Invitation for proposals for the appointment of a Technical Audio-visual Service Provider (SP) for the WISA 2024 Hybrid Conference & Exhibition to be hosted at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli ICC Complex (Durban ICC) from 12 – 14 June 2024.
The Water Institute of Southern Africa NCP (WISA) is pleased to invite your organisation to submit proposals for the appointment in respect of the above Conference. The following information is provided to assist you with the preparation of a detailed proposal and quotation for the Organising Committee (OC) to consider.
TIME FRAME FOR PROPOSAL PROCESS
Closing date/time for submission: COB Thursday 18 April 2024
Due to time constraints, WISA will unfortunately not accept any late submissions
SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS
Electronic submissions must be sent to events@wisa.org.za , with the Subject line “WISA2024 AV proposal – [Company Name]”. Written confirmation of receipt will be communicated via return email.
ENQUIRIES
Requests for further information or clarification of requirements may be directed to:
Jaco Seaman
WISA Events & Membership Manager
Email: events@wisa.org.za
Landline: 011 805 3537
Please note that WISA reserves the right to advise, at our discretion, all parties issued with the invitation, of further information/clarification of requirements resulting from any query.
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
WISA 2024 Biennial Conference & Exhibition.
ORGANISATIONAL BACKGROUND AND GUIDELINES
WISA seek the services of an extremely professional, highly competent, well managed, compliant company to assist us in ensuring high quality technical, audiovisual, staging and IT infrastructure for the WISA 2024 Biennial Conference & Exhibition.
The WISA Conference is held every 2nd year. WISA aims to attract between 900 and 1200 physical and 200 to 400 virtual delegates. The majority of these delegates are locally based with some international participants. It is envisaged that the conference will attract a wide spectrum of people from various specialities and allied disciplines to attend. The conference program usually consists of about 8-10 parallel sessions with workshops and symposia. This is complemented by a social programme.
CONDITIONS OF APPOINTMENT OF A SP
Successful SP will be required to sign a formal Service Level Agreement (SLA), based on the service area, or combination of service areas, awarded to them. As part of the SLA Payment terms WISA will pay a maximum of 50% of the agreed fees prior to the event in agreed instalments based on the event’s ringfenced income, and the remainder of fees post event.
SP should demonstrate their ability through providing the following:
- Ability: SP are required to demonstrate their ability to provide the required services as detailed in the ‘Services areas to be Provided’, outlined below.
- Financial Viability: SP are required to demonstrate their financial credibility and provide an Original Tax Clearance Certificate and a letter of Financial Good Standing from their Bank.
- Proven Track Record: SP are required to demonstrate their experience by providing information on meetings/conferences/events they have been involved with, especially conferences of a similar size and complexity. Please also indicate if you have been involved in any conferences for WISA before.
- References: SP are required to submit at least five referees who will be contacted by representatives of the OC. Details required are name, contact information, event with which they were/are associated, and position in relation to the organising of that event. Additional letters of reference may also be attached.
- Staffing: SP are required to give an overview of their infrastructure including staffing, experience, and accreditation with particular emphasis on the Durban operation and the project manager who will be working with the OC & PCO
- Electronic Management: SP should demonstrate their AV & IT capability, capacity, and ability to provide electronic facilities in a secure environment.
- Fees and Cost Structure: SP are required to clearly set down fees to be charged for services and provide sufficient detail as to allow the distinction between:
- Commission and percentage-based fees
- Fixed price fees
- Hourly rates
- Sub-contracted services
- Secondary income fees declaration (e.g. fees generated from references to other suppliers)
SERVICE AREAS TO BE PROVIDED
**Information provided for the purpose of obtaining comparable proposals. It is likely that finer details will change in accordance with operational needs. Changes service requirements will be made after consultation and agreement with SP.
CONFERENCE THEME
“TURN THE TIDE”
CONFERENCE DATES
Set up dates : Plenary 11 June and morning of 12 June 2024
Conference dates :
12 – 14 June 20224
Strike out dates :
Friday 14 June 2024 directly after the sessions
CONFERENCE VENUE
Inkosi Albert Luthuli ICC Complex (Durban ICC)
CONFERENCE FORMAT AND OVERVIEW
- The WISA 2024 conference will take on a Hybrid format to facilitate sector participation, including members that ant travel to attend.
- Plenary will be live streamed for all the hosted sessions therefore equipment, staffing and services for this session need to be accommodated.
