De Boer’s key role in International Afghanistan Conference

De Boer supplied facilities for a crucial international conference on the future of Afghanistan staged in London and attended by world leaders from more than 70 nations. 

Key figures
The International Conference on Afghanistan attracted representatives of the coalition forces operating in the country along with Afghanistan’s newly-elected President Karzai and United Nations’ Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. 

Vast array of temporary structures
De Boer, one of the world leaders in the supply of temporary structures, provided more than 5,500 square metres of accommodation in the grounds of Lancaster House off Pall Mall where the summit was held. 

Multi-purpose facilities
De Boer was appointed by Host Broadcast specialists Feltech to provide a range of temporary structures to form a press centre, media briefing rooms, broadcast studios, delegates areas, catering, kitchen and toilet facilities for the event which attracted more than 600 journalists from around the world. 

Difficult conditions
Construction work on the mammoth project was conducted amid the tightest of security, with De Boer and several hundred contractors also working through bitterly cold and snowy conditions in one of the most severe winters the UK has seen in more than 30 years. 

Detailed planning
Sales Manager David Tunnicliffe, who co-ordinated De Boer’s role in the event, said: “This has certainly been one of the most challenging and demanding projects that we have tackled. Despite the severe weather and the intense security involved, our team managed to ensure that the structures were handed over on time. The fact the media centre is situated within a royal park also provided further challenges for us. We had to ensure that that trees and plants in the park were not damaged by the tonnes of equipment shipped in.” 

Bespoke service
A huge Jumbo structure measuring 60 metres by 40 metres formed the centre-piece of the media village with range of 15 further structures including Alu Halls, Chalets, Pyramids and the unique De Boer Walkway. In addition, De Boer was also responsible for overseeing all carpentry, carpeting and heating requirements within the structures. 

Well-equipped for political and royal events
Brackley-based De Boer has provided facilities for a number of major political and royal events in the UK over recent years including the G8 Summit of world leaders at Gleneagles, Scotland. 

Historic meeting
Internationally, De Boer Group has also provided conference facilities inside Afghanistan where the company supplied structures for an historic meeting of 1,500 representatives of Afghan tribes back in 2002 as part of the early discussions on the democratic future of the country. 

Developing democratic process in Afghanistan
The London conference on Thursday, January 28th, was arranged by UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown as part of the developing democratic process in Afghanistan and was hosted by Foreign Secretary David Miliband. 

Important international conference
John Cochrane, De Boer’s Sales Director – Events, said: “We are very proud to have been selected to provide facilities for such an important international conference. Everyone hopes that this event will help to bring about a peaceful resolution to the Afghan crisis. It’s amazing to think that 10 years ago we shipped equipment into Kabul itself for an event which helped to pave the way for the democratic processes which have now taken place and which are on-going. 

Ability to deliver solutions fast and reliably
“This particular project has been a massive challenge for our build team having to cope with such severe weather conditions in London and working to a very tight schedule amid strict security. However, once again it demonstrates De Boer’s ability to deliver solutions fast and reliably for even the most sensitive or complex functions.”