Finally, the moment sports fans around the world have been waiting for, the 2012 London Olympics are here.  In addition to seeing world-class competition, the Olympics provide a unique opportunity for us to learn about the cultures of the world and the unique protocol of the event. As David Brooks, columnist for the New York Times noted, the games reflect the world's contradictions of cooperation and competition.  

Likewise they seem to bring out the best and occasionally the worst in us. It's early days and already we've seen examples of grace, dignity and all that is good in people. While the examples of not so appropriate behavior are there, they too provide moments of reflection. Both the good and the bad provide a multitude of learning opportunities and discussion points from the Greek athlete who got kicked off the team for the offensive tweet to the challenge the Muslim athletes are facing as they compete during Ramadan.  I've listed just a few cultural and protocol observations and lessons on the left column. There are sure to be many more so I hope you will share some of your favorite Olympic protocol and cultural moments as you watch in the days to come.

Sonia Garza-Monarchi

Last month I focused on the order of precedence which is commonly used when doing seating.  Since I get many questions on this topic I thought I would share a simplified version on how I typically prepare a seating plan.  If you've been given the task of handling seating for an event that will be attended by a visiting delegation and local guests, below are some steps you should take to prepare.

1. International guest list*: request the list of your international guests by order of precedence with their titles in English. Do this as soon as you learn of the meeting or event since it can take time to acquire. If the names are not provided in some sort of database, create one including fields for table assignment, honorific, first name, last name, title, organization, numerical rank (optional), phone #, e-mail address  and comments. (Mailing address is optional for this purpose.)  If you don't get the titles in English translate immediately and try to get your counterparts to approve the translation as not all titles translate into comparable U.S. ones.
2. Local hosts and guest list*: prepare the list of your local guests by order of precedence using the same fields above.  If there are any key people you want to make sure are seated together or should not be, make a notation in the comments section and either highlight their names or put an asterisk.
3. Post-it flags: place names and titles on color coded post its-use one for visiting international guests and one for local hosts and guests.  If it's a social event where the gender mix is more important you could use one color for men and one for women.  Use the color codes to differentiate between whatever your key seating criteria may be.  Add key information to post-its such as language ability (French).  For larger events, I use the database to print these on adhesive labels then put them on post-its.  The Post-its are invaluable since they can easily be moved around.
4. Table schematic: have a table schematic of the room and determine which will be your head table and other senior or VIP tables.  Remember that the diagram the hotel or site coordinator provides may not exactly correspond to the actual room so what may look like a great table on paper could be not so good in actuality.  Check the table set-up once they're in position and make changes if needed.  Make sure the table numbers correspond to those on your schematic.
5. Table assignment: using your table schematic and both guest lists in precedence order, begin assigning guests to each table using the post-its which makes it easy to visualize and move as needed. Start with the host of the table, if there is one, then place the highest ranking guest to his/her right. Then place the second highest ranked guest to the left of the host.  Place the next highest local next to that person and continue going back and forth between the visiting international guests and local guests by the next highest ranked on the lists.  The goal is usually to mix the two groups so they have a chance to engage and build relationships. 
6. Check-in list: Once you've finalized your list add the table assignments to the database so you can print out a check-in list.Print alphabetically by last name and alphabetically by organization.   
7. Review & approve: review the list, change as needed then review again.  Get required approvals and have all key parties sign off.  Know that you will need to make changes until the last minute as people are added or no longer can attend.

Please note that there are numerous factors that can come into play that might impact your seating, for example if spouses are attending or if the table is a square or rectangle; the type of event, business vs. social. However, the above steps should provide a good starting point.

Most people currently use Excel for their lists but a couple of my colleagues have recently started to use the software program Perfect Table Plan.  It's early yet but it seems promising.  If anyone has used it or a similar program successfully or has other useful tips please send them to protocollady@garzaprotocol.com I would welcome learning other best practices.

* Note: you can easily combine the lists if needed or if you have just one list then simply add a field indicating who is a visitor and who is a local so you can sort as needed.

 The Protocol Lady