VOTING / AUDIENCE RESPONSE
CASE STUDIES
1. Audience Response – OCBC Bank
Audience participation is an incredibly important aspect of any successful event. However this can become tricky to
manage and encourage when an audience grows past a certain size, this is where an audience response system comes
in very useful.
THE CLIENT
OCBC Bank is one of Asia's leading financial services groups and one of the largest financial institutions in the combined
Singapore-Malaysia market. OCBC Bank is among the world's highest rated banks.
In January 2011, 800 customers attended an investment seminar hosted by OCBC Premier Banking covering equity, foreign
exchange and property markets.
THE CHALLENGE
The client contacted Congress Rental in their search for professional audience response services to enable the audience
to participate in live polling. To create a dialogue between the seminar speakers, the client wanted to enable live polling
so that they can also gauge customer sentiments on equity, currency and property markets.
The client was hosting two seminars, one in Mandarin and one in English, which meant that bilingual voting slides were
required for the Mandarin seminar.
The organisers wanted flexibility to make amendments to the polling questions, catering for last minute changes from
the speakers up to the point of the rehearsal.
ACTIONS
Congress Rental provided 480 and 320 Communicators respectively, for each run of the seminars conducted in
English and Chinese, during which OCBC Premier Banking customers were polled on their views on market sentiments.
From the pre-sales stage, a producer was assigned to this project to provide seamless support throughout. Upon
understanding the client’s requirements, the committee members were given a run-through of the proposed polling
slides, presentation of the results and the countdown timer music. Further amendments requested for by the team
were drafted, simulated within the Congress Rental system and then transmitted for review by the client. This
gave the client the assurance and confidence that the outcome would match expectations.
RESULTS
The setup and the testing of the system went smoothly within the short timeframe. The producer was on hand to assist
the Master of Ceremony and the speakers to familiarize the technology. Even though there were last minute changes
and clarification from the organizing committee, these were easily incorporated into the audience response system.
The interactivity provided by the Communicator handsets meant that attendees were engaged throughout the various
topics while encouraging active participation.
The voting process was easy to administer and the participants were able to use the devices with ease. There was a lively
atmosphere, as the Premier Banking customers were able to give their valued views on market sentiments for equity,
foreign exchange and property markets. The speakers were impressed by the proficient insight given by the clientele.
VIEWS FROM OUR CLIENT
“I was pleased with the professional services and responsiveness from Congress Rental. Their producer, Joan, guided us on
how we could use the system right from the preparation stage. On both days of the event, they arrived ahead of schedule
and set-up and integrated their audience response system seamlessly with our appointed AV vendor. The event went
smoothly and I would recommend them to anyone who is planning to use audience response system for an event.”
Andrea Han - Assistant Vice President, Marketing Services
2. Audience Response – Swiss Reinsurance Company
Through the use of audience response systems, meetings and events can be made more interactive, engaging and efficient.
THE CLIENT
Swiss Reinsurance, headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, is the only reinsurer with a client-centric model with teams built
around their clients on a global basis. With a strong reputation in innovative reinsurance and risk management solutions,
Swiss Reinsurance is committed to engage with the world to find more robust solutions to common perils.
For its flag ship Asia Claims Conference in 2010, they wanted to differentiate this conference for their clients as well as
business associates.
THE CHALLENGE
Instead of JUST talking to their participants throughout the two-day meeting, the organisers wanted to have an interactive
conference where the audience is included as part of the event. When the organizing committee first went in search of the
audience response solution on the internet, they had never heard of this technology.
In order to gather inputs to make improvements for the next meeting, the team wanted to receive feedback from the
audience. A tradition paper-based evaluation form was thought to be too time consuming and painstaking to compile.
ACTIONS
To make the event more interactive, lively and productive, Swiss Reinsurance engaged Congress Rental to provide
an audience response system.
The audience response system was ideal for Asian audience as it kept the audience engaged throughout the conference
while building rapport between them and the various speakers. The participants were polled on various issues ranging
from their concerns about the current global economic situation on the insurance market to their thoughts on claims
related issues on specific industry sectors at appropriate intervals during the conference. The speakers were able to
gauge the knowledge of the audience which helped them to pace their presentations.
Evaluation of the presentations and event were also conducted using the interactive system, making this a greener
meeting. The response rates were much higher than anticipated, where about 70% of the audience responded.
RESULTS
Swiss Reinsurance was able to harness the benefits of technology to capture information while maximizing feedback
during the event.
Attendees gave positive feedback on the enhanced interaction as the handsets added an extra dimension to the event.
