I have been very lucky to work extensively in China, running conferences in a number of industries, like travel and aviation, and as my friends and colleagues in the Peoples’ Republic and across Asia celebrate Chinese New Year and the start of the Year of the Monkey, I thought it would be timely to post my top tips for westerners running events in Chinese venues.

1. CHOOSING AN
EVENTS VENUE
IN CHINA THE GUIDE TO
EVENTS

2. AVOID ‘GOLDEN WEEKS‘
It is impossible to get anything
done during these festivals:
• every hotel is at full capacity
• everyone is short-staffed
• everything costs more
Also, production is a challenge
as the following all shut down:
• factories
• print shops
• embassies
• customs houses
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3. FOLLOW THE NEW MONEY
Five stars can mean dramatically
different things depending on
where you go.
New hotels (built since 2008) in
China are among the best in the
world. Focus on age and location,
rather than how many celebrity
chefs a hotel has.
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4. LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE
WHEN NEGOTIATING
Negotiating on overall price
with a conference venue is
easier than haggling over
individual or more creative
elements of your event.
Make sure you explain your
ideas carefully.
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5. UNDERSTAND THE HIERARCHY
Venue operational staff in China
will assume your event fits their
standard template.
Find out who is at the top of the
chain of command – they may
need to agree to anything that
deviates from ‘usual’.
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6. APPOINT A PRODUCTION COMPANY
BEFORE CHOOSING THE VENUE
You need someone local to fight
your corner when you are back
on the other side of the world.
The distance, time difference
and cost of flights can make it
difficult to return to the venue
between your initial site visit
and the event.
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7. THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR
ON YOUR SITE VISIT...
Pay special attention to:
• signage requirements
• location of fire exits
• fixed lighting
• height of ceilings
• rigging points
Take photographs of
anything and look at any
extra spaces you might
need later for a drinks
reception, press room,
speaker lounge etc.
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8. BE WARY OF ‘YES‘ - BE CLEAR
ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT
Although their English is better than
your Mandarin, most venue staff would
rather say yes than offend you by
admitting they don’t understand you.
• Use clear language
• Be patient
• Put things in writing
• Ask unambiguous questions
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9. A LITTLE PRAISE GOES
A LONG WAY
You should always treat everyone
you work with well, but as venues
and suppliers in China don’t court
approval or feedback, be the first
to volunteer it, thanking individuals
and copying in their superiors.
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10. THE GUIDE TO
EVENTS
For more information, visit
www.guideto.events
Photography credits:
Robert Ennals
Alex Vail
Troy Howard
Nick Tan
Japanexperterna.Se
Habrda