About The Client
Our client partner, Futures Without Violence, is a non-profit organization that works closely with the Department of Justice and Department of Health and Human Services. Its key mission for the past 30 years is to prevent domestic violence.
The Challenge
The purpose of this meeting was to deliver a relevant and educational experience to over 1,000 participants from different backgrounds and with many different survivor stories. Presenters and exhibitors highlighted innovative research to improve people’s safety and health at local, national, and international levels.
The conference focused on prevention and intervention strategies encompassing diverse cultures, races, religions, ages, genders, and sexual identities, for global communities, all while providing a safe environment for attendees to share their stories.
The Solution
Create a Local, National and International Impact.
Local – Local advertisements in Washington, D.C., where the conference was held, drew in more than just registered meeting attendees. The on-site team was approached by D.C. area residents who were currently in abusive situations and came to seek shelter. Crisis counselors were available on site and safe rooms were set up to accommodate those in need.
National – Eight days prior to the conference, the meeting planning team was informed that Vice President, Joe Biden, would be speaking at the event. Aside from the logistical obstacles of a standard conference, this event brought additional challenges, such as scans for phone tapping, frequent facility security sweeps, food screening and close monitoring of all participants. The Vice President’s speech was very well received and gained national attention when he called domestic violence a “public health epidemic”.
International – Grant money and scholarships were offered as financial assistance for those who couldn’t afford to attend the conference on their own. As it turned out, one of the scholarship winners who had registered did not attend the event. We reached out to the attendee and learned that he was unable to travel to Washington because of ongoing violence in his home town, in Nigeria. The concern he had for missing the conference and apologies for not cancelling his hotel reservation put many things into perspective. His story was a humbling one and it became the focus of the closing session, as an example of connecting current events to the conference participants.
The Outcome
When an attendee of the Futures Without Violence conference was asked of her opinion of the organization, she said:
I am really interested in learning more about it, participating in future conferences, even presenting. Very impressed with the work the organization is doing and the quality of content, speakers, research and creativity of people presenting at the conference.” – Birgit Olsen Kelly MSW, LICSW, PHD, Associate Director of Clinical Services – Mental Health, Tubman Chrysalis
The following comments were provided to our event management team:
“It was such a pleasure to work with you and your team — again, it made my life so much easier to know that you all were on it and could handle all of our requests. Thank you for all you did to make the Vice President’s participation in today’s conference a success.” – Vice Presidential Advance Team
“Thanks to you and your team for your efforts this week. Your attention to detail, dedication to our success and efficiency were key to making this a positive experience.” – Vice Presidential Secret Service Team Lead
Click below to download a PDF of this case study.
Vice President in the House