sg@sinkomm.com
sg@sinkomm.com
Get a free quote
Outsourcing events in Dubai

128 Translation Channels, Uptime 100%
How We Saved the EBRD Forum Amidst a Snowstorm and High-Stakes Politics
Case Study

Client: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
Location: Yerevan, The Dvin
Task: Technical support for 8 halls and 128 remote interpreters
Result: 100% broadcast uptime, a new logistics standard
In May 2024, the SINKOM team received a non-standard request: to provide technical support for remote simultaneous translation for 128 translators

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is a heavyweight among international financial institutions, holding forums with the participation of heads of government and discussing global issues.

The first challenge is the scale of the task
Check if the contractor is shy about huge projects.

The task was extremely clear, but extremely difficult.

  • This project has become more than just a landmark case for us.

    But it could have led to the collapse of my entire career and reputation in the b2b and b2g events market.

    — Sergey Galkin, CEO of SINKOM
There is a majestic view of Mount Ararat and tranquility.

Below is the hotel in Yerevan, where we did the impossible
We had to provide the perfect sound for the forum, on which billions of dollars of investment depended.
Why didn't we have the right to make mistakes?
It was not just an event. It was an exam in front of two figures, mistakes in which are unacceptable.
The Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan
A politician at the epicenter of deep confrontation. A man called the culprit of national catastrophes by the opposition, and a guarantor of democracy by supporters. He has survived coup attempts and is in open conflict with the church.
A microphone failure during his speech is not a "technical glitch." In this heated atmosphere, it is perceived as sabotage, organizational weakness, or a political provocation
The "Iron Lady" of Finance Odile Renaud-Basso
The President of the EBRD is a global financial arbiter. She controls the bank's strategy and holds the deciding vote. The EBRD has invested heavily in Armenia, but can freeze funding if the country violates democratic standards.
We were responsible for ensuring that 77 shareholder nations heard every word. A technical failure could undermine trust in Armenia as a reliable partner and lead to reputational losses
None of the participants ever found out how much effort it took just to provide clear sound in their headphones.
Armenia's key topics were discussed at the forum: the Crossroads of the World initiative to restore communications between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the green economy and support for the private sector.
The project can be compared to an action game in three parts, where each episode is a struggle with new, unforeseen difficulties, and the price of a mistake is equal to the failure of the entire event.
Challenge #1: Logistics vs. The Elements
Нам предстояло собрать сложнейшую гибридную систему.
When local contractors refused the task due to lack of capacity, SINKOM accepted the challenge.
The Armenian branch of the EBRD did not have the necessary equipment, and local suppliers could not provide it. We decided to build the system on our own. Some of the equipment had to be delivered from Dubai, some from Russia.
The weather will change in an hour
A snow storm has started on the Upper Lars pass. The columns of trucks stopped, but we didn't have time to wait.

We made the risky decision to walk along the oncoming lane, bypassing the main column. This gave us a critical 12 hours. After 4 days, the road along which we broke through was completely covered.
We passed by on our trucks
Challenge #3: The Bureaucratic Trap
At the border, customs detained our equipment, mistaking the equipment for dual-use cargo.
Solution: Diplomatic channels and emergency cooperation with the Armenian Foreign Ministry have been activated. We left the border only 24 hours later
Challenge No. 4: Weak Internet
A hot phase has begun in Yerevan: installation and integration.
It was necessary to combine our system with the local infrastructure and the Bosch Integrus platform, providing stable connectivity for 128 remote locations.
The forum participants saw only beautiful screens and heard a clear translation.
Neither Pashinyan nor Renault-Basso found out what it cost us. Everything worked perfectly
  • 2000+
    kilometers of extreme logistics
  • 128
    Remote interpreters worked
  • 0.013
    seconds of internet speed delay
Immediately after our departure, a mudflow washed away the bridge.
  • This project has changed our approach to logistics and deployment.

    Today, we have equipment in every city of our presence and a contract with a reliable transportation company capable of delivering equipment anywhere in the world within 24 hours.

    — Sergey Galkin, CEO of SINKOM