Successful Meetings - September 2007 - (Page 26)

Planner’s Workshop > Pre-Event you think about working on the other side of the world, you probably expect that lastminute changes (a fact of the meeting planner’s life) will be even more difficult to deal with. But you may be pleasantly surprised, as I was. A few years ago, we were producing an event for a large financial services company that was going to do important training for their clients. The topic became so popular that projected attendance skyrocketed. It looked as if the hotel ballroom was not going to be large enough to accommodate the whole group, but the client didn’t want to turn anyone away. We decided to change the seating configuration, and planned to use schoolroomtype chairs with desks attached. This would enable us to increase the size of the group by 30 percent. When we asked the venue to find the furniture, they said it was unavailable as a rental item but told us that they would find someone to manufacture these chairs/desks! Knowing that special orders for furniture usually take months and cost big bucks here at home, we were very skeptical, to say the least. The venue came back with a price for custom-built chairs for less than we knew the cost would be to rent in the U.S., and they were delivered on time. The moral of the story: Don’t be afraid to ask for what, in North America, might be considered outrageous. You will rarely get no for an answer. Peter Hauser is executive producer of VisionPilots, a global event and corporate meeting production firm. His 25-year career has included the creation of successful events in China and around the world for Deloitte, IBM, JP Morgan Chase, the 2002 Winter Olympics, and other leading organizations. times it happened to me I thought it was disaster for sure, but I’m a lot calmer now. AVOID THE “UGLY AMERICAN” SYNDROME Vestiges of the decades-old American reputation for treating vendors and suppliers without respect still remain in Chinese memory. And sometimes what Americans consider businesslike or professional behavior is seen as curt or discourteous in other societies. If you take the time to learn a little about the Chinese culture and show respect for the needs and feelings of the people you’re working with, you can expect a very positive experience. One small example that goes a long way: Be on time. Asians are timely and expect the same; they will hold it against you if you are late for appointments. 8 9 ASK FOR THE IMPOSSIBLE; YOU’LL PROBABLY GET IT As http://www.meetingplacecaribbean.com http://www.meetingplacecaribbean.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - September 2007

Successful Meetings - September 2007 Contents Editor's Note Research Calendar Suppliers Planner Spotlight Websites of the Month Management Matters Meetings Law Personal Success Pre-Event Tools of the Trade The Social Revolution Long Beach Insert State of the Art A Better Banquet The Seven Wonders of the Gaming World On the List Places & Spaces Caribbean Trinidad & Tobago Insert Monaco Greater Los Angeles Hilton Head/Myrtle Beach Gurus Nevada Planners Guide 2007 This Just In Las Vegas The Big Picture The Benefits of Being Small Let's Get Together Let Us Entertain You This Just in Reno Tahoe Perfect Complements Hotel Stats & Contact Info Hawaii Incentive Handbook 2007

Successful Meetings - September 2007

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.