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Research key in hosting international visitorsBetty Stark
Suddenly, you're not just a Big Widgets senior vice president, you're a tour guide, expected to welcome and entertain business visitors from China and Latin America, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. Do you treat them as you would a visitor from, say, Buffalo, and show them around your home turf, take them out for a round of golf, a couple of frosty brews and to your favorite steak house for dinner afterward? What if they don't speak English? What if they're from a country with religious practices unfamiliar to you? What if they don't eat steak or drink beer? What if they bring their spouses and you have to plan activities for them as well? What if you give them a welcome gift -- a purple widget, for example -- and you learn that in their culture the color purple connotes business misfortune? What if, what if, what if? With multinational companies on the prowl globally, visits from foreign counterparts are becoming common occurrences, and the need to plan and execute those visits is becoming more important. Fortunately, there are plenty of resources available to help business people negotiate the potential minefield of hosting international visitors. The Wisconsin Department of Commerce is a diverse resource for Wisconsin companies venturing into or expanding their reach in foreign countries. For information about department services, visit http://commerce.wi.gov/sitemap/international_trade/index.html. The Madison International Trade Association (www.mitaweb.org) , a group of more than 200 international sales and marketing professionals, is a good source for cultural information, tips on foreign travel and doing business globally, and offers the opportunity to discuss practical issues with peers. University of Wisconsin - Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) offers workshops and seminars designed to enhance the competitiveness of companies doing business globally. Look for more information at www.bus.wisc.edu/ciber/home/home.asp. Places International LLC (www.placesinternational.com), is a Madison-based company offering personalized language and culture education for individuals and businesses as well as international hospitality services that can help smooth the way for international visits. Pam Delfosse -- a partner and Wisconsin certified teacher of Japanese and English as a Second Language -- stressed the importance of investing in the relationship with foreign business counterparts. "It's not 'just' about business," she cautioned. "Think of the visit as a dance between cultures. Be prepared to meet your guests halfway; don't expect them to be just like you." "Keep the visit simple," Delfosse said. Involve guests in events with your family; take them to UW sporting events, the Union Terrace, or Devil's Lake State Park, she suggested. Those in the know emphasize the importance of doing your homework. Well in advance of the scheduled arrival date, go on an electronic fact-finding mission, using e-mail to learn as much as possible about the group. How many are coming? Who, exactly, are they? Top executive, mid-management? Get their titles as they read on their business cards. Will they arrive with a spouse/significant other? Have they been to the United States before? If not, how versed are they in our business culture? Will they require a translator? What are your guests' likes and dislikes regarding foods, hobbies and sports? What sights or attractions would they like to see? Who in your company or business community would they like to meet? The devil, as they say, is in the details. It is the unexpected and the unresearched that can potentially cause the entire business deal to lose momentum and fall apart rather than succeed. Annette Konicek, an executive assistant and corporate meeting planner with Weir Minerals in Madison, is adamant about details when she welcomes visitors from the Scotland-based company's many global installations to Madison and other U.S. destinations. "It's important to be proactive," advised Konicek. "I know our visitors well before they arrive. And I pay attention to their comfort. They have traveled a long distance, so I don't rush them into meetings or over-schedule them during their visit. At the very least, I build in time for them to take a shower and have a brief nap after they arrive." Recognizing the rigors of air travel, Konicek recommends putting international travelers in an airport hotel overnight when they first arrive on U.S. soil. This gives them a break after a long flight and, on a practical note, makes it more likely that their luggage will catch up with them before they board their next flight to Madison or another meeting destination. At Greenheck Fan Corp. in Schofield near Wausau, Richard Robertson, vice president of international operations, sees hosting international visitors as an experience that goes well beyond the company's products. "We encourage our foreign distributors to visit us as often as possible so they get to know the company firsthand. Yes, we schedule training seminars in our Product Center, but we also take them snow tubing and skiing in the winter, golfing and fishing in the summer -- anything that's common to our central Wisconsin region." Dirson Baez, the company's international Latin American marketing specialist, manages the details for these visits. He oversees six to seven seminars annually for international distributors as well as many visits by foreign customers. Originally from the Dominican Republic, Baez is fluent in Spanish and English; he and others on the Greenheck staff who speak multiple languages accompany visitors and act as guides and interpreters when needed. Clearly, one of the keys to successfully hosting foreign visitors is making them feel welcome and comfortable. Konicek put it this way: "We take pride in our country and pride in the hospitality we extend to our foreign visitors. They are very important guests and we want their experiences to be positive both personally and professionally." Betty Stark is a Madison travel industry consultant and business travel writer with 25 years' experience. She can be contacted by e-mail at travelingwriter1@aol.com. travelingwriter1@aol.com madison.com ©2009 Capital Newspapers. All rights reserved. |
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