MARK HOLLAND “IN LATIN AMERICA…NOBODYWANTED TO SHARE WITH ONE ANOTHER. SO US GOING DOWN THERE, WE KIND OF TAUGHT THEM THAT YOU REALLY CAN BRING A COMMUNITY OF [NATURAL-RESOURCES] LAWYERS TOGETHER TO HELP ONE ANOTHER.”
weren’t on time, they alsoweren’t “to the [high] levelwe receive back from Freeman here in the U.S.,”Welch said. “Products themselves are at somewhat of a lower level than we are used to domestically.” (Roll with the punches.) On the other hand, what conference attendee really takes
note of—and is put off by—a sign that happens to be of slightly lesser quality than it might be back home? “Atten- dees don’t notice a bevel in a sign,”Welch said. “We notice those things. As long as it’s a smooth process for attendees, they couldn’t care less.”
Ask a Local Seeking access to local expertise is one way that planners bringing ameeting to an emerging destination can avoid problems — both foreseen and unforeseen. Of course, local repre- sentatives also can help in awide vari- ety of other ways. Welch recommends—at least for
the first year a meeting is held in a newemerging destination—enlisting the help of local members or a local industry organization. The India- based Association of Biotech-Led Enterprises (ABLE) helped BIO by providing contacts and being able to communicate directly with vendors without having to navigate the sig- nificant time difference that BIOdid. “If we hadn’t had that,”Welch said, “it would have beenmuchmore difficult.” For his part, Holland employs “people on the ground” to
assist in dealingwith local printers—many ofwhom, at least in South America, are likely to insist on being paid ahead of time—and to actually reconnoiter the property under con- siderationwith regard to location, safety, traffic, shopping, din- ing, and so on.
Aligning yourmeetingwith an indigenous organization that
shares your group’s mission is also a good strategy. Although Holland sometimes uses destination management companies (DMCs) or tourism commissions in South America, at other times he has solicited help from office managers at local law firms that RMMLF is working with. After all, Holland said, these firms “have a real vested and non-financial interest inmak- ing sure ourmeeting is a success.” Workingwith a local group also can pay dividends in terms
of spreading themission and spirit of your own organization. For instance, when RMMLF first brought a meeting to Latin America, the organizationwas able to tap into a community of
CULTURAL SENSITIVITY:When planning conferences in theMiddle East, Cathy Ryan, CMP, senior director of international meetings for the Healthcare Information andManagement Systems Society (HIMSS), takes care to keep inmind unique cultural requirements such asmaking sure gender-segregated prayer rooms are avail- able for exhibitors and attendees.At left, a typical trade-showfloor scene fromHIMSS Middle East,whichwas launched in Bahrain in 2009.
natural-resources lawyerswhowere “really helpful,”Holland said. “In Latin America that was pretty much unknown.… Nobody wanted to share with one another. So us going down there,we kind of taught themthat you really can bring a com- munity of lawyers together to help one another.” In fact, at that first meeting, a group of local lawyers created a Latin Ameri- canmining-lawyers association that still exists today.