Are you ready for the international conference season?

6 Jul 2014

Are you ready for the international conference season?

It is that time of year again, when the Exhibitor’s Manual has fallen heavily – or virtually – onto your desk, and you have a list as long as your arm of things to be done.

International media and audiences will descend on conferences like Advanced Engineering UK at the NEC, the London International Conference on Education (LICE); and Global MilSatCom 2014, Europe’s leading military satellite communications event. New countries announced include Turkey, India, Argentina, Ghana and Tanzania.

How can your company hope to make friends with these new commercial neighbours? You’ll need more than a nice stand and an advert in the show daily, that’s for sure.

Sadly, it can be so tempting to leave everything in English. But, at what risk? How can you prepare better for meetings with suppliers, foreign partners and customers?

With good pre-show PR, people will seek your stand, or go online to download spec. sheets and other marketing materials. Do consider how accessible and understandable all the information is. Does it say the right thing, in the right way, using an acceptable tone as well as industry-correct language?

As always, the customer comes first. When searching for that elusive nugget to improve client loyalty, employing expert linguists could mean the difference between winning that lucrative business deal or staying forever on the short-list. Aside from anything else, your team will feel confident, knowing they are prepared to do business in a multi-lingual environment.

As an organiser, maybe you need simultaneous interpreting at the event, in multiple languages, or want to offer translated materials to participants, whether printed or electronic. How about getting a video made, introducing the company using foreign voiceovers by professional, mother-tongue speakers, familiar with your specialist field?

Afterwards, be sure to keep in touch with delegates and secure feedback. Expert translation of survey correspondence can help ensure that the next event is even better!

Wherever you plan to exhibit, travel and do business in 2015, this could be just the start, so be well-prepared. After all, the early bird catches the worm and the 2014 conference season’s ‘dawn chorus’ will certainly be a multi-lingual event!