CMP SERIES CERTIFICATION MADE POSSIBLE SMOKING ETIQUETTE

Terri Morrison

‘Even the most boring-seeming symbols in your marketing materials can generate the wrong message.’

fig. 11 — Much of the world still smokes, so make sure attendees know where they can go to light up — and make sure it’s a comfortable, secure, accessible space.

Carol Lazier

‘In our opening session, we make mention of the fact that we have people from certain countries, and we may ask them to please stand.’

Test Time Once you finish reading this CMP Series article, read the following:

› An explanation of the Geert Hofstede cul- tural dimensions scores, plus profiles of five regions (bonus: snapshots of 31 countries), at cyborlink.com/besite/hofstede.htm.

› A cross-cultural international communica- tion brief from the Reference for Business Encyclopedia of Business, 2nd edition, at convn.org/cross-culture-comm.

To earn one hour of CEU credit, visit pcma

.org/convenecmp to answer questions about the information contained in this CMP Series article and in the additional material.

The Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) is a regis- tered trademark of the Convention Industry Council.

HOW TO MAKE CONTACT Organizers should start thinking cross-culturally long before attendees arrive at a meeting, said Terri Morrison, an intercultural communications consultant and author of Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands, a bestselling business-etiquette guide. All marketing and registration materials should be viewed through a multicultural lens, and organizers should be mindful of even the most innocuous-seeming details, such as colors and graphics, Morrison cautioned. “You need to be looking at all your images and colors to ensure you’re not unintentionally insulting anyone,” she said. “Even the most boring-seeming symbols in your marketing materials can generate the wrong message. You could use a plant or animal

— like an owl, that means wisdom to you, but might signify stupidity in some Asian countries.” If a meeting expects a large number of attendees from a particular country, it may be worth translating registration and marketing materials into those attendees’ language, said Carol Lazier, vice president of membership and inter- national relations at ASPS. About 15 percent of attendees at the ASPS annual meeting are international, with large contingencies from Brazil, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. In years past, ASPS even created country-specific marketing materials with unique content targeted to attendees from South Korea. If a U.S.-based meeting is expecting attendees from coun- tries that require an entry visa, the conference website is a good place to provide information and support, said Stephen

48 PCMA CONVENE SEPTEMBER 2013 PCMA.ORG