CASE STUDY
Review of major infrastructure symposium to be fit for future, and review of member fees
Infrastructure sector member body
The opportunity
Our client had for many years organised and run a major annual symposium. While very successful, they were concerned to ensure it remained the must-attend infrastructure event of the year.
The Board requested a review be undertaken to evaluate what future changes might be implemented over a period of time. Subsequently the Board requested that member fees be reviewed and to better understand the alignment between cost and value for members, including through attendance at the symposium.
What we did
Our approach to undertaking the reviews is our standard practice for engagements of this type:
Go wide and collect as much information as is feasible within the timeframe. This typically involves a large number of interviews to hear and document perspectives. In this case we interviewed over 20 people from a wide range of organisations, both members and non-members.
Assimilate the information collected. Organise it into themes. Package it in a way that is meaningful and able to be presented back to the client (or in this case their Board). We developed a slide-pack for this purpose. Supplement with modelling where appropriate.
Present the information back – “this is what we heard/saw/read”. There is no judgement, it is purely about playing back what we heard – “the facts”. At this point no recommendations are made. Seek confirmation that the information presented appears correct.
In consultation (where possible), draw conclusions. If this is what we heard, then it is reasonable to conclude that…For this assignment, there were a range of views, sometimes in contradiction. It was therefore necessary to conclude on what the majority seemed to be saying, and drawing on external evidence for validation.
Finally, present recommendations. These recommendations should logically follow on from the conclusions so there is limited possibility for debate. Ultimately however, it is up to the client to decide if it wishes to proceed with implementation of the recommendations.
The outcome
The findings presented to the Board were favourably received, however the pandemic has slowed down decisions on the best way forward. Since the reviews were intended to support future decisions with a five-year horizon, time will tell how the findings influence the Board’s preferred way forward.
Our team
