Northstar

INSIGHTS | EVENT HIGHLIGHT 46 JAN-FEB 2018 meetings & conventions • mcmag-asia.com EVENT: APEC Vietnam 2017 (ABAC, VBS, CEO SUMMIT 2017) VENUE: Ariyana Convention Centre DATE: November 4 to 11, 2017 EVENT SIZE: 15,000 delegates ORGANISER: VCCI Vietnam CONTACT: Charlie Luong, Sales Manager, ssm.hcm@ furamavietnam.com IN BRIEF It's not every day that an events planner lands the opportunity to organise an event that counts world leaders, ministers and senior officials among its attendees. Organisers of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Week hosted a gathering of the 21 Asia- Pacific APEC member economies in Danang, Vietnam last November. The week-long event saw nearly 30 large and small meetings, and drew a record turnout of approximately 15,000 delegates. Serving as the key venue, Ariyana Convention Centre (ACC) hosted almost 80% of events including three key events: the three-day APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), the Vietnam Business Summit (VBS), and the CEO Summit. PROGRAMMING & PLANNING To plan and execute an international event of such scale and complexity, ACC's teams across Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh and Danang worked closely with governmental bodies, ministries and agencies. Team members were also sent to the Philippines during APEC 2017 to learn from the actual event. Preparations in the area of infrastructure and manpower began far in advance of the actual event. Construction for the main venue, ACC, commenced in March 2016, completing ahead of schedule in the spring of 2017. To meet the requisite manpower for the event, ACC hired up to 600 additional staff from universities and vocational colleges in Danang and Hue The APEC CEO Summit 2017 attracted its largest attendance of 2,100. Breaking records with APEC 2017 Words Meetings & Conventions Asia The event tested every skill in an event planners' skill set to welcome world leaders and officials for a week-long series of meetings.

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