CMP SERIES CERTIFICATION MADE POSSIBLE
“Even if a staffer is authorized to communicate with attend- ees, you might need to pull in her boss or her boss’ boss as a show of respect.” The extra outreach may seem burdensome to attract
a relatively small number of people, but if growth of an international attendance base is the goal, you have to make an effort to provide these extra touches, said Phelps Hope, CMP, vice president of meetings and exhibitions for the Kel- len Company. “Most planners these days are focused on the masses and processes, not subsections,” he said. “They’ve got the basics down, but it’s generic. You have to look at what’s appropriate for specific subgroups.”
ROLL OUT THE RED CARPET Getting international attendees in the door is not the same as welcoming them; and for visitors from many cultures, the more formal and official the welcome, the better, said David Adler, CEO and founder of
BizBash.com and a protocol and events adviser to the U.S. Department of State. “Have a spe- cial banquet for them,” Adler suggested. “You greet them and you take their photographs and add a bit more formality and elevate the welcome.”
Lazier organizes just such an international reception at
ASPS’s annual meeting. “We host an international reception for all of our international attendees and include all of our leadership. That provides a very prestigious welcome,” she said. Additional recognition in program materials and open- ing remarks can go far, Lazier added. “In our opening session,” she said, “we make mention of the fact that we have people from certain countries, and we may ask them to please stand.” Also, recruit your domestic attendees to be part of the wel-
come wagon, Hope said. “Utilize your membership base to help attendees feel comfortable,” he said. “Maybe you attach international visitors to a mentor from your membership. If you make a big deal about it and say, ‘We have 47 countries represented, our industry is really growing’ — people get excited and they want to be a part of that.”
CUSTOMIZE THEIR EXPERIENCE When it comes to programming, organizers must walk a fine line between creating customized content and isolating international attendees. “The mistake that I often see is that the international visitors are not exactly ghettoized, but they might be separated in their own track,” said Martin Sirk, CEO
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