Meeting Professionals International, the premier global association community for meeting and event professionals, believes in the unequalled power of events and human connections to advance organizational objectives.

Maximize Personal and Business Potential in
Global Multicultural Environment

Experts predict that by 2015, 65% of world economic growth will occur in emerging economies, with hospitality industry jobs increasing by 4.9 million in China and India alone. For meeting professionals, this welcome news brings the challenge of learning to interact with new and sometimes unfamiliar cultures.

“Everyone is doing business with everyone,” said Antonio Ducceschi, CMM, MPI’s director of global strategic accounts. “The shift in the economy is a risk and an opportunity at the same time. I have to ask myself, ‘How do I prepare myself to work in a different culture? How do I survive in Singapore if I don’t know anything about the culture?’”

MPI members can begin to prepare by using CultureActive, an online tool that helps planners identify areas of cross-cultural difference and potential misunderstanding. CultureActive begins with a self-assessment that reveals how the member’s values, listening habits, communication style, and other traits compare to those of other cultures. The tool can help event planners structure meetings, conduct negotiations, and close deals in a way that responds to their clients’ cultures.

“Whatever I do, it is helpful to know how my personal culture is benchmarked with the culture I am trying to work with,” said Ducceschi. “It helps me identify potential conflicts and avoid culture shock.”