The most common information umbilical cord is the cell phone, and so having a working cell phone is a must while overseas.
The phones of many countries work on GSM networks, so international travelers can often use their T-Mobile or AT&T service overseas. However, many other solutions are available. I recently bought a BlackBerry 8830 World Edition that works on both CDMA (U.S.) and GSM networks from Verizon for about $400 (plus a $39 international SIM card). Verizon claims you can call from more than 160 countries and use data services ($65 a month) in more than 90. The World Edition is surprisingly seamless; when I landed in Paris, Tel Aviv, and Munich, my e-mail popped up as soon as I turned it on. The phone worked perhaps too well; my son woke me up at 1:30 a.m. to say hello, not realizing the time distance.
But while bring-your-own is often the best solution, it's not necessarily the cheapest; calls on my BlackBerry ranged from $1.20 to $2.49 per minute. Last summer, horror stories abounded about iPhones automatically downloading data, resulting in roaming charges of up to $3,000.
As an alternative, planners should consider putting links to local phone rental companies on the meeting website or selecting a local phone vendor. I rented a phone with 100 international minutes in Israel for about $90 from Pelephone; IsraelPhones (www.israelphones.com) offers rentals with calls to the U.S. at 38 cents per minute.
Planners might also post a few helpful tips for first-time international delegates, such as how to use the international format (+, country codethe U.S. code is "1"), and the fact that 911 is only used in the U.S., along with the local emergency number.
The International Scene As part of their effort to lure international meetings, many countries are enhancing their communications infrastructure. Malaysia has built the Multimedia Super Corridor, with 3G and now 4G (4th generation) wireless access. Destination hotels like the Shangri-La in Penang and Sabah, and the 450-room Mandarin Oriental in walking distance of the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center, offer Wi-Fi and Internet services throughout, including pools and lounges, according to Taib Ibrahim, vice president of Tourism Malaysia. Wireless access in the hotel rooms is about $25 a day, and phones are widely available for rent from companies like Cellcom and Maxis, at a cost of about 50 cents per minute.
Major hospitality companies are also moving to make international meetings more transparent. Kevin Hoard, regional director of technology support for Dolce International, whose 27 locations include Spain, Germany, France, and Belgium, says the company is deploying many access points around the properties for Wi-Fi access, and installing cell repeaters to enhance cell phone reception. "If there are 50 people sitting in a room on their laptops, you may need four to six access points in each meeting room."
Hoard says many delegates are starting to use cell phones like the BlackBerry Curve for Wi-Fi access. "If they don't have good cell phone coverage, they can switch to Wi-Fi. T-Mobile is very strong in this area; with a Wi-Fi capable cell phone, if you're near a Wi-Fi access point, you can switch over and make calls for free over VOIP (voice over internet protocol), if you've set it up, for around $20 a month."
Dolce also tries to point delegates to local vendors if they need a cell phone and keeps plenty of power adapters and converters on hand for international delegates. Dolce generally includes wireless access throughout as part of the room rate, so delegates can get comfortable anywhere. But not too comfortable; Hoard notes, "A lot of meeting planners like us to charge for wireless access in meeting rooms or lock it out altogether, so people will pay attention to the training."
Originally published April 01, 2008
For more ideas, tips, and tools for better meetings and events, get Successful Meetings' weekly e-newsletter delivered to your inbox.