Company: IAKW-AG, Internationales Amtssitz- und Konferenzzentrum Wien, AG, Viennna, Austria
Company Description: IAKW-AG is responsible for maintaining the Vienna International Centre (VIC) and operating the Austria Center Vienna. The Austria Center Vienna is Austria’s largest conference centre, with 19 halls, 180 meeting rooms, and some 26,000 m² of exhibition space, and is one of the top players on the international conference circuit.
Nomination Category: COVID-19 Response Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Communications or PR Campaign of the Year - COVID-19-related Information
 Nomination Title: Covid-19 testing and vaccination lanes at the Austria Center Vienna operated on behalf of the City of Vienna
- If you are providing a write-up about the award-worthy public relations effort, provide it here (up to 350 words):
Total 345 words used.
As with logistics and participant management, the Austria Center Vienna’s communications activities were implemented in close consultation with the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund and the City of Vienna. The overall concept can be summarised under the following key points:
We guide – helping visitors find their way with a clear orientation system and easy-to-follow branded signage designed to optimise efficiency for people on arrival and when leaving the centre – both on foot and by car.
We inform – keeping residents of Vienna up to date via our new website. Eye-catching notification banners on the start page, efficient access to all the key information, a download section for prevaccination checklists, a traffic light system to show how busy the facility is and explanatory videos produced by the venue.
We promote – publicising the testing and vaccination facilities on social media with “I’ve been tested/vaccinated” banners, posts on vaccination drives, a “Behind the Mask” campaign, a “Beating the Pandemic Together” video, a selfie point, PR measures for the numerous events including live concerts on the square outside, appearances by the Rote Nasen clowns and Viennese rapper RAF Camora getting his Covid shot.
We reach out to the public – communicating through professional press and media relations targeting international TV, radio, online and print editorial teams. More than 100 journalists and camera crews were received at the venue for one-on-ones incl. interviews, TV features and live feeds as well as numerous press conferences and press events – including appearances by the Austrian President, Mayor of Vienna, city councillors and ministers from the federal government.
We care – establishing measures including an independent ombudsman and an external health hotline at the venue, as well as engaging with the City of Vienna complaints management team and working to implement suggestions that we receive. This shows that we are always receptive to new ideas.
We entertain - inspiring even more people to get vaccinated. This involves bringing our new event concepts to life, offering high-quality catering from food trucks, bringing the Clown Doctors on board to provide entertainment and special celebrity vaccination drives.
- (Optional) Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about the nominated use of public relations tools during the pandemic, OR a write-up of up to 350 words? (Choose one):
Essay of up to 350 words
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video.
The Austria Center Vienna set up Europe’s first Covid-19 testing lane in September 2020. Originally intended as a safety measure for large-scale events, the facility at the venue grew to become the largest testing and vaccination centre in Austria. In contrast to its core business of staging large-scale international events, the focus of communications for this particular project was on a traditionally less prominent target group: residents of Vienna.
A clearly defined communications strategy was devised in consultation with the client, the City of Vienna. The Austria Center Vienna website – where users could readily access all of the necessary information – served as the central point of contact. Signage, visitor flow management and floor markings were tailored to the venue and the broader site, in line with the City of Vienna’s specifications and adapted on an ongoing basis, as necessary. The medical experts from partner organisation Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund Wien provided support for journalists and camera crews, as well as coordinating press conferences and media slots at the testing and vaccination lanes. Numerous events were publicised on social media, again in close consultation with the City of Vienna and the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund. The in-house ombudsman service also assisted the City of Vienna complaints management process, helping to handle hundreds of written inquiries as well as questions and complaints. The underlying goal of the strategy was to establish clear lines of communication with the general public, with a view to encouraging them to get tested/vaccinated.
In terms of benefits for the venue’s profile and image, the impact of the campaign speaks for itself: over 2.7 million visitors to the testing and vaccination facility, 5 million-plus website visits, thousands of branded displays and signs, 10,000 positive reviews on social media, hundreds of press events and more than 4,000 reports in the media (as at autumn 2021).
Please have a look at our Pecha Kucha Presentation:
https://iakw.sharepoint.com/:v:/s/iakw_ko/EQBxg9RSIHVLgWAEdV7cCz0BKXKI6boOmFqCXdl3puMYcg?e=GG8iCa
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