What’s the biggest insult you can give your foreign host when invited to share food at their home and in their country ? Bring your own food.

Guess who did that recently ?????

You are having your intercultural in-person meeting in your hosts’ location (or at least not yours) and your host invites you share food with them.

What do you do? Panic ? I trust not!

At what time should you arrive?

Next question: what time should you arrive.

Some people are used to eating dinner at 5. Don’t be surprised if your host says arrive at 8 or 9 (or 10 in Spain). And if the invite is for 8 in the Netherlands , arrive at exactly 8 and in Spain certainly not before 8.30. And don’t expect to eat immediately. I recall a dinner at someone’s home in Jeddah for 10pm . We actually ate at 2.30 am as I was about to faint from starvation having ony eaten breakfast.

Knowing when to leave is also important. Do you leave your host to do the washing up?

At the SIETAR Gala dinner in Valencia in June 2026 Presenters and Guests made the effort to come from India, USA, Canada, Africa, Caribbean, UAE, South America as well as across Europe . 

If it’s lunch in the USA it’s 20 minutes around noon. In Spain its 2-3 hours starting at 2 or 3 pm.  .  I had to tell folks from the USA that they could not have pizza at noon in Alicante  because nowhere would be open.

And should you take a gift? .  In Europe and USA taking a bottle of wine is probably acceptable,  Taking food may be an insult to the chef.  In other places your gift may be taken away and never opened in your presence. 

The official pre-dinner photo in Abu Dhabi prior to a big consulting project in 2011. Notice men on the left, women on the right . Where am I?

Next is what do you talk about ?  

Depending where you are, you might get down to business but most probably you should not.  What about conversations about Politics, Sport, Sex ?  This is an opportunity for your host to get to know you better, and equally for you to get to know the host (and other guests) better .  If you just talk pleasantries all night you will get to know nothing, and you know you have to give some information to get knowledge back.   Knowing when to talk business is another article.

It is a sign of trust that your host had invited you to their home,  It’s also a sign of trust that you eat the food.   

In the old days you took someone to taste the food first on your behalf to demonstrate it wasn’t poison.  If that person didn’t drop dead you were probably safe.

Of course, if you are President you can be invited by another leader to eat in their country and refuse the fabulous food on offer and instead take your own.  

It’s a great insult and of course that meeting resulted in zero achievement.

We discuss food in a subsequent article

Smart Coaching & Training works with over 30 associates, in four continents speaking 14 languages. Most raised and working in a wide range of cultures and living in a different place than where they were born . See our associates here.

Many of our associates are or have been SIETAR members and past presidents . Read more

Many of our associates are specialists in Diversity, Interculturality and related topics Read more here and here.

Written by David Rigby © 2026 Smart Coaching & Training Ltd

When I suggested the above title for the song at the finale no-one knew the original song “Papa was a rolling stone” by the Temptations in 1972. So it was rejected by the non-English interculturalists and those under 60 .

Organised by Papa Baba Ndong, despite Sietar, and having his lap-top stolen the day before the Congress was a total success because everyone who attended had the good will to make it so.

“You never knew what would be happening next – but you could trust it would always be good” – and there are a lot of lessons to be absorbed from Global South as to how to run such an event

Professional Presentations – but not always: Each participant feels seen, heard, valued, and engaged

I have not attended many ‘academic events’ but my recollection  of professors just sitting or standing just reading out their notes in whatever language they chose, might go down well in a classroom (though it shouldn’t), but it is totally unacceptable and unprofessional at a multilingual Congress.  Those presenters need to be told. But it rekky was the exception. The professioals know better.

Presenters and Guests made the effort to come from India, USA, Canada, Africa, Caribbean, UAE, South America as well as across Europe .  And in addition  there were on-line presentations from India and Africa .   

So, there were presentations addressing topics from many perspectives, viewpoints and the many countries of origin.  You would have had to be there to appreciate the sheer width and dept of content. 

We finished with a specially created song on Suno to show our appreciation of all the effort by Papa Baba and team to make the event the  total success which is was .

A key feature of an event with such flexibility is to trust that it will all work out in the in. I had that trust and it always worked out.

SIETAR Valencia España International Congress 2026 Across Difference, Old Questions and New Tools: Interculturality, AI, and Shared Futures

Smart Coaching & Training works with over 30 associates, in four continents speaking 14 languages. Most raised and working in a wide range of cultures and living in a different place than where they were born . See our associates here.

Many of our associates are or have been SIETAR members and past presidents . Read more

Many of our associates are specialists in Diversity, Interculturality and related topics Read more here and here.