With the reports provided at the end of the event, Swiss Reinsurance was able to gain insights into the results and at the
same time use the feedback to help shape their future events.
VIEWS FROM OUR CLIENT
“We are pleased with the professional services provided from pre-sales response, proposal and clarification of our
questions through to the execution and wrap up of the event.”
Member of Organising Committee
“We are very impressed with the fantastic consultation provided by Congress Rental. Jeremy Ducklin, their
Managing Director, flew down personally from Australia to ensure that all details are taken care of. I have
recommended their services to many of our business associates.”
Patricia Mack, Vice President, Claims & Liabilities
“This was our first time using an Audience Response System so we were concerned about its reliability. But we
need not have worried as everything went 100%. We were pleasantly surprised at the amount of information
that we gathered from the post event reports because of the high response rates! We can’t wait to utilize
even more features of the Communicator at our next meeting”
Valerie Khoo, Assistant Vice President, Claims & Liabilities
3. Silent Auction – Special Olympics
THE CLIENT
Special Olympics is an international non-profit organisation that changes lives by encouraging and empowering people
with intellectual disabilities, promoting acceptance for all, and fostering community understanding and respect worldwide
through sports training and athletic competition. Funding comes from a variety or sources including special events,
corporate partnerships, government support, and private donors.
THE CHALLENGE
In October 2010, The American Chamber of Commerce sponsored a Gala Dinner in support of Special Olympics. The dinner,
which aimed to raise funds for a variety of programs, was the first time Special Olympics opted to use silent auction
technology.
Unfamiliar with bidding technology, Special Olympics staff were unsure if the guests would be receptive to using
the devices.
ACTIONS
Special Olympics engaged Congress Rental to provide their 200 guests with the silent auction technology through the
use of keypads and smart cards for each guest to track bidding details.
As part of their full-service approach, Congress Rental assigned a producer to handle the project from end-to-end.
From the preparation stage, where the silent auction summary screens were prepared, to the loading of lot items
and guests list right through to the execution during the gala dinner. To give Special Olympics the assurance that
the outcome would be as expected, samples and drafts of the silent auction summary screen and invoices were
prepared for review by the committee before being finalized.
Jeremy Ducklin, the Managing Director of Congress Rental, was personally present at the event to lend his expertise,
to all aspects of the silent auction. This gave additional confidence to the committee on the quality delivery of
the technology.
RESULTS
During the event, the lot items and bids were broadcast on giant screens throughout the ballroom. From the comfort
of their dinner table, guests could see how their bids stacked up against the competition. There was great buzz as
guests tried to outbid one another for the most sought after items. For example, actress Zhang Ziyi’s Personal
Constellation Style Omega Wristwatch with a starting bid of $1,000 went for eight times that!
Special Olympics staff was delighted by the atmosphere created and the funds raised which far exceeded their
expectations. They were able to benefit from the use of silent auction technology as the results and invoices were
instantly available at the close of the silent auction. There was no need for a last minute rush from the volunteers
to manually tabulate the bid sheets and create invoices.
VIEWS FROM OUR CLIENT
“We are so pleased with the services provided by Congress Rental that we plan to include this segment in our
future fundraisers, not only in Singapore but also around the region.”
Mr. David Rutherford, Regional President & Managing Director of Special Olympics Asia Pacific
“Our guests were so enthusiastic that they were at the check-out counter before we were ready! I was glad that
the reports and invoices were available so soon after the silent auction was closed. ”
Ms Pamella Odhner, Director Organizational Development.
4. Silent Auction – Pistorio Foundation
THE CLIENT
The Pistorio Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, founded by Pasquale Pistorio in
April 2005. It works to provide assistance to under privileged children in the field of health, nutrition, and education,
by sponsoring children’s education and health and by building and improving school infrastructures. The Pistorio
Foundation also supports programs for village community development.
The Pistorio Foundation has projects in five countries: Burkina Faso, Tibet (China), Thailand, Cambodia and Morocco.
THE CHALLENGE
The Pistorio Foundation Singapore Chapter held its third annual Gala Dinner on November 30th, 2010, at the
Shangri-La Hotel Tower Ballroom. The “Dolce Vita” themed event was realised in partnership with the Italian
Trade Commission and supported by the Italian Cultural Institute.
The Organising Committee wanted to leverage the Silent Auction technology to reach their goals of raising
funds at this event to support 360 under-privileged hill-tribe children in Chiang Rai, Thailand during the silent
auction segment of their fund raising event.
ACTIONS
Pistorio Foundation expected about 200 guests for this event and engaged Congress Rental to provide them with the
solution for the Silent Auction and Pledging segment.
