Case Study:
3-days of private ASEC Meetings in Kigali for one of the continent’s leading PPPs conference companies.
A long-term client of Exigent Events (over a decade), PNYX Ltd., based in London and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, produces life-changing events across Africa and the Americas, pioneering the '1-2-1 pre-scheduled meeting format' forging public-private partnerships (PPPs). Services include:
Location research, venue sourcing, management and liaison
Supplier sourcing and management
Travel planning and management
Contract negotiation
Signage design and management
Meeting scheduling and management
Onsite event management
Brief:
Building on PNYX’s long-running Africa Security Symposium (ASEC), Exigent was tasked with developing a sister-event whereby twenty solution providers would enjoy three days of private meetings with high-level decision makers from across the defence, navy, air force, police, ICT, and UN spectrum. Exigent provided an all-in-one 5-star venue offering adjoining suites (for presentations), reputable in-country suppliers, travel management, local dinner venues, and onsite management whilst maximising budget and tight timescales.
Solution:
Exigent Events was able to utilise its incredibly extensive experience of the African continent to support PNYX’s first ASEC Twenty Meetings in 2022. Considering established event partners such as the African Union and INTERPOL, Nairobi, Kenya was identified as the preferred location due to transport connections and hotel capacity requirements. Furthermore, we secured a venue that met the specific needs of presentation facilities and good-quality local entertaining options.
Delivery:
In addition to the networking and social functions, the bulk of the programme was dedicated to public-private sector meetings. Providing suitable presentation areas for each of the twenty organisations was challenging but achieved by working in collaboration with our suppliers and the venue to repurpose rooms and deliver productive, professional private meeting areas.
Travel and guest movement was also a key factor in delivering success. Working with government dignitaries required close liaison with embassies and defence entities.
One of the most crucial aspects of the event’s success would be Exigent’s management and delivery of one-to-one meeting scheduling through its own online event management system. Having captured delegate’s preferred meeting requests, it was down to Exigent to schedule the three days of meetings, ensuring no clashes and/or missed opportunities, and disseminating these to all participants, not to mention the onsite logistics and management of getting delegates to the right meeting room, at the right time, with translators where needed.
Results:
Feedback from participants was entirely positive across the board; hundreds of targeted meetings were held across the three days which would have otherwise taken months and many more travelled miles. At the right time, moments to relax and network were capitalised upon through the timely use of informal restaurants and local entertainment. Exigent look forward to continuing its long-term relationship with PNYX, appreciating the opportunities it enjoys.
Andrew Dowell
Managing Director | PNYX Ltd.