- Concurrent sessions will all take place live at the venue with most presentation being delivered in person. In instances that the presenter is unable to travel and attend in person the Scientific Program committee has asked for such presentations to be prerecorded for screening during the session.
- WISA would like to consider the specific streaming related costs per concurrent venues should this be needed or additionally required – therefore such costs for the live streaming i.e. camera, switcher units, hosting etc will need to be specified separately for consideration based on a daily rate.
VENUE SPACE ALLOCATION
** Information provided for quoting purposes. Venues may change slightly based on operational and program requirements.
- Hall 3A – Plenary – 1250pax
- Hall 3C – Breakaway 1 – 390pax
[Hall 3ABC – Gala Dinner – Approx 700 pax]
- MR 11CD – Breakaway 2 – 100pax
- MR 21ABC – Breakaway 3 – 100pax
- MR 21DEF – Breakaway 4 – 100pax
- MR 12AB – Breakaway 5 – 100pax
- MR 11AB – Breakaway 6 – 100pax
- MR 12CD – Breakaway 7 – 100pax
- MR 22 ABC – Breakaway 8 – 100pax
- MR 22 DEF – Breakaway 9 – 100pax
- Hall 4/5/6 – Exhibition
- ARENA Entrance – Registration
TECHNICAL AUDIO-VISUAL REQUIREMENTS:
** Information provided for quoting purposes. Requirements may change slightly based on operational and program needs.
** SP’s may propose alternative equipment or solutions that may suite the venues better without compromising quality of the product, while being sensitive to costs.
Plenary Venue
Cinema seating based on the maximum capacity.
Floorplan layout to be agreed.
Stage Set Design and Built:
10mx8mx900m Stage design with WISA2024 conference and assoc. branding 2 Large screens on either side of the stage built into stage set, 20 000ANSI Lumens Full HD Resolution Projectors or suitable LED Panels
One extended visual back wall for presentation display, live streaming of the stage presentations and panellists.
Side stairs onto 1 side of the stage + 1 ramp on one side for mobility challenged delegates
2 x Perspex podium with microphone and branding
2 comfort monitors for the panellists onstage – 1 for presentation / 1 for questions streamed from the virtual platform
2 x Stage speech teleprompters
6 Lapel Microphones / Countrymen for the panellists (Minimum specifications for microphones should be: Shure UR Series or Shure Axient Systems. Alternatively Sennheiser 6000 System)
6 wingback executive style chairs for the panellists
3 by side tables for onstage water
1 large coffee table
2 x Stage microphones and headgear to speak to 2 MCs (In Ear Monitor System Minimum Specification would be Shure PSM 1000 System)
2 x live camera to screen projections and for streaming (Professional quality NO consumer /Prosumer Products)
Sound system for the venue/ Data projectors (Lácountsics, d&b audiotechnik or JBL Professional)
Stage lighting and presenter lighting – up lighting as per set design
Timer for session management
Clicker and laser pointer
Staffing:
A cameraman to project live video feed of the presenters on the screens (raw footage to be supplied after the conference to the client)
1 x Senior sound technician
1 x Senior A/V technician
1 x Senior lighting technician
1 x Watch out
Plenary Session Live Streaming to Virtual Platform
- Splitter units and feeds from the live camera to the On-air system via Vimeo to be hosted and streamed by the technical supplier
- Live streamed recordings need to be edited with WISA logo branding, Power Point Templates to use with the session identification slide, hosted, and shared for uploading to the ON Air platform for post event viewing within 24 hours of presentations.
- Hard-line dedicated internet provision with 250MBps up and 250MBps download speed to avoid any buffering and delays.
Concurrent Session Venues
- 6 Parallel streams & 4 Workshop Streams
- Various seating numbers and styles: Classroom & Cinema
- Larger venues to be allocated the more popular sessions
Larger Concurrent Venues:
Stages 600mm high and 2.4mx6.4m considering the maximum amount of panellist at any one session will not exceed 4 person
4 Comfortable panellist chairs on stage with 4 side tables for water
1 x Perspex podium with microphone and branding
1 x Podium Laptop
2 x comfort monitors for the panellists on state – 1 for presentation / 1 for questions streamed from the virtual platform
1 Timer for session management per venue
Clicker and laser pointer
4 Lapel Microphones / countrymen for the panellists (Shure UR Series or Shure Axient Systems. Alternatively Sennheiser 6000 System)
2 Roving Microphones for Q&A within the venue (Shure UR Series or Shure Axient Systems. Alternatively Sennheiser 6000 System)
Large Screens, Data projectors and sound system
Dedicated Technical staffing required in each of the concurrent session
Smaller Concurrent Venues:
Stage riser 300mm high 2mx2m
1 x Perspex podium with microphone and branding
1 x Podium Laptop
1 x comfort monitor for the presenter on stage
1 Timer for session management per venue
Clicker and laser pointer
2 Roving Microphones for Q&A within the venue (Shure UR Series or Shure Axient Systems. Alternatively Sennheiser 6000 System)
Large Screens, Data projectors and sound system (10 000ANSI Lumens Full HD Resolution Projectors)
Dedicated Technical staffing required in each of the concurrent session
Concurrent Session Live Streaming to Virtual Platform
To be costed per venue so that WISA can decide which venues to be streamed to manage the related budgetary costs
- Splitter units and feeds from the live camera to the On-air system via Vimeo to be hosted and streamed by the technical supplier.
