Ithaca Media

When Ithaca Media undertook their first roadshow in 'Eastern' Europe last year on fibreoptics and Metro Ethernets, they turned to Expotel's international team to help with the organisation. The end result was so successful that when the second 'Eastern' European roadshow was being scheduled, it was Expotel that Ithaca Media called immediately.

The purpose of the roadshow, designed to be a conference and an exhibition held simultaneously; was to bring the latest developments to a part of Europe where previously people had to travel outside their own country to acquire the latest knowledge and product information on what is a fast-moving and dynamic topic.

"As a company Ithaca Media prides itself on creating the most respected conferences available anywhere", says Samantha Yardley, Ithaca Media's operations manager. "We had used Conference Solutions by Expotel's International Team previously and had worked closely with Selina Grocott the team manager and knew her team's expertise and capabilities; we therefore had no hesitation in calling them in again."

Four cities were chosen for the roadshow: Budapest, Warsaw, Kiev and Moscow. The challenge was finding an appropriate venue in each city. "The chosen venue had to satisfy several criteria: there had to be space enough to hold both a conference and an exhibition with an expected audience numbering 100, it had to be able to cater for all the delegates plus exhibitors and members of staff and there had to be sufficient accommodation available within a nearby radius for those that needed it."

In Budapest the venue chosen was the Corinthia Grand Hotel Royal. Located in the heart of the Budapest it has recently been transformed into a stunning five-star hotel. In Warsaw, the choice went to the InterContinental Warsaw, located opposite the legendary Palace of Culture & Science. In Kiev the venue was the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce & Industry. This was particularly appropriate as the venue is designed to facilitate participants of exhibitions and fairs. The final venue chosen was the Marriott Moscow in the heart of the city and close to the world-famous Bolshoi Theatre.

In Kiev and Moscow it was necessary for the delegates in the roadshow who were coming from outside the Ukraine and Russia, to have letters of invitation in order for visas to be issued. The International Team was responsible for requesting these invitations to attend from the hotels.

The International Team also sourced translators as the conference speakers were invariably speaking English and not the local language and simultaneous translation was necessary. The translators also had to be knowledgeable in the 'technical speak' used by the conference speakers.

"It's always a challenge working in foreign countries," explains Selina Grocott. "Expotel's International Team has vast experience in handling overseas events. We work closely with our counterparts at various venues to ensure everything runs smoothly and all cultural misunderstandings are avoided. Our experience ensures we know all the pitfalls associated with overseas events and how to avoid them."

"With a roadshow on such an esoteric topic the target audience is very well defined," continues Samantha Yardley. "Our delegates come with certain expectations and these are more than fulfilled when working in conjunction with Expotel.

"Working with Selina and her team was wonderful. They knew what we wanted and were invaluable in their choices of venues, dealing with the details and extremely patient with all the last minute changes we made on site.

"This will be an annual event which we are hoping to take to other parts of the world. When we do it will be Expotel we will be calling to come with us!"