meeting in europe
By PEGGY SWISHER

Translating the
Differences
Slight variations in terms and customs in North America and abroad can
mean a lot when planning international meetings

Planning a meeting or convention abroad can be very different from planning a similar event in the United States, and may be a daunting and challenging task for someone who is not familiar with the cultural differences and the technicalities of the venues in the foreign destination.

Yet interest in foreign meetings is growing. Corinthia Hotels, a luxury brand of hotels in Europe and Africa, has experienced a 70 percent growth in 2006 overall room revenues from the U.S. market, including corporate travel, meetings and incentives, as well as leisure, according to Ann Tillman, vice president, sales and marketing, Corinthia Hotels USA.

American meeting planners can take steps to ease the planning of meetings abroad. First off, Tillman said, "know exactly how much it's going to cost." She said most U.S. planners like to have the cost of the meeting quoted in U.S. dollars. Tillman said if it were a global company with a local office in the meetings destination, planners should request the quote in the local currency enabling them to apply for the Value Added Tax or VAT refund.

Most European hotels do not have a large meeting space, so groups of more than 500 attendees will usually not be able to meet within a single hotel and will need to use meeting space in a convention center.

Planners also need to specify and check that all meeting rooms are non-smoking in both hotels and convention centers. "In a lot of European countries, smoking is permitted so ashtrays will be in the meeting rooms," Tillman said. Some restaurants have non-smoking sections, but these tend to be smaller than those in American restaurants.

When communicating with hotel and convention staff, Tillman explains there are some terms for which there is no exact translation. For example, a podium in most countries is a stage, a place to stand on, and does not include a lectern for presenters to put their notes on. "In most cases, if it's a good quality hotel, there are people in the banquet department who know these things, but they may not," Tillman said. "You have to be very specific."

Another common misunderstanding concerns hotel rooms. A twin bed in some European hotels is a single bed for one person. A double is a room with two single beds (not two doubles or two queens). "In most cases, the size of the room would not accommodate [beds of those size] because the buildings are much older; there's not so much space in European cities," Tillman said. It's important to know of such seemingly minor differences and to make attendees aware of them before they arrive.

Tillman said it is also important for planners to understand local customs, especially gratuities. Tipping standards are very different in each individual country and it's important to not over-tip. "Over-tipping is viewed as being very American," Tillman said. In many countries, it's 10 percent, or 12 percent if the service is very good. 

Peggy Swisher is Convene's managing editor. Meeting in Europe is sponsored by the Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions. Visit its Web site at www.goholland.com.