The American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) Centennial Conference on Translational Cancer Medicine, held last Nov. 4-8 in Singapore, was the first meeting the 100-year-old medical research organization hosted in Asia. But in many ways, it was like planning an event in a very large, very orderly American city.

For one thing, virtually everyone in the island-nation speaks English. What's more, said AACR Director of Meetings and Exhibits Linda Still, CMP, the sleek Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre, where the AACR conference was held, is a state-of-the-art facility with top-notch hotels nearby. And, most importantly, according to AACR Director of Program Development Jeff Ruben, the conference program - which focused on emerging technologies and translating research into patient treatment - was conducted at the same cutting-edge level of science as AACR meetings held in the United States, thanks to Singapore's position as a global center for biomedical research.

Indeed, in recent years, Singapore's government has pumped billions of dollars into a biomedical initiative that has made its research facilities among the most modern anywhere. The country's Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), the Singaporean equivalent of the National Institutes of Health, was a conference partner. "Singapore spends a very large proportion of its budget on science and technology," Ruben said, "compared to the United States and most other countries." That commitment is attracting scientists from around the world. Those who have relocated to Singapore include Dr. Edison Liu, formerly a researcher at the American National Cancer Institute. Liu, now executive director of the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS), and an AACR member, was a conference co-chair.

Lessons Learned
Even with the help of local partners, who helped identify suppliers and venues, planning a meeting in a country halfway around the world wasn't exactly business as usual for the Philadelphia-based AACR staff. Costs for everything, from renting audiovisual equipment to printing to airfare, were high. (The latter was "very high," since the length of the trip from the United States to Singapore made offering business-class travel to American speakers a virtual necessity.)

And there were cultural differences to navigate, such as the expectation that substantial amounts of food be served at breaks. The standard coffee, punch, and cookies wouldn't do. Instead, Still said, the 1,200 conference attendees tucked into meat pastries, fishcakes, and yakitori at 10:30 a.m.

The AACR also posted information on the conference Web site to make sure that all attendees were aware of Singapore's legendarily strict laws, which impose stiff penalties for infractions such as littering and spitting. However, the restrictions didn't cause problems or cast a pall over the conference, Still said. "Everyone was very kind and welcoming," she said. "I'd heard how strict they can be in their regulations, but I didn't get the feeling, and I don't think my colleagues got the feeling, that it restricted us in any way." ("I did jaywalk once," she added, "and I didn't get arrested.") One effect of the laws is to make Singapore a walkable city for visitors at all hours, said Jeremy Thompson, marketing director for AACR and a former resident. "It's a very safe city," Thompson said. "I can't think of very many cities where, if you wanted to, you could walk around at three o'clock in the morning and not feel concerned about that."

Common Ground
The one truly sticky challenge Still encountered came as a result of differences in business practices in the United States and Singapore. She learned soon after she had signed her first contract that Singapore hotels expected the association to pay 100 percent of costs upfront - not just for the hotel rooms they had reserved, but for all meals, including a large banquet. Finding common ground with hotel management made for an interesting learning opportunity for the veteran planner, who oversees a staff that plans 25 to 35 meetings a year.

"They knew we needed hotel rooms and they knew we needed to do the banquet," Still said, "so [the question was,] how can we compromise so we both get what we need?" She held on to the rooms by paying small deposit fees and enlisting a U.S. salesperson associated with the Singapore hotel to intercede on her behalf, but not without a struggle. "It was a constant battle going back and forth in negotiating the contract," she said.

The experience taught her that it's one thing to thoroughly read a contract and another to fully understand the unwritten cultural assumptions that each party to a contract is making, she said. Still will have many opportunities to put her hard-won experience in cross-cultural negotiations to use: Thirty percent of the association's membership is international, and AACR is planning future meetings in Israel, India, Taiwan, and Korea, among other overseas venues.

"There's no question that science is becoming much more global," Ruben said. "AACR is reaching out to many more countries. Our goal is to cure cancer through research and prevention, and we want to get to as many regions as possible."

International Take Away

When negotiating contracts in international destinations, AACR's Linda Still advises planners to "take nothing for granted." A few of her hard-earned insights:

• Ask questions and get "a great understanding" of the answers. Then confirm the answers in writing.
• Try to use your own contract template first.
• Failing that, enlist someone locally to negotiate contracts on your behalf. Take it from Still: "It's a lot easier when someone locally is working with you."

Barbara Palmer is senior editor of Convene.