"When you are in Rome, you should at least know what the Romans do," says Wintz, who has been organizing international meetings for more that 20 years and speaks regularly on the topic. Some of the key areas she says meeting planners need to keep in mind for an overseas meeting are "how culture affects the learning environment, preferred learning style, and expectations about hospitality at meetings and conventions."

To make international attendees feel welcome and to work smoothly with hotel and service staff in a foreign country, she also notes it is important to be aware of different expectations when it comes to punctuality, dress codes, introductions, diet, national holidays, and religious observances. Each country has its own protocol and social customs, so it's necessary to do your homework before you even start to plan an overseas meeting. From the design of an effective registration form to the start time for a cocktail party, the differences between a North American norm and what the locals do can be significant. Here are some tips and a list of resources to help gaffe-proof your next international meeting.

Learning Styles
"North Americans like 20-minute speakers with lots of laughter, but Asians and Arabs like long, complex lectures," Wintz, whose biannual meeting draws 2,000 attendees, said. In some cultures, interactivity is encouraged in sessions; in others, people have been conditioned to not ask questions or participate in an open dialogue. It's important to understand the expectations in your host country and of your attendees.

Time and Place
"In Switzerland, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Japan, China, and Belgium punctuality is expected. But you better be at least 15 minutes late in Latin America," she said, adding, "In China, an itinerary will say '7:18 a.m.: Go to breakfast.' At 7:15 someone will be outside your door ready to knock at precisely 7:18 a.m." On the flip side, meetings in South America can start a day late. "Down there, building relationships is more important than time," she added.

In Africa, delays caused by VIP tardiness are common and accepted. "At a meeting we had in Uganda, the government official was late for his opening remarks. The whole conference waited until he arrived and nobody complained," recalls Michelle Malloy, CMP, CAE, director of meetings for the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC).

When planning a meeting's start time, it is also important to consider geography. "In Europe, attendees will fly in from their respective cities the same day to attend a meeting, so they usually start later," notes Gregg Talley, CAE, president of Talley Management Group.

Language Barriers
At Wintz's meetings, attendees come from North, South, and Central America, as well as Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and the Philippines; content must be presented in five or six languages. Working with a $1 million budget, she admits, "Interpreters are my second biggest bill." The cost for simultaneous interpreters (versus consecutive, a longer process in which the speaker stops every three or four sentences for the interpreter to translate), headsets, and a booth is around $20,000 per language, Wintz estimates.

Proximity to an overhead screen can also be crucial to comprehension. "At our dual-language conferences we'll put up screens with a welcome message in each language as attendees come into a room. Then they can sit by the right screen before the meeting starts and not have to change seats," explained Erin Skootsky, director of international programs for NARUC.

No matter how many interpreters you have, it is a good idea to learn a few phrases in the host country's language. "I always learn 'hello,' 'goodbye,' 'please,' and 'thank you.' Everyone from attendees to hotel staff appreciates it," Wintz said.

Same Word, Opposite Meaning
Don't assume you understand because a word is spoken in English. In some cultures, a word or phrase has a completely opposite meaning. "The Chinese want to be very accommodating. They will say 'yes' to every question even though they mean 'no.' You have to dig deeper and know how to ask the right questions," warns Talley. According to International Business Etiquette: Asia and The Pacific Rim by Ann Marie Sabath, there are a number of phrases to watch out for. "It is inconvenient," "I am not sure," and "maybe," mean "no" in China while in Japan negatives include "we will think about it," "we will see," and "perhaps." "No" is also avoided by Mexicans. "Maybe" or "we will see" may actually mean "no" in that country as well.

The word "no" has harsh implications in India, according to Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands, by Terri Morrison and Wayne A. Conaway. Being vague ("I'll try") is a more acceptable way to refuse an invitation. For these reasons, it is important to get all agreements in writing in other countries, as "yes" may have been said only out of politeness.

Naming Conventions
If you're hosting a meeting in Africa, it's necessary to have forms with a lot of space since attendees can have multiple surnames that run to 20 letters. Nametags also must have enough room for a name and full title. "In Mali they are very formal; there are no abbreviations on name tags," explains Malloy.

In China, Wintz learned the last name is the familiar name. "Our organization's policy is to call everyone by their first name, but that did not work in Asia since the first name is seldom used."

How a date is written also differs.
"Every country other than the United States writes the day, month, and year," warns Wintz, who also notes, "Even paper size can be a surprise. While the U.S. and Canadian norm is 8 1/2 x 11 inches, the rest of the world uses a size called A4, which is a little thinner and shorter than our legal size."

Biz Cards
In Asia, presenting a business card is a very formal procedure done with both hands. The recipient is expected to look at the card very carefully before placing it in a safe, secure place. "In North America we just shove it into a pocket. That is very disrespectful in Asia," says Wintz.

