Billed as the biggest political gathering in Australia's history with the Presidents and Prime Ministers of 53 countries attending, the proceedings opened by her Majesty the Queen. The three day Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) showcased Perth to the world as Australia's capital on the Indian Ocean.

Corporate Theatre was privileged to be appointed to deliver production and the supporting technical services for several major events.

The Empowering Women to Lead Forum

Appointed by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Corporate Theatre designed and staged "Empowering Women to Lead" - a prestigious dinner and forum for 440 guests.

The highlight of the evening was a open panel forum featuring all the leaders on stage and presented in a television Q&A style. Anchored by ABCTV personality Virginia Haussegger, guests attending the dinner were given open opportunity to pose questions to the panel. Answered in a direct and forthright style, the responses provided an illuminating insight into the views and opinions of these most distinquished women.

The leading speaker was the Governor-General of Australia, Quentin Bryce AC. Other distinguished speakers introduced by the Federal Minister Kate Ellis included Julia Gillard PM of Australia, Kamla Persad-Bissessar PM of Trinidad and Tobago, Sheikh Hasina PM of Bangladesh, Dr Ngozi Okonjp-Iweala Nigerian Finance Minister, Fiame Maomi Mata'afa Minister for Justice Samoa and Lady Catherine Ashton, President of the European Commission.

Clontarf College

At Clontarf College Her Majesty the Queen spent time inspecting the College and the grounds before moving to a specially prepared area designed by Corporate Theatre to officially open the new boarding house.

It was an intimate occassion for the invited guests and students and the Queen delighted all in attendance with her warmth and interest in the work of the College. The pictures of Her Majesty receiving an Australian Rules football from the students especially captured the imagination of the seasoned journalists covering the visit with the pictures quickly broadcast around the world. After a rainy night and some early anxious moments , the sky opened up to a sunny day creating the perfect setting for the occasion.

The Hyatt Regency Perth had over 24 of the worlds leaders staying as guests for the three day CHOGM meeting with a continuous schedule of parallel meetings and formal discussions taking place throughout the Hotel. In the lead up, Corporate Theatre's Perth Hyatt team spent months working closely with the Hotels manager of CHOGM and the foreign delegation leaders to deliver the complete palette of technical and production services required to ensure each of the CHOGM parallel meetings proceeded seamlessly.

City of Perth
At Council House the CHOGM partners program luncheon was presented with a focus on the Western Australian mining industry. Distinguished speakers briefed the partners on the latest developments occurring in the industry during the current period of unprecedented growth and change. The spectacular views from the top floor of Council House added to the occasion and an appreciation of the beauty of Perth.

Commonwealth People's Forum 2011

As part of CHOGM, the Commonwealth People's Forum (CPF) brought together civil society representatives from around the world, to discuss and debate key issues facing Commonwealth people.

The Secretary- General of CHOGM, Kamalesh Sharma officially opening the forum.

Presented by the University of Western Australia and the Commonwealth Business Council in the magnificent Winthrop Hall the Gala Dinner celebrated the beginning of an unprecedented week in the history of Western Australia coinciding with the commencement of CHOGM. To differentiate the Winthrop Hall from its usual presentation Corporate Theatre created a dramatic theatrical lighting look in the Hall supported by a special stage set reinforcing the theme "In The Zone" .

One of the hottest events on the Perth social calendar, the lavishly themed Amanda Young Foundation ball turned on Nautical But Nice inspiration for 700 guests who costumed accordingly.

Palm trees adorned an island-like central main stage in Burswood's grand ballroom where entertainers including Corinne Cowling, Centre of Rhythm Dancers, the Robbie Williams Experience and the Fit Swimmers band who performed to an enthusiastic crowd of supporters of research into meningococcal disease. The night was another triumph for the organisers and is presented to raise funds to support the national awareness campaign and to treasure the memory of Amanda Young who was un-expectantly taken by meningococcal disease at the tender age of 18. Corporate Theatre has been a proud supporter of the ball since it's inception.