Elena Pistorio, Chairman of the Organising Committee, was not sure what to expect as it was the first time they are
using this fundraising technology. To give them the assurance, a producer was assigned to handle this project from the
preparation stage through to the execution as a single point of contact.
As the Organising Committee had not seen pledging done previously, they were not sure if they wanted to proceed with
it. To give them a better idea, Congress Rental went ahead to prepare the draft for the pledging screen for each project to
show them how it would look during the presentation. After much consideration, the committee decided to give it a try as
the funds were required urgently to benefit the children.
The Pistorio Foundation decided to utilize the Pledge feature to get their guests to contribute to 3 main projects, namely
a long-term scholarship, a library and a computer room for a primary school in Huay Kuk, Chiang Rai.
RESULTS
Pistorio Foundation was absolutely delighted with the outcome as they reached their target for the silent auction and
pledging segment for the event.
The result from the pledge was heartening as 2 of the projects exceeded the target. This was an unexpected win as this
is the first time pledging was introduced for as part of their event. Pistorio Foundation was able to provide 2 children
with long-term scholarship instead of 1 as initially planned.
The check-out was well managed as the summary reports were provided to the volunteers tending to the different
payment modes upon closure of the auction. At the same time the guests were making the payment, invoices were
provided to them, saving both time and efforts in verification of details and mailing.
VIEWS FROM OUR CLIENT
“Congress Rental was attentive to our guests’ needs and was able to provide our VIPs with their individualized smart cards
at short notice when they requested to join in the excitement during the bidding.”
“Our guests reflected that it was great way to do a silent auction, as there is no need to leave their seats to bid!”
“I was very pleased with the professional service, from the pre-sales consultation, preparation through to the execution.
I am confident that I can keep the silent auction going on for longer to raise more funds, for our next event.”
Elena Pistorio, Board Member of Pistorio Foundation and Chairman of Event Organizing Committee
Audience participation is an incredibly important aspect of any successful event. However this can become tricky to
manage and encourage when an audience grows past a certain size, this is where an audience response system comes
in very useful.
THE CLIENT
OCBC Bank is one of Asia's leading financial services groups and one of the largest financial institutions in the combined
Singapore-Malaysia market. OCBC Bank is among the world's highest rated banks.
In January 2011, 800 customers attended an investment seminar hosted by OCBC Premier Banking covering equity, foreign
exchange and property markets.
THE CHALLENGE
The client contacted Congress Rental in their search for professional audience response services to enable the audience
to participate in live polling. To create a dialogue between the seminar speakers, the client wanted to enable live polling
so that they can also gauge customer sentiments on equity, currency and property markets.
The client was hosting two seminars, one in Mandarin and one in English, which meant that bilingual voting slides were
required for the Mandarin seminar.
The organisers wanted flexibility to make amendments to the polling questions, catering for last minute changes from
the speakers up to the point of the rehearsal.
ACTIONS
Congress Rental provided 480 and 320 Communicators respectively, for each run of the seminars conducted in
English and Chinese, during which OCBC Premier Banking customers were polled on their views on market sentiments.
From the pre-sales stage, a producer was assigned to this project to provide seamless support throughout. Upon
understanding the client’s requirements, the committee members were given a run-through of the proposed polling
slides, presentation of the results and the countdown timer music. Further amendments requested for by the team
were drafted, simulated within the Congress Rental system and then transmitted for review by the client. This
gave the client the assurance and confidence that the outcome would match expectations.
RESULTS
The setup and the testing of the system went smoothly within the short timeframe. The producer was on hand to assist
the Master of Ceremony and the speakers to familiarize the technology. Even though there were last minute changes
and clarification from the organizing committee, these were easily incorporated into the audience response system.
The interactivity provided by the Communicator handsets meant that attendees were engaged throughout the various
topics while encouraging active participation.
The voting process was easy to administer and the participants were able to use the devices with ease. There was a lively
atmosphere, as the Premier Banking customers were able to give their valued views on market sentiments for equity,
foreign exchange and property markets. The speakers were impressed by the proficient insight given by the clientele.
VIEWS FROM OUR CLIENT
“I was pleased with the professional services and responsiveness from Congress Rental. Their producer, Joan, guided us on
how we could use the system right from the preparation stage. On both days of the event, they arrived ahead of schedule
and set-up and integrated their audience response system seamlessly with our appointed AV vendor. The event went
smoothly and I would recommend them to anyone who is planning to use audience response system for an event.”
