Hosting an International Summit to Inform and Encourage Partners
How does a ministry effectively gather dozens of global partners in a location outside the U.S. to offer teaching, encouragement, support and refreshment?
They turn to an experienced event producer who understands their goals, audience and desire for understated excellence.
The Challenge
Charged by Desiring God with producing all elements of a multiday summit held outside the U.S., Guardian aimed to find a location that would have few barriers for attendance (e.g., near a major airport, lenient visa requirements), while also offering a peaceful respite from hectic daily life. The ministry’s goal? Strengthen relationships with their partners by supporting and equipping them, in addition to giving them greater insight into the ministry’s mission and vision. They turned to us to handle all elements of the event, from hotel accommodations to meeting room setup, transportation to menu selections, schedule planning to individual session flow, communicating with guests to handling all program cues, and group excursions to special gifts for individual partners.
The PROCESS
Guardian led the research process for a dozen different properties throughout Europe, providing expense projections and an analysis of the overall experience. Keeping the goals of teaching, encouragement and refreshment at the forefront of all planning, we settled on a hotel in a quieter neighborhood of South Amsterdam. The venue allowed everyone to meet, eat and sleep in one place—a peaceful, canal-side location that was within walking distance to important cultural sites. In addition to our overall event plan, we created a comprehensive guest communications plan that was informative, generated excitement and provided a consistent point of contact for all questions. When building the schedule, we made sure to include blocks for free time so partners could be alone or break off into smaller groups.
The results
The guest experience began before anyone arrived in the Netherlands, with all communication setting the tone for a refreshing time together. Once on-site, ministry staff members were there to interact with, listen to and learn about the partners’ lives and ministries. We hosted them generously, providing local snacks, new experiences and gifts to take home.
Logistics ran smoothly despite a brief power outage and inclement weather. Most importantly, we created an atmosphere in which these global partners felt seen, heard and loved. Many run their ministries alone and were greatly encouraged simply to meet others doing similar work. They expressed gratitude for the time together and the ministry’s investment in them.
All the preparation exceeded expectations, with Desiring God’s staff and partners alike leaving the summit feeling encouraged, refreshed and with renewed inspiration for their ministry work. In the words of one Cambodian partner: "We are blessed and encouraged by all we learned and experienced this week with you all. We are so grateful. We praise God for ... those who organized this summit and this cooperation of like-minded believers from around the globe."