About the International Centre for Migration Policy Development
The International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) is an intergovernmental organisation with 21 Member States, supporting governments in the development of rights-based migration governance. Its work spans policy advice, capacity building, and dialogue processes across more than 90 countries worldwide.
One of its flagship initiatives is the Vienna Migration Conference (VMC), an annual forum that brings together senior policymakers, migration practitioners and experts to engage in in-depth exchanges on key migration issues. Each two-day conference generates hours of recorded discussions that are transcribed and synthesised into report insights and policy-relevant reflections.
The Challenge: In-house transcription slowing down post-conference reporting
Each edition of the Vienna Migration Conference produces between 15 and 20 hours of recordings. These need to be transcribed shortly after the event so ICMPD’s editors can prepare session summaries for the annual VMC report.
Before using Amberscript, this work was often done manually. Team members listened back to full sessions and transcribed them themselves, which took a significant amount of time and stretched internal capacity. As a result, the report-writing process slowed down. For smaller projects, the team sometimes used free online tools, but these often caused issues such as unreliable downloads or uneven transcript quality.
The Solution: Professional transcription for large volumes of conference recordings
ICMPD adopted Amberscript’s human-made transcription service to manage the large volume of conference recordings. The team began using the service in 2021 and has relied on it for every Vienna Migration Conference since.
Audio files are uploaded shortly after the conference ends and transcripts are delivered within a short timeframe. This allows editors to start working on session summaries without delay. Transparent communication with the customer support team also ensures the service continues to meet ICMPD’s needs overtime.
The Results: Post-conference communication deadlines met with fast delivery and support
Working with Amberscript made it possible for ICMPD to keep tight post-event communication timelines, which is essential for them.
Transcripts arrived quickly and provided a solid, reliable basis for producing clear and accurate session summaries for the VMC report. As Adrián Román-López explained: “Without Amberscript, I don’t think we could’ve managed to do it so fast.”
With fast delivery, high-quality and responsive support, ICMPD was able to turn large volumes of conference recordings into structured outputs within the required deadlines.
To sum it up
When reflecting on the collaboration, Adrián highlighted how Amberscript became a reliable part of ICMPD’s post-conference process.
Over several conference cycles, the partnership has remained successful. With quick turnaround times, high-quality transcripts and responsive support, ICMPD has been able to turn long, complex conference discussions into clear outputs, making conference content more accessible to its audience.
Are you also managing large amounts of event recordings under tight deadlines? Get in touch with Amberscript to see how we can support your post-event reporting.