Cultured conferencing?

Simon Naudi explores some cultural differences for meeting planners to be aware of in order to avoid any etiquette fails and show they really can empathise and respect. It is almost impossible to organise a meeting or conference without being aware of gender and pronouns, race, religion and culture. Perhaps because many are not visible or obvious it becomes easy to play down their significance.

Cultural issues will have an impact on every aspect at an event from location – in Europe and the United States a location close to a bathroom is not usually an issue whereas in the Far and Middle East will be will be less popular – through to personal space. Westerners often have a need for much greater personal space than our Eastern cousins and this in turn could influence the layout of your meeting or event. Using your left hand to pass a document to a client can be frowned upon, as will treating a business card as merely a piece of paper to a Japanese audience. In a meeting, it’s common for Japanese clients to lay out the business cars (which are always treated with respect as is a two-handed approach) to reflect the seating around the table. Hospitality is far more important in the Middle East and Far East and offering food or a car wash to delegates will be far better received that free parking or cold drinks. Look at feedback sheets to see how highly catering is regarded in Asia and how important to satisfaction ratings. It is not that long ago that we were advised to wear padded suits in order to look ‘fat’ and prosperous Middle Eastern cultures, and we have to be mindful of where we point our feet with some Asian cultures, as well as avoiding public displays of affection never mind touching a Thai’s head. In south Korea for example age is important as this signifies how much respect you are due, so it’s not uncommon for the first interaction to include them asking your ages. No, Yes, Maybe… It is also a mind field to understand the difference between Yes, No and Maybe! Some cultures are very reluctant to say ‘no” even if they have no intention of doing business with you. This can be very frustrating for some when chasing up a proposal or trying to get a definitive answer. What can be seen as a bribe in one culture may be an expected in another and knowing to whom and how much to pass over facilitates a better experience. Many businesses in fact have  a budget line for such transactions. If you are organising meetings o conferences overseas, then invest in good translation of your signage. A well-known speaker once arrived determined to open his speech using the local language and memorised he signs outside the toilets. Instead of the greeting he expected he announced, in Germans ‘Welcome Ladies and Gentleman’s Urinals!’ Likewise, a native speaker to hand will pay dividends if you are not business fluent in their language. Don’t assume reaching for the sky will be difficult. Fe realise how easy it can be (and important) to attract/invite government ministers and royalty to visit, open or say a few words at your event in the Middle East and how that will boost your delegate and participant numbers. There is normally an entourage who will ‘ support’ anything their senior officials attend. Cultural colours Cultural differences extend throughout business. Everything from seating patterns to signage can be impacted. For example, mourning is symbolised by white in Asia, purple in Brazil and Yellow in Mexico. Red and yellow, however, are lucky colours in China. Confusingly, never use red printing in South Korea. In Asian countries, the number four denotes death and should be totally avoided – even in packaging in fours is a no-no. Likewise, avoid the number nine as it has connotation of suffering, and yet seven and particularly eight are considered very lucky. I had one instance where the client’s bill came to HK$76,000 and with “bits” came to HK$88,888 and the clients response was “that’s lucky!” Consider using the services of embassies and consulates as they will have ideas that you can incorporate into your events that will make a huge difference. A local official or regional representative will often be een to attract your clients and lay on experiences that would not be available to the masses. Having your dinner in some fantastic venue or having a performance or show that money can’t buy will pay huge dividends. It is interesting for your participants to learn about other cultures – but also gives an insight into how important culture is to that region. Caveat emptor Most cultures are tolerant of any faux pax perpetrated by foreigners, but those who show a sensitivity and understanding of such matters are always held in higher regard. It can be hard to break old habits and rush in with a handshake when a ‘wai’ (The wai gesture originated in Buddhism and has similar origins as namaste in Hinduism. It was basically a yogic posture of the pals and signifies the equal meeting of the two palms. it means that the other party is treated as an equal human being) or a bow is the norm or expected response. How deep you bow or how long you wai also have connotations of respect and all contribute towards a happy environment. From personal experience, I would advise as much research as possible in advance. Many years ago, we were pitching our first Japanese client and we had a trainer on our books who did a course entitled ‘How to do business in Japan’. We obtained his notes and read them and swapped notes with the presenting team. The bow and the two-handed business card pass were the key items we took away. We practised in the lift until the doors opened and we were faced with an all-European board of decision makers! As we left the building the security guard thanked us for signing out and wanted to show us something in the little room behind the security desk. It was CCTV footage of my director and me bowing to each other in the lift! Caveat emptor!