Church House Conference Centre has played host to another high profile international event, attracting delegates from all over the world. The International Association of Women Judges (IAWJ) chose the Westminster venue as the location for its 11th international conference when it was held in May.
The biennial conference attracted 600 women judges from 50 countries around the world. The event, which was previously held in Seoul, South Korea in 2010, also included an evening reception for 750 guests. This truly international event will next be held in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, in 2014.
Through pioneering judicial education programmes and worldwide collaboration, the IAWJ works to advance human rights, eliminate discrimination on the basis of gender, and make courts accessible to all. The four day conference, chaired by the Right Hon Baroness Brenda Hale of Richmond – the highest-ranking female judge in the UK – saw panel discussions and invited speakers cover a wide range of topics including women and children as armed combatants; women, work and health; working conditions for women and children and judicial health and safety.
The diverse and flexible nature of Church House Conference Centre’s rooms came into force during the event and everything was taken into account to meet the guest’s requirements. Due to the large number of female attendees, even male WC facilities were converted into women’s WC rooms to accommodate the guests.
Baroness Hale commented: “On behalf of the United Kingdom Association of Women Judges, I would like to say how delighted we all were with the 11th Biennial World Conference of the International Association of Women Judges. Church House Conference Centre did a wonderful job, enabling our speakers and delegates to enjoy such a well-run and comfortable experience in memorable surroundings. The team at Church House, the sponsors, speakers, delegates and conference organisers TFI Meeting Point were all fantastic, so thank you all for making it such an unforgettable event.”
Church House Conference Centre General Manager Robin Parker commented: “It was an honour to host such a truly international event with delegates coming from all around the world. Our team of dedicated staff worked round the clock to deliver a highly successful event which was enjoyed by everybody who came through the doors. The rooms at Church House were used to their full capability to accommodate the needs of those attending. Converting facilities so they could be more widely used was a challenge but we were able to overcome this without difficulty. We’re pleased the event was so well received as a result of the time and effort invested by our team, who worked closely with event organisers TFI Meeting Point to ensure everything ran as planned.”
Following the event @TFIGroup tweeted: “Superb job from brill @Churchhouseconf staff during IAWJ London 2012. Way beyond the call of duty, so friendly and helpful! Well done!”.
