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Project Scope

Impact Communications was appointed to manage the media arrangements for the Western Australian leg of the visit to Australia by Queen Elizabeth II in April 2000 and again in October 2011.

The Queen’s visit to Western Australia in 2011, which coincided with the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, attracted a contingent of more than 1000 international, national and local media to cover her and the Duke of Edinburgh’s  public engagements over four days including the State Reception at Government House and the Royal Aussie Barbecue on Perth's Esplanade.

All media wanted access to photographs, audio and video from prime positions at each of the Queen's public engagements and in most cases there was insufficient space to accommodate them. Media access also presented a range of potential security risks.

Our Action

Impact Communications established a close working relationship with the Protocol Office of the Ministry of the Premier and Cabinet and with the large contingent of local, national and international media covering the visit.

Impact participated in more than two months of extensive planning with representatives from a wide range of organisations that included the Office of Protocol, Buckingham Palace, CHOGM Organisers, state and federal police, Department of Transport, City of Perth, Government Media Office and the Prime Minister's Office. A detailed media document was prepared for the tour from the moment of the Queen’s arrival to departure.

Impact developed a strategy to identify fixed and mobile media positions and established a system for pooling photographs, video and audio material for each public engagement.

Impact then coordinated a briefing meeting with all interested media which covered details of the tour, media positions for each engagement and the pooling system. Relationships were established among various media to enable them to cover all events and to share pooled material.

The Impact team attended each event and liaised with the Queen’s media representatives to facilitate appropriate media access.

The Impact

The system of pooling and location of media positions were accepted by the Queen’s representatives and the media without change.

The media arrangements in Western Australia were acknowledged by the Queen’s press staff as the best they encountered during the Royal tour. Director, Linley Buchanan, was personally thanked by many of the Western Australian media who were extremely happy with their access and resulting coverage of the Royal Visit.

In addition to managing the media for the Queen’s state visits, Impact Communications has also managed the media for: His Majesty Carl XVI Gustaf, King of Sweden in 2005; HRH Prince of Wales in 2005; and, the President of China in 2007. In 2005, Impact managed the state funerals for Senator Peter Cook; Mr Peter Casserly, the last serving WWI Australian soldier; and Sir Charles Court in 2008.