Canberra’s National Convention Centre Hosts Dalai Lama

It was all hands on deck for the team at the National Convention Centre when more than 2500 people converged on the Centre to see His Holiness, the Dalai Lama for his public conversation on June 14, 2011

Held in the Royal Theatre, the sold-out event required a dedicated squad of crowd control and security personnel to ensure the VIP guest and his followers were well looked after for the duration of the event.

For those who missed out on tickets to the public address, A conversation with His Holiness the Dalai Lama on Happiness, Life and Living – Love and Forgiveness, the NCC orchestrated a live stream of the Dalai Lama’s speech on a big screen in its Bradman Theatrette to an audience of more than 100 guests. The speech was also uploaded online.

To cater for the crowd, the Centre’s culinary team erected a purpose-built catering kiosk in the main lobby, which served refreshments throughout the event.

The objective for the event was to provide audience members with an up-close-and-personal experience, within what is Canberra’s largest conference venue.

The National Convention Centre provided an intimate feel for the event to enhance the experience for the more than 2500 audience members.

The Royal Theatre, with its fantastic acoustics, tiered seating and flat floor section in front of the stage, proved to be a great venue for providing uninterrupted views of the Dalai Lama and clear access to his words, to each audience member ensuring that everyone got the chance to catch more that a glimpse of His Holiness.

Through the use of the versatile spaces and live-streaming technology, the Centre was able to make the Dalai Lama available to as many guests as possible.