Know Your F&B
When it comes to menu planning, it is imperative to respect a host country's religious observances. Pork and shellfish are not appropriate to serve to Muslim (or Jewish) attendees. "We make sure the ingredients of a local dish are properly identified in the menu or on the buffet," Skootsky said. Alcohol can also be iffy. For instance, in the Philippines, women generally don't drink alcoholic beverages. "When we had a meeting in Manila, we started it with a cocktail party and nobody showed up," Wintz recalled. On the other hand, "a lunch without wine in Europe would be very unusual," Talley said.

Sartorial Savvy
International wardrobe planning calls for an avoidance of anything too casual or revealing. "Most of the world is more conservative than North America. For women, pants are usually OK, but I find a longish skirt will always stand you in good stead no matter where you are. I also find sandals and sleeveless shirts to be generally unacceptable," Wintz said.

Give Them Space
Placing a VIP in a seat of honor can be a confusing process. In Asia, at a traditional board table, the place of honor is "in the middle, facing the door," Wintz explained.

"I've found people need less personal space in Eastern Europe and Africa," observes Malloy. "In North America three people is the maximum you'd seat at six-foot tables classroom style; over there you can put four. With theater-style seating we put two to three inches between chairs, but over there they sit right next to each other."

Fine Dining
Dining and entertainment take on very distinct roles, depending on the country. "International attendees need a lot more social time than Americans who want to get right to business," notes Michael Payne, executive vice president of association management company SmithBucklin. "If your meeting is 90 percent Americans and you are meeting in Latin America, you can go ahead and eat at 7 p.m. If not, the regular time for the evening meal is at 10 p.m. North Americans can be guilty of assuming our way is the only way to do something. Generally, if a meeting is being held overseas, it should reflect the culture of that country. Otherwise, why go?" asks Payne.

In Asia, stand-up banquets are very common. "The table is set as a buffet, but the guests stand the whole time, and it's not appropriate to do business," Wintz said.

One tip Malloy offers is to stay away from luncheon speakers. "They are highly frowned upon everywhere except the United States."

On the Money
Be aware of whether your attendees have credit cards to pay for hotel incidentals. "Many of ours do not and we had to warn them that they'd need a cash deposit in order to have the mini bar opened and phone turned on. Debit cards can also pose a problem because some hotels will put a block on it for a certain amount of money that they won't be able to access for a set amount of time," says Malloy.

When quoting hotel rates, it's also important to know that Europeans are used to breakfast being included with their rates.

Partnering for Success
The vital link to local suppliers, accommodations, and event venues for most international meeting planners is a professional congress organizer (PCO). A PCO can do everything from airline bookings to special events. They provide a single point of contact for planning and can usually secure favorable rates.

"SmithBucklin formed a global partnership with a PCO company called MCI. They know all the variables for an event to work properly and have local expertise and knowledge. A PCO offers more than a DMC [destination management company], with services like abstract processing and negotiating hotel packaging," said Payne.

Wintz points out in Professional Meeting Management, "Some countries require the involvement of a domestic company to organize a meeting or exhibition but even if there is no specific requirement, a local firm can be helpful in identifying compatible organizations and/or government agencies that might be willing to host and contribute to the event. Whether local advice is secured voluntarily or by government requirement, it can have an impact on the overall budget and should be decided at an early date."

Dealing with Drayage
The ways different countries tally the costs for shipping can take you by surprise if you're not prepared. The same holds true for those not used to U.S. exhibits. "We had an issue with the International Airport Duty Free Stores meeting in Las Vegas recently," Payne said. "It was upscale and exhibitors had a lot of freight. In Europe, they are not used to paying drayage, while here a decorator charges by weight what it costs to move a booth from the dock to the space on the exhibit floor. The exhibitors were upset at having to pay the additional moving expenses but we resolved the problem by rolling the cost of the drayage into the booth cost."

Entitled to Get it Right
"In Asia, they are very formal. It's extremely important who gets seated where and formal banquets are a big deal. There is a very strict ranking system, the hierarchy is complex and they expect you to understand it. What that translates to is taking much more time to do your research about who gets seated next to whom. Titles are also very important to get right," advises Talley.

Titles are also critical in other countries. In Mexico, for example, business associates are addressed by title only, such as Professor. In almost all cultures, it's wise to wait until your counterpart initiates the switch to using first names.

Gift Giving
It is customary to give and receive gifts for a multitude of reasons in most countries. From a speaker's honorarium to a tip for the bellboy, planners need to do their research and find out what the locals do, and then pass the word on to attendees. "I've let our participants know that a 10 percent tip is totally acceptable in most European and African countries. But I tell them they sometimes have to ask if a gratuity is included in a bill," explains Malloy, who notes that her organization doesn't allow her to give cash tips. "We bring a lot of little items such as key chains and baseball caps to hand out for hotel gratuities. In Eastern Europe, I found you can't give something to just one person, you have to have enough for the whole team," she says. No matter whether your meeting is as close to the border as Mexico or as far away as Uzbekistan, you will have to do your homework to understand and respect the local culture and protocol. You can't just cross your fingers (they find that offensive in Paraguay) and hope for the best.

° Contributing Editor Maureen Littlejohn is a freelance writer in Toronto.