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Complete Conferencing
It has been a few
years now since I have been to a conference; not because of lack of
conferences to go to, but from choice. At one stage in my life, my
job required attendance at numerous conferences and they can be very
wearying. But if one does have to attend a conference, it is made
all the more bearable if it is a pleasant location, and I have been
to some conferences in some lovely places. It also makes an enormous
difference if the venue for the conference has good facilities for
conferencing. We took a look recently at the conference facilities
at the Sun International in Livingstone to see what their facilities
were like.
Firstly, there
are different types of seating configurations for conferences, and I
have to admit a preference for a schoolroom type seating
configuration, where you actually have a table in front of you where
you can put your papers, easily make notes etc. I guess it is a
psychological issue : sitting in a theatre configuration makes me
think I can sit back, relax a bit; whereas sitting at a ‘desk’, pen
in hand, makes me feel I’m ready for work. The facilities at the
Sun can handle either schoolroom or theatre type configurations and
the conference centre can handle up to 450 delegates if seating is
theatre style, and 340 if schoolroom configuration.
 The
next important issue is the conferencing equipment, and there are
basic requirements but these pieces of equipment need to work and be
in good condition. Although it can lighten the mood when the flip
chart easel collapses, it’s not funny after the third or fourth
time. The basic equipment requirements are a good overhead
projector, a podium, flip charts and easily, quick folding screen.
Data projectors are also required more and more often. These are
all available at the conference centre.
Many conferences
these days call for delegates to breakaway into smaller groups,
discuss certain issues, come up with recommendations or other input
and then to return to the plenary session where each group presents
its findings. The Sun also has boardrooms, at both hotels, which
seat up to 12 delegates.
Meals and
refreshments during the course of the conference is also important.
As a conference attendee, you are often working long hours (yes,
I’ve been sat in meetings until 10 at night, because we wanted to
get the work done that we had set out to do) and if you are there
for a couple of days, you like to have a variety of restaurants to
eat your evening meal at just so that you have a change in menu. If
you are attending a conference at the Sun, you can make use of any
of the restaurants in either the Royal Livingstone or the Zambezi
Sun. It is also always nice to leave the hotel complex and visit
some of the local restaurants, and Livingstone now has a few good
restaurants. But for meals at lunch time, this is usually arranged
by the conference organisers and you rush out of the morning
session, have lunch and then return to the afternoon session, which
is always the most difficult session : why is it that the most
boring speaker is on the programme immediately after lunch? Or is it
that you have just had an excellent meal and now it is time to sleep
it off?
All in all, the
Sun looks like a worthwhile venue for a conference and if you are
planning a conference, this is certainly a venue to consider. |
March
2007