Andrea Han - Assistant Vice President, Marketing Services
Through the use of audience response systems, meetings and events can be made more interactive, engaging and efficient.
THE CLIENT
Swiss Reinsurance, headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, is the only reinsurer with a client-centric model with teams built
around their clients on a global basis. With a strong reputation in innovative reinsurance and risk management solutions,
Swiss Reinsurance is committed to engage with the world to find more robust solutions to common perils.
For its flag ship Asia Claims Conference in 2010, they wanted to differentiate this conference for their clients as well as
business associates.
THE CHALLENGE
Instead of JUST talking to their participants throughout the two-day meeting, the organisers wanted to have an interactive
conference where the audience is included as part of the event. When the organizing committee first went in search of the
audience response solution on the internet, they had never heard of this technology.
In order to gather inputs to make improvements for the next meeting, the team wanted to receive feedback from the
audience. A tradition paper-based evaluation form was thought to be too time consuming and painstaking to compile.
ACTIONS
To make the event more interactive, lively and productive, Swiss Reinsurance engaged Congress Rental to provide
an audience response system.
The audience response system was ideal for Asian audience as it kept the audience engaged throughout the conference
while building rapport between them and the various speakers. The participants were polled on various issues ranging
from their concerns about the current global economic situation on the insurance market to their thoughts on claims
related issues on specific industry sectors at appropriate intervals during the conference. The speakers were able to
gauge the knowledge of the audience which helped them to pace their presentations.
Evaluation of the presentations and event were also conducted using the interactive system, making this a greener
meeting. The response rates were much higher than anticipated, where about 70% of the audience responded.
RESULTS
Swiss Reinsurance was able to harness the benefits of technology to capture information while maximizing feedback
during the event.
Attendees gave positive feedback on the enhanced interaction as the handsets added an extra dimension to the event.
With the reports provided at the end of the event, Swiss Reinsurance was able to gain insights into the results and at the
same time use the feedback to help shape their future events.
VIEWS FROM OUR CLIENT
“We are pleased with the professional services provided from pre-sales response, proposal and clarification of our
questions through to the execution and wrap up of the event.”
Member of Organising Committee
“We are very impressed with the fantastic consultation provided by Congress Rental. Jeremy Ducklin, their
Managing Director, flew down personally from Australia to ensure that all details are taken care of. I have
recommended their services to many of our business associates.”
Patricia Mack, Vice President, Claims & Liabilities
“This was our first time using an Audience Response System so we were concerned about its reliability. But we
need not have worried as everything went 100%. We were pleasantly surprised at the amount of information
that we gathered from the post event reports because of the high response rates! We can’t wait to utilize
even more features of the Communicator at our next meeting”
Valerie Khoo, Assistant Vice President, Claims & Liabilities
THE CLIENT
Special Olympics is an international non-profit organisation that changes lives by encouraging and empowering people
with intellectual disabilities, promoting acceptance for all, and fostering community understanding and respect worldwide
through sports training and athletic competition. Funding comes from a variety or sources including special events,
corporate partnerships, government support, and private donors.
THE CHALLENGE
In October 2010, The American Chamber of Commerce sponsored a Gala Dinner in support of Special Olympics. The dinner,
which aimed to raise funds for a variety of programs, was the first time Special Olympics opted to use silent auction
technology.
Unfamiliar with bidding technology, Special Olympics staff were unsure if the guests would be receptive to using
the devices.
ACTIONS
Special Olympics engaged Congress Rental to provide their 200 guests with the silent auction technology through the
use of keypads and smart cards for each guest to track bidding details.
As part of their full-service approach, Congress Rental assigned a producer to handle the project from end-to-end.
From the preparation stage, where the silent auction summary screens were prepared, to the loading of lot items
and guests list right through to the execution during the gala dinner. To give Special Olympics the assurance that
the outcome would be as expected, samples and drafts of the silent auction summary screen and invoices were
prepared for review by the committee before being finalized.
Jeremy Ducklin, the Managing Director of Congress Rental, was personally present at the event to lend his expertise,
to all aspects of the silent auction. This gave additional confidence to the committee on the quality delivery of
the technology.
RESULTS
During the event, the lot items and bids were broadcast on giant screens throughout the ballroom. From the comfort
of their dinner table, guests could see how their bids stacked up against the competition. There was great buzz as
guests tried to outbid one another for the most sought after items. For example, actress Zhang Ziyi’s Personal
Constellation Style Omega Wristwatch with a starting bid of $1,000 went for eight times that!
