Multicultural Meetings Phuket
In handling a multicultural meeting in Phuket, planning, communication, and cultural sensitivity are very important. Depending on the topic or location of the meeting, the diversity of cultures is represented by those in attendance.
Very few event planners can handle everything a client may need. We aren’t your typical Phuket Wedding and Events Planner. People hire us because they want a wedding or their event that stands apart from the rest. Our clients are crazy-busy professionals that depend on us to make their planning process stress-free, and to discover what will make their day uniquely special. We make design and planning simple for our clients – and simple isn’t easy. Our passion and dedication to provide superb professional work surpasses them all. Behind the work we provide is an organization of excellence, creativity and communication. Visit our website www.bespoke-experiences.com
In order to meet expectations, and other factors including travel schedules and language barriers, the following 5 steps can be taken into consideration:
- Disseminate meeting information well in advance
Due to the barriers in language, handouts, agendas, as well as presentations need to be distributed in advance so that the attendees of the event can fully understand and review the items early on, reaching out if they have concerns or questions on aspects that they do not understand.
- For multi-day meetings, avoid packing too much in one day
Keep in mind that some in attendance may experience jet lag after traveling far. Therefore, the event should be kept low-key and simple, especially for the first day. This will give your participants enough time for adjusting, and recharging before dealing with major initiatives.
- Make sure to set clear expectations
This is not just talking about the goals and purpose of the said meeting, but also when it comes to schedule. Diversity has it that some cultures view promptness as very important. Therefore, you can set proper expectations in your announcements in order to set the right tone for the meeting agenda.
- Present a variety in the menu
Again, this has something to do with the diversity of the culture in the attendance. Ensure that the food and drinks that you serve consider cultural differences, taboos, and preferences into consideration. This also applies to the use of alcohol. If possible, you can offer both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages appropriately. Also, you may want to make sure that the words you use in referring to certain food offered are safe for all cultures. For example, you may want to avoid the use of ‘cocktail hour’ which may have an implication that drinking is expected.
- Introduce local culture
Since you are dealing with multicultural individuals in attendance, it is a good chance for you to highlight your local culture. Aside from the meeting itself, those in attendance would certainly want to learn more about the culture of the host city. This can be presented through the food included in the menu, event themes, as well as off-site excursions. All you have to do is to ensure that aside from the meeting proper, you also prepare other destinations that can give the attendance a good opportunity to explore the rest of the city.
By making sure that the steps included above are followed accordingly, you can be assured not just of a successful multicultural meeting, but also of a very fun one which can certainly entertain the attendees the right way.