Event 18th World Congress of Accountants 2010
Venue Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (the Centre)
Organisers International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) and the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA)
PCO AOS Convention Services
Delegates 6,054 from 134 countries
Date November 8-11, 2010
The brief
The 18th World Congress of Accountants 2010 (WCOA 2010) is held every four years and has only twice come to Asia. Organisers were keen for delegates to have a smooth stay and to experience the diverse sights and tastes of Malaysia. They also wanted to incorporate sustainable practices.
ChallengesThe congress required the support of various Malaysian ministries. The Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) acted as a liaison. “Dedicated lanes and a special immigration and custom checkpoint an information kiosk were set-up at the airport to ensure smooth processing for foreign delegates,” says MIA president Abdul Rahim Abdul Hamid. “The organisers also worked closely with the health department to validate and process Yellow Fever vaccination certificates for delegates who required them.
“The organisers prepared for crowd control and traffic around the convention centre by coordinating with KLCC security personnel, the police and City Hall. This awareness enabled the police to coordinate traffic smoothly around the city throughout the Congress.”
ExecutionThe event began with the WCOA 2010 Golf Challenge, followed by a speakers’ cocktail reception at the Centre. The main congress programme began the following day with a performance by the Hands percussion group and dancers from the Istana Budaya (National Theatre) at the opening ceremony.
The Centre’s exhibition halls were transformed into four main attractions for the gala event, a Malay kampung (village), Chinatown, Little India and indigenous groups of Borneo. The gala included traditional games of congkak and batu seremban, Indian bird fortune telling, a lion dance, Chinese opera and a tribal nose flute player.
Organisers achieved their sustainability goals by providing speaker presentations on thumb- drive and reusable water bottles. “We saved an estimated 100,000 plastic water bottles based on each person consuming four bottles per day,” says Hamid. WCOA 2010 was also the first event to support MyCEB’s Green Programme, by planting 600 trees to offset carbon emissions.
CommentPaul Druckman, chairman, HRH Prince of Wales Accounting for Sustainability Project, says: “WCOA 2010 was a truly wonderful congress. There was warmth, organisation, content and culture throughout.”
Winnie Cheung, chief executive, Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants, says: “The event is an excellent place to network and understand each other’s culture and development. It is a valuable and unique opportunity – I have my whole management team here.”