Written by David Rigby © 2026 Smart Coaching & Training Ltd

Inclusion is not an outcome—it is a design choice. From the accreditation badge to the keynote stage, every element of a congress can either create barriers or build bridges.
Excited to see David Rigby in his presentation “Including All your Diverse Audience”, helping us rethink how we engage diverse audiences in meaningful and practical ways

This is a LinkedIn Post from Papa Baba Ndong

Every participant feels seen, heard, valued, and engaged

David’s presentation, “Including All Your Diverse Audience,” explores how we can create learning and communication environments where every participant feels seen, heard, valued, and engaged.

His contribution perfectly embodies the philosophy behind our accreditation concept:

* Recognition before conversation.
* Inclusion before participation.
* Connection before collaboration.

In a multilingual congress bringing together participants from around the world, visibility matters.
Language matters. Belonging matters.

That is why every accreditation becomes more than a badge—it becomes a gateway to intercultural understanding.

As we prepare to welcome delegates to #Valencia, we continue to ask ourselves:

How can every element of a congress become an opportunity for inclusion?

David Rigby‘s session offers practical answers to that question.

Join us in #Valencia for a truly international and multilingual experience where interculturality, innovation, AI, and human connection meet.

SIETAR Valencia España International Congress 2026 Across Difference, Old Questions and New Tools: Interculturality, AI, and Shared Futures

SIETAR Intercultural Congress

Smart Coaching & Training works with over 30 associates, in four continents speaking 14 languages. Most raised and working in a wide range of cultures and living in a different place than where they were born . See our associates here.

Many of our associates are or have been SIETAR members and past presidents . Read more

Many of our associates are specialists in Diversity , Interculturality and related topics Read more here and here.

Written by David Rigby © 2026 Smart Coaching & Training Ltd

The Second

The event Four days later: In Altea ( a seaside town regarded as the Spanish Santorini) I gathered up eight chums of five nationalities and went to the best and oldest Paella restaurant on the sea front. An old favourite for celebrating my birthday mainly with the same people, for many years  and sharing the same three paellas-for-two as last time. Then, off to another café for coffee as a good friend is a waiter there.  And this time it was great to be taken out by the British majority.  Presents ranging from a box of cereal, a tin of anchovies, a challenging book, and a bottle of Cava. – all special according to the nationality of the giver.

Both events we great in their own ways. The adventure of the posh Madrid restaurant and the familiar Paella.  And the best factor – knowing the intercultural pleasures as well as pitfalls– celebrating with people you love to be with.

Happy Birthday to me!

Feliz cumpleaños a mí

SIETAR Intercultural Congress Valencia 25 June

Smart Coaching & Training works with over 30 associates, in four continents speaking 14 languages. Most raised and working in a wide range of cultures and living in a different place than where they were born . See our associates here.

Many of our associates learned how to speak via Toastmasters and Professional Speakers Association Read more

Many of our associates are specialists in Diversity , Interculturality and related topics Read more here and here.

Written by David Rigby © 2026 Smart Coaching & Training Ltd

Who goes to these events?

The event creators are from Brazil and Portugal. There were around 10 presenters mainly from the Americas (north and south) and often just one removed from me on LinkedIn . Within the 100 attendees there were many coaches from Europe, and many folk from the University. So an excellent group to get to know people. Most have got the years of experience necessary to appreciate the nuances and make contributions, and be socially competent so the networking breaks were also enjoyable and I have many new chums to develop relationships with.

My Meaning and Purpose analysis

So – who am I?
Who am I?
• Talents: What are my natural strengths? I learnt to be a natural communicator, I combine Maths and Logic with Intuition
• Passions: what really energizes and excites me? Love karaoke, singing and lots of music, meeting people especially face to face, good arguments
• Values: What principles guide my decisions. Trust first, regret later
What am I giving?
• Vision: What future do I want to help create? Where people share wisdom
• Message: What wisdom am I here to share? Listen first and decide who you want to get to know
• Legacy: What mark will I leave behind? A group of people who help each other because they knew me

Impossible to pick out other best bits, so when the next one comes along- just go!

SIETAR Intercultural Congress

Smart Coaching & Training works with over 30 associates, in four continents speaking 14 languages. Most raised and working in a wide range of cultures and living in a different place than where they were born . See our associates here.

Many of our associates learned how to speak via Toastmasters and Professional Speakers Association Read more

Many of our associates are specialists in Diversity , Interculturality and related topics Read more here and here.

Written by David Rigby © 2026 Smart Coaching & Training Ltd