Policies and Procedures Manual

Offshore Meetings

An international meeting requires additional planning and considerations unique to international destinations. Hidden costs, such as taxes, surcharges, etc., can significantly impact a meeting budget and attendees’ expenses.

If a reasonable hotel rate can be obtained at an island resort, most often there are automatic daily service charges added to the sleeping room for maid service, often a bellman service charged to the sleeping room (whether used or not) and, sometimes a resort fee. Many times the attendee is not aware of these automatic charges until checkout.

For meetings that usually solicit exhibitors, the selection of an offshore destination could negatively impact this revenue source as the expense of shipping and Customs regulations could make it prohibitive for their participation.

Food and beverage costs will be expensive at an island destination since hotels must import these items. Audiovisual equipment can also be a problem. Most island destinations are geared to the tourist industry and not meetings. Often, there is insufficient equipment available on the island to support several meeting rooms and equipment would have to be rented state-side and imported for the meeting.

Since an offshore venue is not a driving destination, air transportation is required by all attendees. It should be remembered that in addition to the fare there will undoubtedly be airport head taxes both in the United States and the destination. These taxes vary from country to country. Depending on the destination, there could also be immigration and customs concerns.

Customs becomes a big consideration if meeting materials must be shipped into the country. Lead time on completion of materials must be considered for them to be shipped and clear customs in time to be delivered to the hotel. Special paperwork is required for importing meeting materials, including awards and giveaways. Customs departments can hold materials for weeks before clearing. There will also be costs associated with the process. Presenters carrying projectors with them, to ensure they have what they need for their presentations, may find the equipment detained in Customs or be faced with paying an import fee.