The “meetings revolution” show no signs of slowing down. One might think that now we have the internet, Skype, Zoom, GoToMeeting, and more, there would be less need for people to have physical meetings, yet the opposite is happening.
Companies are holding more and more international and overseas meetings, and very often they are overseas in countries where conditions – and the local laws – are very different from our own. Security risks abound and thus the need for experts in international and overseas meeting security.
Indeed, and while this had nothing to do with a meeting, only in the last couple of weeks an English woman was thrown in jail with her three-year-old daughter after landing in Saudi Arabia. Her crime? She had had a glass of red wine on the plane!
This is why you need the services of an international meeting security consultant who knows what goes on in the country or countries that you or your employees are visiting and can provide advice on the right precautions to take. For example, had the English woman referred to had the services of an international meeting security consultant before boarding her plane, he would have warned her about alcohol as he knows the Saudis have strict rules about it. You are not allowed to take pork into the country, either, nor photograph government or military buildings, or women in the street. These are things that we wouldn’t think twice about, as there are no such restrictions in the US.
Countries That Are Dangerous
Then, of course, there are countries that are simply dangerous from the point of view of the risk of being attacked and robbed in the street. You may need the services of a driver with a security vehicle as soon as you land at the airport in order to transport you to your hotel, take you to your meeting, and take you back to your hotel or the airport.
At IMG we provide hands-on monitoring of your staff and their locations so that we can establish any security threats and advise them of the appropriate steps to take. If there is any danger we will contact them in accordance with a pre-agreed procedure. Over the years we have built up a network of international contacts so that we can provide personal protection, VIP meet and greet, secure aviation, and much more, wherever you or your employees are going.
You also want to know what to do if you are taken ill in the country or countries that you are visiting, or even have something minor like a toothache and need to visit a dentist.
We work with you on pre-meeting planning in order to develop security and contingency plans and identify and conduct due diligence for local providers to assist during the meeting. We can also provide our own IMG international meeting security consultant on site if required.
Photo credit: Nikonphotography D750 via Foter.com / CC BY-ND