112th UNWTO Executive Council

Customer Profile

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. The intergovernmental organization has 159 member states and more than 500 affiliate members. The Executive Council is charged with implementing the decisions and recommendations of the Organization’s General Assembly. In its 112th session, the Executive Council gathered from September 15-17, 2020 at the Biltmore Tbilisi Hotel in Tbilisi, Georgia. 170 ministers and tourism officials from 24 countries joined, in addition to the participation of the rest of the world via video conference.

Challenge

With the COVID-19 pandemic being a central discussion point during the summit, there were also a number of requirements to ensure a safe and successful execution of the event. Due to the international attendance, interpretation for 6 languages was needed (English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic and Georgian). In addition to infrared language distribution to on-site attendees, 5 channels of interpretation were also transmitted via Zoom to remote participants, which required that audio had to be routed and connected directly into laptops setup to run the video conference. Moreover, 11 interpreter booths were needed to guarantee safe distancing for the interpreters.

In addition to the interpretation challenges, due to the formal nature of the meeting, a conference system was required to enable well-structured discussions and a smooth rundown. 

Solution

West Services LLC, the professional rental provider who was charged with organizing the event, deployed 31 delegate microphones for the Council and 250 infrared audio receivers for all delegates and attendees to listen to interpretation languages. 5 laptops were setup to run the Zoom video conference, each with a Shure MVi Digital Audio Interface. This allowed to convert a mixed, single-channel audio signal from the on-site analog mixer into a digital signal and connection straight into each laptop.

Gear List

	Model Number	Quantity	Description
	DIS-CCU	2	Central control unit for use with MXC-series, 5900-series, or 6000-series conference and discussion units.
	DC 6190 P	31	Portable conference unit which can be configured both as a chairman and a delegate unit. The unit features speak/function buttons, XLR gooseneck microphone connector, loudspeaker and two channel selectors.
	IS 6132 P	11	Portable interpreter unit offers 4 relay languages, 2 outgoing channels, support for 32 channels, and multiple interlock modes.
	DIR	205	Digital IR audio distribution system designed for use in both permanent installations and temporary set-ups of up to 32 high-quality channels.
	QLXD24/SM58	4	This system is available as QLXD24/SM58. It contains a QLXD2 handheld transmitter with SM58 microphone head and a QLXD4 receiver.
	MVi	5	Digital audio interface connects a professional XLR microphone or 6.3mm instrument output to a computer or mobile device.