The Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat (CICS) ensures continuity and neutrality in the delivery of conference support services. It also offers a critical level of experience mixed with historical and corporate insight. Our skills, expertise and reputation for excellence and innovation have been forged through the thousands of meetings successfully served during the past four decades.
CICS offers a range of services to senior level intergovernmental meetings: from planning and pre-registration to pre-conference translation services for official documents; from distribution and archiving of documents to simultaneous interpretation and all on-site logistical and administrative services.
CICS support is tailored to meet the particular needs of each meeting, making increased use of technology while cutting down on the consumption of paper at meetings and benefiting the environment.
Our services are detailed below:
CICS is responsible for setting up most meeting and related spaces in accordance with the conference room specifications displayed on the right . The set-up is done the day prior to the meeting to ensure that all systems and equipment are properly installed and tested and to allow sufficient time to bring any necessary adjustments or modifications in the case of unforeseen circumstances.
CICS provides flags and delegation name plaques for the conference room as required. The conference table is most often set up in a hollow rectangle. Generally, each delegation has one microphone and two seats at the conference table, with additional seating available behind the respective delegations. Usually delegations will be seated in order of entry into Confederation, except for the Chair/Co-Chairs who will be seated at the head of the table.
Deputy Ministerial Meetings* | |||
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Room | Approximate Size | Location | Availability |
Conference Room | 50′ x 75′ | – | One full day before start of the meeting (for set-up) and three hours after end of meeting (for tear-down) |
CICS On-site Office | 20′ x 30′ | As close as possible to the conference room |
Ministerial Meetings* | |||
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Room | Approximate size | Location | Availability |
Conference Room with press conference | 70′ x 90′ | – | One full day before start of the meeting (for set-up) and three hours after end of meeting (for tear-down) |
CICS On-site Office | 20′ x 30′ | As close as possible to the conference room | |
For Certain Meetings* | |||
Translator Room | 6′ x 10′ | As close as possible to the CICS on-site office | |
Communiqué Room | 20′ x 30′ | As close as possible to the CICS on-site office | |
Separate Press Conference room/area | 30′ x 30′ | – |
* These specifications apply to most meetings served by CICS. Please discuss with CICS before booking your meeting and related spaces.
With the approval of the Chair/Co-Chairs of the meeting, CICS will send out a logistics note to all delegations, informing delegates about meeting details and arrangements. The logistics note can be sent on behalf of the Chair/Co-chairs.
Standard practice for intergovernmental meetings is to publish all official documents, such as agendas and presentations, in both official languages.
CICS provides translation services before and after a meeting, as required. This service applies only to official documents and does not include background or reference documents. For very large documents, translation by CICS may be limited to sections such as an executive summary, a set of conclusions and/or recommendations. Any document requiring translation prior to the meeting should be forwarded to CICS at least two weeks in advance, more for larger documents. CICS will endeavor to accommodate translation requests received after this deadline, but delivery in time for the meeting will depend on the volume and timing of such requests.
For all Ministerial meetings, CICS typically has a translator on-site to work on news releases.
It is standard practice to offer simultaneous interpretation in the main room during intergovernmental conferences involving First Ministers, Ministers and Deputy Ministers. CICS can also provide this service during teleconferences and videoconferences.
CICS provides simultaneous interpretation services in both official languages during the meetings it supports, including news conferences.
Did you know…
Simultaneous interpretation involves a team of bilingual professionals providing the immediate oral rendering of the spoken word from one language to another. For optimum quality, conference interpreters work in teams of three, and should be able to see speakers at all times and consult copies of all relevant materials, such as speeches and power-point presentations, ahead of the meeting.
The success of an intergovernmental conference depends largely on the security of delegates and the information they exchange. For this reason, security is a top priority for CICS. Our Managers of Conference Services work with clients to create and maintain a secure conference environment.
CICS is responsible for the registration of delegates. This includes the preparation of identification passes (to be distributed at the time of on-site registration) as well as a preliminary and a final list of delegates.
CICS now offers an online registration system that takes much of the work and worry out of registration for both delegates and organizers. In consultation with the client, CICS’ Manager of Conference Services customizes the standard registration form (in both official languages) and posts it online, enabling delegates to register prior to the event.
The online system verifies the eligibility of registrants and tracks their number, along with the names of their government departments or sponsor organizations. The system can also produce a variety of status reports in a matter of minutes – information that is very useful to conference organizers in the planning stage.
CICS can assist with the distribution of conference documents prior to, or following the conference.
A perfect way to complement online registration is to post conference documents to a secure website for easy online retrieval. Registrants are assigned individual passwords that enable them to access and download the materials before and during the event.
CICS acknowledges the importance of keeping connected during conferences. As an added convenience to delegates, CICS offers a secure WiFi connection in the main conference room. The ability to access a password-protected, dedicated network speeds up the sharing of information and increases the productivity of delegates.
To facilitate the news release drafting process on conference site, CICS works with the Chair of the drafting committee. Services will include word processing, translation, printing and distribution of the news release. Both English and French versions of the news release will be distributed simultaneously on conference site and will be posted in both official languages on the Newsroom
section of our website.
Along with advance planning, CICS delivers the on-site administrative, logistical and technical support your conference needs to succeed. We provide a range of on-site services, including the following (many of which are described in greater detail elsewhere on this page):
CICS maintains a conference office on-site to provide administrative support and guidance on protocol, and to quickly resolve logistical issues. The office is equipped with a scanner, photocopier and message centre.
CICS videoconferences are:
Description of videoconferencing services: