This Month we get to know better Congress Singapore
What was your motivation to join ICCA?
We see ICCA as a global community. In recent years we have been working more globally than ever. Just in the last year, we have supported events in Kenya, The Netherlands, Turkey, France, India, Canada, Malaysia, and South Africa, to name a few. Being a part of this community and having access to international contacts and leads will help us in our strategy for global expansion.
Tell us your story. How did Congress Singapore get started?
Jeremy Ducklin, our Managing Director, bought an Interpretation Rental business from Philips in Australia in 2000 and renamed it Congress Rental. After several Singaporean-based customers asked us to support them, we realised a there was a gap in the high-quality interpretation rental business market. We then started Congress Singapore in 2006. As demand increased, we rolled out our offerings to include conference microphones, tour guide systems, silent conferences, and microphone/camera integration. After a few years, we became the go-to company for high-level events and summits in Singapore and the Asia Pacific region.
What sets Congress Singapore apart?
Product:
Congress has Asia’s most extensive inventory and the highest-quality interpretation and conferencing equipment. This includes ISO-compliant, European-made, soundproof Audipack Interpretation booths and a full suite of the latest Bosch conferencing equipment with Bosch-certified expert technical staff.
Reputation:
We have a reputation for successfully undertaking high-level events and leaders’ summits for organisations such as ASEAN, IISS, G20, APEC, among others.
Reach:
With offices in Singapore, Australia, Indonesia and New Zealand, and partners across the world, we have the reach to support events wherever they are.
What is your favourite success story from your organisation?
Supporting the Indonesian G20 Leaders’ Summit in 2022 was a fantastic experience. Because it was such a busy period, with many events happening simultaneously, technical producers from the Indonesian, Singaporean and Australian offices came together to work on this event.
With this came the opportunity for each of the different teams to work as one, share knowledge and provide each other with unique perspectives and collaborative solutions to any issues encountered. This type of internal learning elevates our standard and drives us further in the industry.
We successfully supported the event with conference microphones, cameras, and interpretation that included 17 language feeds for delegates. Seeing the world leaders from each member country use our equipment is always exciting.
What can we expect to see from Congress Singapore in the future?
We certainly expect further growth in the region so that we have more geographical coverage. Our core mission is “To provide the best technology and service to support events, conferences, and meetings with a multilingual focus”. Any additional product offerings that allow us to do that will be a part of our future.
Which trends do you see in the Association Meetings?
Something we have seen increasingly pick up in recent years is hybrid meetings, where delegates who cannot attend in person have options to attend virtually. We have adopted some changes to our offering to cater for these requirements.
What is an industry challenge your organisation is facing currently?
Educating clients on Remote Simultaneous Interpretation (RSI) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly when and where they are appropriate compared with real interpreters in booths and on-site.