Background
NB Communication has deep experience of working in the inter-governmental organisation (IGO) field. Over many years we have developed a close partnership with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) team in London.
The IMO tasked us to develop a brand new website for the MEPSEAS programme. This programme sets out conventions for seven South-East Asian countries to aim to adhere to. The aim of this project is to better protect the seas around the region.
NB planned, designed, developed and launched the new website on behalf of the IMO for the MEPSEAS project. They required a convenient point of information for industry-related personnel as well as the general public who have a keen interest in the ocean environment in South-East Asia.
Because MEPSEAS was a new project, at the time of beginning work on this website, it did not have much of an online presence. We wanted to help create a site that would promote the IMO's work in the area. Strategically, this meant there was a sharp focus on ensuring that we built a site that would return strong search results in search engines such as Google.
Challenge
With no existing website in place for the MEPSEAS project, we had to work from a completely blank slate to create something that best represented what it’s all about. We ensured that it conveys the fact that the work IMO are doing in South-East Asia is important. We had to keep in mind that the site had to provide in-depth information to those working in the IGO sector with a specific interest in this type of work. We also knew that it needed to convey to the general public the key messages of how this MEPSEAS project is vital to helping give this unique region the protection it needs.
Solution
We worked remotely with key staff from the International Maritime Organisation’s headquarters in London. Firstly, we gained a good understanding of what the MEPSEAS project entails. We used this to then plan out a layout and structure for the site that would meet the challenges. We used experience gained from previous jobs with inter-governmental organisations to share our ideas on how things like information on conventions and documents that people who may attend MEPSEAS-related meetings can access.
One important aspect of the job was replicating the data that MEPSEAS were holding in a spreadsheet. This was recording how the seven countries involved in the project were progressing with each of the conventions. We turned it into something digital and very simple for the IMO to keep updated. We developed an interactive progress chart which now allows their staff to simply change colours of boxes on a matrix-style table to highlight progress. They can mark conventions which are completed, in-progress, and yet to be started, by each country. This information is important to all involved in the project and being able to update it with ease and view the information at a glance makes it an excellent resource for them.