RHSC Meeting: a successful scientific conference with a legacy in Kathmandu

AIM Group International presents a new Impact Story about a successful event, the 19^th RHSC General Membership Meeting 2019, held in Kathmandu (Nepal).

The RHSC General Membership Meeting gathers more than 300 Reproductive Health experts and more than 60 speakers from all over the world, with the aim of facilitating member networking, promoting knowledge exchange and involving the local community in order to increase access to a wide choice of safe modern contraceptive methods in low- and middle-income countries. In 2019, the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition – the world’s largest network of reproductive health agencies, with close to 500 members – chose to host the annual general assembly in Nepal. The choice posed some logistic challenges because of the distance and the limited number of air connections, hotels, locations and suppliers.

AIM Group International, collaborating on the organisation of the RHSC General Meeting for the fourth time, having  developed a strong partnership with the client, supported the RHSC team for the organisation of a very effective event, based on four pillars:

1. Involve the local community and leave a legacy. Local organisations as well as local experts and politicians were all involved in participating in the scientific programme, as speakers, exhibitors and delegates. Furthermore, to share practices on the ground, field visits were organized to local health care centers and non-governmental organisations.
2. Foster learning and networking. The meeting was characterised by highly interactive participation. Round tables, workshops, working groups, flipcharts, e-voting systems and a hands-on experiential group game were all put into place; rigid theatre style was banned!
3. Adding a local taste. The destination injected a great feeling of inspiration. For instance, morning yoga sessions in the garden encouraged motivation and fresh ideas; providing congress bags made by local artisans and using all local suppliers strengthened the relationship with the local community.
4. Managing an unusual destination. Since local service providers are not always familiar with the requirements of an international group of professionals, AIM Group had to carefully manage each detail. The local providers were enthusiastic about working for an international conference and with a PCO like AIM Group, so they did their very best, which was evident in the success of the conference.

As a result, client feedback was really positive and the post-event survey revealed very positive results: bearing in mind that the main objective of the event is networking, 85% of participants reported that they established a new contact for future joint projects and collaborations.

You can read the full Impact Story online.