Of the many meetings during Apec 2009, one of the most difficult to organise was the CEO Summit at Suntec Singapore on November 13-14. CH Kong, SBF-Pico Events general manager, describes the challenges:

What was special about the CEO Summit?
It showcased Singapore’s ability to host large international events. Apart from security and scheduling concerns, the programme featured 14 Apec government leaders, 33 global CEOs, 24 thought leaders and 1,400 delegates.

How did SBF-Pico manage the challenges?
Working closely with on-site logistics partners, MP Asia and Pico Art International, creative agency, AMC Asia and Suntec’s banquet team, we delivered a first-class delegate experience following 12 months of meticulous planning.

Describe the staging complexities.
The ballroom was used for another event the day before, so our build-up began after 9pm. We also had to build the special stage and sponsor booths overnight and arrange the unique combination of roundtable clusters and theatre style seats for 1,200 people, run the AV and lighting, and set up simultaneous interpretation facilities and voting pads.

The same set-up was replicated for lunch in a sixth-floor hall, usually used for exhibitions. Suntec served a banquet style lunch instead of buffet. Moving 1,400 delegates, speakers and their staff from the second-floor ballroom to the sixth floor for lunch and back down in time for the president of China’s speech was an achievement in itself.