Delegations
AHK Australien develops new virtual formats for business delegations By Max Schnarr, German-Australian Chamber
The year 2020 was not only a very challenging one, but it also generated new forms of international communication. Virtual collaboration has created a bridge between Germany and Australia in the blink of an eye to advance the ongoing relationship between the two countries, even in difficult times. AHK Australia converted three business trips in the mining, renewables and maritime industries into virtual formats in 2020. And even though we are happy to welcome every delegation member back to Australia after the borders have reopened, the virtual implementation
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has created many contacts and made future cooperation possible. The main components of a business delegation – such as the industry conference, site visits and individual business meetings – can be replaced by virtual alternatives, while still retaining the essence of a business delegation trip. In 2020 we were therefore able to welcome 25 delegates virtually to Australia. Remo was our tool of choice for the virtual conference. Remo allows not only a webinar mode but also a networking mode where each conference participant sits virtually at a table with other attendees and can interact through their camera and microphone, and can also jump to different tables to get to know even more industry experts. Our three conferences were attended by around 200 attendees, creating useful links between Australia and Germany.
