. The staff wore Akubra hats, enticed people in with a photo booth, and promoted Cairns with videos supplied by Tourism Tropical North Queensland and the Cairns Convention Centre.
Tours on Skyrail Rainforest Cableway and the Great Barrier Reef were used as prizes to entice early bird registrations and two students were offered free attendance.
Largest Biennial Conference
The destination choice was a success as it was the largest event that CIGRE had hosted outside their regular Paris Sessions with 30% of the delegates from overseas. “We have received accolades from delegates, exhibitors and CIGRE global Study Committee members who attended. There have been positive social media posts saying how much delegates enjoyed and found the Symposium of great value,” according to Peter McIntyre from CIGRE Australia.
They were particularly pleased with the venue, as the newly expanded and refurbished Cairns Convention Centre was the ideal space for more than 300 technical presentations, networking and educational opportunities in addition to an industry-leading exhibition with several overseas and international exhibitors.
A Women in Energy breakfast function and several social evenings including the welcome reception and the offsite Symposium Soirée at Rainforestation Nature Park in Kuranda offered networking opportunities. The unique Aussie experience at Rainforestation was among the standout experiences for delegates.
Keynote speaker Adam Middleton, the Siemens Energy Vice President for Western Europe praised the event. “The Cairns Convention Centre proved to be an outstanding venue, with classleading facilities and a friendly welcome to visitors coming from across the globe. One real highlight of our week was the Rainforestation Soirée, combining an opportunity to visit an outstanding natural area together with appreciating and learning more about the Indigenous culture. I take away some amazing memories of my time in Cairns and Queensland.”
Strong Delegate Engagement
Delegates were engaged from the start with a Welcome to Country ceremony while the excitement was maintained with a professional MC providing a range of entertainment throughout the week.
Technology was used to amplify messaging and keep delegates informed about the event during the seven days. CIGRE Chat TV profiled sponsors and key CIGRE people with live one-on-one interviews telecast to a large screen in the Cairns Convention Centre’s Arena. A live event app was used to allow delegates to access the program and download Symposium papers.
Fast Facts
Destination: Cairns | Professional Conference Organiser: Purely Creative Solutions
Duration: 7 days | Number of Delegates: 1,451 | Event Type: Conference