By David Gabri
Indications are that the North American meetings and incentives industries appear to be experiencing a resurgence in planning programs outside of the United States. At ALHI, we have seen a surge in the demand for meetings and incentive travel programs around the globe since the first quarter of 2012, and this has continued in 2013.
While planning a meeting at a location outside of North America can be an exciting challenge, it also can be very daunting. There are often more things to consider, and to coordinate, for global programs, when compared to a domestic program.
To help address this, ALHI recently teamed with Delta Air Lines to conduct two Global Meetings Webcasts for planners, which provided tips for planning programs outside of the United States.
Leslie Zeck, CMP, CMM, director of meetings for the International and American Associations for Dental Research, was among the presenting panelists. Responsible for planning annual conventions for up to 7,000 attendees, as well as regional conferences in Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America, she offered the following tips.
- Never use abbreviations or acronyms in communication and contracts.
- Spell out dates rather than using numerals, to avoid date-format confusion (i.e. 4/12/13 is certainly different from 12/4/13).
- Detail your RFP as much as you can, including using photographs to define the specifics of what you envision.
- Write your own cut-off dates for booking in your contract or RFP.
- Outline deadlines for responses back from a hotel in your final contract.
- Expect to pre-pay 100% in advance, or have strict deposit guidelines.
- Utilize the Internet, where resources are endless.
- Every Customs Patrol is different. Understand the rules for getting materials through to your destination.
- Always hire a reputable customs broker.
- Be in the know on the political and economic climate of the destination. Read destination news in the months leading up to your program.
- Know the Visa requirements early and communicate the time it will take to obtain documents, if necessary (www.VisaCenter.com).
- Know what immunizations and inoculations may be required.
- Know and/or work with a resource to understand VAT (Value Added Tax) for your destination.
- Use local organizing committees as a resource to save you time and money.
- Familiarize yourself with important culture and customs of local people; get a guidebook.
- Know your options for telecommunications, IT and connectivity, especially in the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) (www.bric.com).
- Consider the impact time zones will have on your program schedule, attendees and travel. You may need to amend the typical event or session times.
Sirin Koprucu, founder, principal trainer and consultant for StrategicStraits, Inc., also provided additional insight for coordinating programs outside of the United States. Koprucu discussed intercultural communication, cultural awareness, and how to work across cultures. Among her recommendations is to register with www.globesmart.com for information on business practices for more than 60 countries worldwide. You can listen to Korprucu’s presentation at www.adw-gso.com/essential/webcast_Sept_25_2012.
In addition to being able to view both webcasts on the ADW website, the site also offers additional , including a currency converter, time zone converter, weather information around the globe, a guide for Value Added Taxes (VAT), a meeting space conversion tool, the APEX RFP Workbook, translation solutions, and holidays celebrated around the world. They can be viewed at www.adw-gso.com/essentials.
With the right tools and information, planning global programs can be very exciting, rewarding, and successful.
David Gabri is president and CEO of Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI). He can be reached through their website at www.alhi.com.