Fresh from Corporate Theatre's scenic workshop this full scale stage set featured a replica Pilitus PC12 aircraft which was the hero stage set piece for the prestigious Royal Flying Doctor Ball held at the Hyatt Regency Perth.

Taking in a Under Southern Stars theme the black tie awards night featured a spectacular outback night time setting under the stars which immersed the audience - surrounded them in the experience of the great Australian sky by night.

The Spirit of the West Awards presented on the night awarded RFDS aviation & medical staff who had undertaken amazing feets of skill and bravery to save lives. Special recognition was also given to the fund raisers from throughout Western Australia who individually raised thousands of dollars for the RFDSWA.

Working alongside RFDSWA Public Affairs the audiovisual event production, aircraft construction and room themeing was fully orchestrated by Corporate Theatre's production team led by Vaughan Emery.

Held for the first time outside China the BOAO Conference in association with the Government of Western Australia brought together government officials, industry leaders, scholars and experts to take stock of global supply and demand for resources and energy.

The Hyatt Regency Perth’s considerable convention spaces were fully transformed to welcome the 300 delegates to the conference. Corporate Theatre undertook the technical operations, designed room layouts as well as the stylising the various stages throughout the hotel used for the two day multilingual forums.

High level speakers included Premier Colin Barnett as well as Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd, Minister for Trade Dr Craig Emerson, FMG boss Andrew Forrest plus the former Prime Minister of Japan Fukuda Yasuo and Vice Premier of China Zeng Peiyan. The former Governor General of Australia Michael Jeffries also presented a thought provoking discussion paper.

In 1986 a determined group of Perth’s business leaders decided to take action to form The 500 Club to promote conservative political thinking. Celebrating 25 years since the founding of the Club members and their guests gathered at the Hyatt Regency Perth for a special anniversary gala ball.

With guest of honour in attendance, the Premier of Western Australia the Hon Colin Barnett MLA and Mrs Lyn Barnett the evening featured the iconic music of the Eighties, a surprise ACDC tribute opener, a headline recital by Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts as well as the re-creation of the two famous watering holes of the era - The Blue Note Bar and The Mediterranean, which on the night masqueraded as the Champagne Bar.

After dinner, super showman Tod Johnston and his band Peace Love and all that Stuff kept the dance floor packed until midnight with Eighties hits and memories – a significant achievement considering the ball was mid week.

As the theme of the night said: “1986 come on COME ON!”

The ADC Future Summit brought together leaders from business, government, the public sector and academia to improve the understanding of issues affecting the future of Australia. Corporate Theatre undertook the stage design and technical direction of the two day think-tank held within the spectacular Grand Hyatt Hotel in Melbourne.

Corporate Theatre’s senior conference team from Perth stage managed the Summit which included the creation of a fluid stage set to underline the Future Summit’s objective to create a forum for the free flow of information and ideas.

The AICD 2011 conference in Beijing was the biggest Australian business group meeting event ever held in China. Requiring 14 months of planning, the 3 day intensive business conference titled “Riding with the Dragon” was spread over 10 venues and headquartered in the China World Hotel – widely recognised as Beijing’s foremost business meeting venue.

Corporate Theatre has staged numerous events in China and as Managing Director Vaughan Emery said “the devil is always in the detail” Corporate Theatre was appointed and undertook the creative and technical production of the conference with their seven member production team from Perth who worked closely with the AICD National Conference and events team in Sydney to plan every last detail of the conference. The three day event included Welcome Cocktails on the Great Wall of China and at the Formal Dinner, spectacular headline performances featuring Wendy Matthews and Glenn Shorrock of Little River Band fame.

As one senior delegates from KPMG remarked after the conference: “To have organised an event of this quality in Australia would be impressive, but to have done so in Beijing is truly extraordinary”.