The annual Education World Forum (EWF), the world’s largest gathering of education and skills ministers across the globe, returned to London’s QEII Centre in May 2022.

Objective

The event, which last took place at the QEII Centre in January 2020, comprises three days of insight and inspiration from pioneers, policymakers, and experts, with many sessions given by education ministers themselves as part of an honest assessment of education’s common issues and challenges.

The theme of EWF 2022 was ‘Education: building forward together, stronger, bolder, better’, addressing how education systems have experienced the pandemic and how they are responding.

Taking place on 22-25 May, EWF brought together Ministers of Education, along with leaders from global and international organisations including UNICEF, the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the British Council and the Commonwealth, and industry partners with a focus on education and technology.

Execution

EWF carefully balances networking and social activity with a plenary, breakout sessions and an extensive range of bi-lateral and business meetings. The QEII Centre’s multiple flexible spaces across seven floors are ideal for accommodating all these elements separately whilst providing delegates with a variety of different settings.

The Fleming and Whittle rooms, which provide all the latest conference technology, were set up for the main plenary, while the third-floor networking area made a feature of the stunning views across to Westminster Abbey, and the Churchill Suite with its adaptable mood-setting lighting provided a striking setting for the formal dinner.

Security is of paramount importance to the ministerial-level delegates, and the QEII’s expertise and experience in dealing with high-profile speakers and delegates put the organisers at ease. The QEII security team worked closely with EWF’s own security team, with the centre ensuring the members of its security team serving the event were consistent throughout the event.

‘Return from Covid’ planning had its challenges, with multiple scenarios to be prepared for in case of changing Government restrictions and what they might mean for testing requirements, capacities and social distancing, access and cleaning, and catering. The QEll management stayed in close contact with the organisers through the pandemic and the team engaged fully with the multiple planning scenarios.

Over the three days, delegates also enjoyed two major receptions with food and drink, lunches and multiple refreshment breaks, prepared by the centre’s award-winning in-house catering team QEII Taste. The team also cooked a three-course formal dinner on the third evening with pre-dinner entertainment provided by the National Youth Orchestra.

To meet EWF’s exact requirements and ensure dishes were on point, QEII Taste held five tastings in its dedicated tasting room during the run-up to the event. The tasting room, which opened in 2017, is situated in the heart of the kitchen, affording clients views of chefs in action and the chance to try dishes in a variety of serving styles.

The variety of cultures represented among the delegation required special attention to how alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks were served, how food was presented and labelled, and special catering in certain meeting rooms.

QEII Taste implemented all special requests without compromising on its usual high creative and quality standards through the food. Chicken was halal, for example, and there were nods to many world cuisines through the dishes served.

There were also a number of different serving styles – from canapes, such as homemade onion bhajis, goats cheese lollipops, smoked salmon blinis, and mini chicken Kievs at the welcome reception and hot and cold bowl food such as Stilton and pear salad, super green salad, Billingsgate fish pie, Three bean hot pot and Korean crispy chicken at lunch, to finger food dishes like chickpea or buttermilk chicken burgers, tarts and fishcakes (served on the final day) – to delight and sustain delegates in the most appropriate way during the event.

Those attending the conference dinner were served a starter of caramelised goat’s cheese, compressed watermelon, honey roasted fig and a main course of miso-marinated pan-seared salmon with black risotto and broad beans. The dessert was dark chocolate marquise, passion fruit sauce, mandarin sorbet and tapioca, banana tuille, while a vegetarian main course – a roasted root vegetable tarte tatin – was offered to vegetarian delegates.

Results

The centre’s size, versatility, and unique location in the heart of Westminster, in the shadow of cultural icons Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and the London Eye, was a big draw for the organisers and delegates alike.

“There is a world-wide attraction to London for many reasons and a particular attraction to Westminster, as the heart of UK Government, for our high-level, global governmental audience. The QEll is perfectly situated both to play on the Westminster location and, because of its design with extensive windows, to give our delegates the benefits of natural light and the view overlooking Westminster Abbey. It is also the largest and most versatile conference venue in Central London,” said Dominic Savage, Director, Education World Forum.

The client also praised the QEII team’s can-do attitude: “There was a constantly positive atmosphere of ‘making it happen’ among the staff, which, at absolutely every level, wish and work to make the event successful. Continuity is important for an event like EWF, and our QEll Event Manager, always the same person, manages our complete communication with the Centre in an exemplary way.”

Following the success of the event, EWF has already booked to return to the QEII Centre for the next six years.