All My Bags Are Packed. . . Now What?

The global nature of the meetings industry has created a growing demand for international conferences and events. It is no secret that planning an international meeting presents a unique set of challenges. Throw in different languages, currency rates, different time zones and cultural traditions and you have a potential disaster in the making! And not just on foreign soil. Foreign attendees at US meetings are just as problematical.

To answer the need for more information on this subject, KCMPI and the InterContinental Kansas City at the Plaza hosted an informative and inspirational education program "All My Bags Are Packed ... Now What? How to Plan a Successful International Meeting" on Wednesday, October 22. A celebrated panel of international meeting experts explained all the potential pitfalls of international meeting planning and how to avoid them. Nearly 60 meeting professionals attended.

Our experienced panel included Emmanuel Ngomsi, Ph.D., President of All World Languages and Cultures, Inc. and publisher Cultural Detective Online; Doug Peterson, President & CEO at Prestige Resorts & Destinations; Lynn Lee, Global Sales Director at AlliedPRA; and, Cathy Ewing, CMP, President of Cathy Ewing Event Consulting, LLC.

KCMPI would like to thank all of our wonderful presenters and partners, including the InterContinental Hotel, Bob Compton Photography, Distinctive Meetings, Inc., Cultural Detective, CEI VAT Reclaim, Francis Family Foundation, Agenda: USA, The Raphael Hotel and Old Kinderhook The Lodge.

As the industry’s premier educational, technological and peer interaction resource, KCMPI offers education programs that will help you stay on the cutting edge of today’s constantly changing and challenging meetings environment. Attendees also contributed to Charity Case for Kids, an organization that helps foster children transition from one home to another, by donating used luggage.