The annual Education World Forum
(EWF), the world’s largest gathering of education and skills ministers across
the globe, returned to London’s QEII Centre in May 2022.
Objective
The event, which last took place at
the QEII Centre in January 2020, comprises three days of insight and
inspiration from pioneers, policymakers, and experts, with many sessions given
by education ministers themselves as part of an honest assessment of
education's common issues and challenges.
The theme of EWF 2022 was ‘Education:
building forward together, stronger, bolder, better’, addressing how education
systems have experienced the pandemic and how they are responding. Taking place
on 22-25 May, EWF brought together Ministers of Education, along with leaders
from global and international organisations including UNICEF, the World Bank,
the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the British Council
and the Commonwealth, and industry partners with a focus on education and technology.
Execution
EWF balances networking and social activity
with a plenary, breakout sessions and an extensive range of bilateral and
business meetings. The QEII Centre’s multiple flexible spaces across seven
floors are ideal for accommodating all these elements separately whilst
providing delegates with a variety of different settings. The Fleming and
Whittle rooms were set up for the main plenary, while the third-floor
networking area made a feature of the views across to Westminster Abbey, and
the Churchill Suite with its adaptable mood-setting lighting provided a setting
for the formal dinner.
Security is of paramount importance to
the ministerial-level delegates. The QEII security team worked closely with
EWF’s own security team, with the centre ensuring the members of its security
team serving the event were consistent throughout the event.
Challenges
‘Return from Covid’ planning had its
challenges, with multiple scenarios to be prepared for in case of changing
Government restrictions and what they might mean for testing requirements, capacities
and social distancing, access and cleaning, and catering. The QEll management stayed
in close contact with the organisers through the pandemic and the team engaged
fully with the multiple planning scenarios.
Over the three days, delegates also
enjoyed two major receptions with food and drink, lunches and multiple
refreshment breaks, prepared by the centre’s award-winning in-house catering
team QEII Taste. The team also cooked a three-course formal dinner on the third
evening with pre-dinner entertainment provided by the National Youth Orchestra.
To meet EWF’s exact requirements and
ensure dishes were on point, QEII Taste held five tastings in its dedicated
tasting room during the run-up to the event. The tasting room, which opened in
2017, is situated in the heart of the kitchen, affording clients views of chefs
in action and the chance to try dishes in a variety of serving styles.
The variety of cultures represented
among the delegation required special attention to how alcoholic and
non-alcoholic drinks were served, how food was presented and labelled, and
special catering in certain meeting rooms.
QEII Taste implemented all special
requests without compromising on its usual high creative and quality standards
through the food. Chicken was halal, for example, and there were nods to many
world cuisines through the dishes served.
Results
The centre’s size, versatility, and
unique location in the heart of Westminster, in the shadow of cultural icons
Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and the London Eye, was a big draw for the
organisers and delegates alike.
“There is a worldwide attraction to
London for many reasons and a particular attraction to Westminster, as the
heart of UK Government, for our high-level, global governmental audience. The
QEll is perfectly situated both to play on the Westminster location and,
because of its design with extensive windows, to give our delegates the
benefits of natural light and the view overlooking Westminster Abbey. It is
also the largest and most versatile conference venue in Central London,” said Education
World Forum director, Dominic Savage.
The client also praised the QEII
team’s can-do attitude: “There was a constantly positive atmosphere of ‘making
it happen’ among the staff, which, at absolutely every level, wish and work to
make the event successful. Continuity is important for an event like EWF, and
our QEll Event Manager, always the same person, manages our complete communication
with the Centre in an exemplary way.”
Following the success of the event,
EWF has already booked to return to the QEII Centre for the next six years.
A desire to travel led Holly Patrick to the business meetings and events world and she’s never looked back. Holly takes a particular interest in event sustainability and creating a diverse and inclusive industry. When she’s not working, she can be found rolling skating along Brighton seafront listening to an eclectic playlist, featuring the likes of Patti Smith, Sean Paul, and Arooj Aftab.
