The logistics to make this panel discussion a success involved outfitting divers with waterproof communication gear, synchronising speech delivery underwater, and establishing a sound and video system that could transmit in real-time.
Corporate Maldives
In true Maldivian style, Ooredoo Maldives has set a new Guinness World Record for the World's largest underwater panel discussion.
The panel discussion, held in the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of Baa Atoll, was conducted at a depth of five metres, featuring five speakers, including Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Resources Ahmed Shiyam, Ooredoo Maldives CEO Khalid Al-Hamadi, Brigadier General Mohamed Saleem of the Maldives National Defence Force, and Ooredoo team members Shabeen Ali and Afsheen Mohamed.
This historic moment was not only an environmental appreciation by the company but also a technological innovation as the audio and video of the panel discussion were broadcast live to viewers in Male', Qatar and other countries as well.
This was more than a record. It was a real-time demonstration of the strength of the Ooredoo network, enabling voice and video calls underwater and overseas, without missing a beat.
Each speaker addressed the audience for two whole minutes, using pressurised headsets. According to Corporate Maldives, the logistics to make this panel discussion a success involved outfitting divers with waterproof communication gear, synchronising speech delivery underwater, and establishing a sound and video system that could transmit in real-time.
This, however, is not the first time the Maldives is making headlines for hosting underwater events. In October 2009, former President Mohamed Nasheed, former Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed, and 11 cabinet ministers took underwater events to the next level by hosting the world's first-ever underwater cabinet meeting.
Back then, the meeting was hosted with the participants donned un scuba gear and submerged to 4 meters below the surface. The meeting, which not largely caught the media's attention was done in a bid to push for a stronger climate change agreement in the climate summit that was upcoming in Copenhagen at the time. The 2009 30-minute long underwater cabinet meeting was held in a lagoon off Girifushi island - with a clear message 'SOS from the frontline'.