- Vimeo licences to be hosted on the technical supplier profile and recordings to be available for 60 days post conference.
- Recordings need to be edited with WISA logo branding, Power Point Templates to use with the session identification slide, hosted, and shared for uploading to the ON Air platform or post event viewing within 24 hours of presentations.
- Hard-line dedicated internet provision with 250MBps up and 250MBps download speed to avoid any buffering and delays.
Poster Sessions:
We will have poster presentations spread throughout the duration of the conference.
To aid these will need the following:
- 5 x 55” LCD Touch Screens on stands with necessary computer equipment & cabling
EXHIBITION HALL
Setup – 11 June 2024 with technical in the room
140 exhibition stands
- Sound system to play background music in the hall (Lácountsics, d&b audiotechnik or JBL Professional)
- Sound to be sufficient so that delegates can hear announcements clearly
- Speeches will be made during the cocktail party inside the exhibition hall on Sunday evening, 11 June 2024.
- Entertainment at the Cocktail Party may be busking style entertainment which does not require additional sound – background music to be played for the duration of the event (to be provided by the technical AV team).
REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS
8 X Laptop computers networked and set up with the Events Air mobile login app for onsite check in and registration
1 x Dedicated hard-line internet access point for the registration process
4 x Printers to be shared between 2 computers at the registration desk
Printer specification needs to be able to feed A4 board name badge paper, printing to be in full colour
1 X Black and white printer for the finances -printing of invoices / receipts
1 x Laptop for the finances and reporting feedback
1 x Technician to be on hand to ensure that internet and printing is operational during the peak periods of registration processing
SPEAKER PREPARATION ROOM REQUIREMENTS
6 x Laptop computers available for presentation upload and networking to the concurrent session as per the program specification
Dedicated technicians networking and checking the sessions are relayed to the correct venues and the technicians are briefed.
COMMUNICATIONS
Radios with headsets are required for the onsite management of the WISA 2024 conference WISA team: 4 radios
PCO: 8 radios
Technical team: 10 radios (suggested)
Venue team: 6 radios
Specifications:
- Radios need to come with charges and must be fully charged for use during the conference hours and set up on Tuesday, 11 June 2024.
- Radios must have disposable in ear headsets with a new set for each of the users.
- Radios need to be available for the Conference and Set up day as well as the Awards Dinner. The Awards dinner radios need to be fully charged and so may not necessary be the units used during the day
WISA 2024 GALA DINNER REQUIREMENTS
DINNER DATE: THURDAY, 13 June 2024
VENUE
Conference Plenary Venue [Hall 3ABC – Gala Dinner – Approx 700 pax]
SET UP
14h30 – Set up after the last conference session of the day
19h00 – Dinner to commence.
FORMAT
Round Table Plated dinner set up
Stage to remain as per conference and set up to be used as is
EVENT ORDER / SCRIPT
Detailed order of events with the awards categories and detail to be shared
GENERAL
- Formal welcome and introduction of the awards categories by the WISA OC/Board member appointed to the task
- Live Camera to screen will be required with the awards being recorded but not live streamed to the virtual platform. WISA would like the raw footage of the awards dinner as well as a 3minute Show Reel of the evening and the winners for future marketing purposes
- Entertainment and music have yet not been confirmed
- Background music to be supplied by the appointed Technical AV company as well as “Awards announcement” fanfare to welcome the nominees/winners on stage
- Awards categories may have videos to show of the projects that have been awarded the prizes – details to be specified in the event order script
- MC countryman microphone with a headset for the Technical Manager calling the show to be able to engage with “show team
- Artists requirements as per riders TBC (to be supplied on confirmation of vendor)