Special Olympics staff was delighted by the atmosphere created and the funds raised which far exceeded their
expectations. They were able to benefit from the use of silent auction technology as the results and invoices were
instantly available at the close of the silent auction. There was no need for a last minute rush from the volunteers
to manually tabulate the bid sheets and create invoices.
VIEWS FROM OUR CLIENT
“We are so pleased with the services provided by Congress Rental that we plan to include this segment in our
future fundraisers, not only in Singapore but also around the region.”
Mr. David Rutherford, Regional President & Managing Director of Special Olympics Asia Pacific
“Our guests were so enthusiastic that they were at the check-out counter before we were ready! I was glad that
the reports and invoices were available so soon after the silent auction was closed. ”
Ms Pamella Odhner, Director Organizational Development.
THE CLIENT
The Pistorio Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, founded by Pasquale Pistorio in
April 2005. It works to provide assistance to under privileged children in the field of health, nutrition, and education,
by sponsoring children’s education and health and by building and improving school infrastructures. The Pistorio
Foundation also supports programs for village community development.
The Pistorio Foundation has projects in five countries: Burkina Faso, Tibet (China), Thailand, Cambodia and Morocco.
THE CHALLENGE
The Pistorio Foundation Singapore Chapter held its third annual Gala Dinner on November 30th, 2010, at the
Shangri-La Hotel Tower Ballroom. The “Dolce Vita” themed event was realised in partnership with the Italian
Trade Commission and supported by the Italian Cultural Institute.
The Organising Committee wanted to leverage the Silent Auction technology to reach their goals of raising
funds at this event to support 360 under-privileged hill-tribe children in Chiang Rai, Thailand during the silent
auction segment of their fund raising event.
ACTIONS
Pistorio Foundation expected about 200 guests for this event and engaged Congress Rental to provide them with the
solution for the Silent Auction and Pledging segment.
Elena Pistorio, Chairman of the Organising Committee, was not sure what to expect as it was the first time they are
using this fundraising technology. To give them the assurance, a producer was assigned to handle this project from the
preparation stage through to the execution as a single point of contact.
As the Organising Committee had not seen pledging done previously, they were not sure if they wanted to proceed with
it. To give them a better idea, Congress Rental went ahead to prepare the draft for the pledging screen for each project to
show them how it would look during the presentation. After much consideration, the committee decided to give it a try as
the funds were required urgently to benefit the children.
The Pistorio Foundation decided to utilize the Pledge feature to get their guests to contribute to 3 main projects, namely
a long-term scholarship, a library and a computer room for a primary school in Huay Kuk, Chiang Rai.
RESULTS
Pistorio Foundation was absolutely delighted with the outcome as they reached their target for the silent auction and
pledging segment for the event.
The result from the pledge was heartening as 2 of the projects exceeded the target. This was an unexpected win as this
is the first time pledging was introduced for as part of their event. Pistorio Foundation was able to provide 2 children
with long-term scholarship instead of 1 as initially planned.
The check-out was well managed as the summary reports were provided to the volunteers tending to the different
payment modes upon closure of the auction. At the same time the guests were making the payment, invoices were
provided to them, saving both time and efforts in verification of details and mailing.
VIEWS FROM OUR CLIENT
“Congress Rental was attentive to our guests’ needs and was able to provide our VIPs with their individualized smart cards
at short notice when they requested to join in the excitement during the bidding.”
“Our guests reflected that it was great way to do a silent auction, as there is no need to leave their seats to bid!”
“I was very pleased with the professional service, from the pre-sales consultation, preparation through to the execution.
I am confident that I can keep the silent auction going on for longer to raise more funds, for our next event.”
Elena Pistorio, Board Member of Pistorio Foundation and Chairman of Event Organizing Committee
Sales Offices based in Australia, Singapore & Cambodia.
Operating in Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia, Philippines, Brunei, Korea, Japan, India,
China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, East Timor, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji.
Cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Darwin, Perth, Newcastle, Wollongong, Cairns, Gold Coast, Singapore, Auckland, Wellington,
Christchurch, Bali, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Manila, Cebu, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Phnom Penn, Vientiane, Yangon,
Nay Pyi Taw, Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Seoul, Shanghai, Beijing, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, New Delhi, Dili.
Operating in Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia, Philippines, Brunei, Korea, Japan, India,
China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, East Timor, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji.
Cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Darwin, Perth, Newcastle, Wollongong, Cairns, Gold Coast, Singapore, Auckland, Wellington,
Christchurch, Bali, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Manila, Cebu, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Phnom Penn, Vientiane, Yangon,
Nay Pyi Taw, Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Seoul, Shanghai, Beijing, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, New Delhi, Dili.