Meeting etiquette in foreign affairs etiquette

The purpose of a banquet is varied, which can be for someone or something.

First of all, determining the name and object of the invitation is mainly based on the identity of the subject and object, which means that the identity of the subject and object should be equal.

Secondly, determine the scope of the invitation. The scope of invitation refers to who to invite, to what level, how many people to invite, and who to invite out by the host.

Third, draw up a specific invitation list. Name, position, title and even whether the other party has a spouse must be accurate. Especially in bilateral activities, political relations should be considered, and whether politically opposed countries invite their personnel to attend the same event should be carefully considered.

Fourth, determine the banquet form. What form the banquet takes depends to a great extent on local customs. Generally speaking, banquets are suitable for formal, high-standard and small people, while cold meals or cocktail parties are more suitable for large people. Tea parties are mostly used for women's activities.

Fifth, choose the banquet venue. Official formal and grand activities are usually held in the government, parliament building or hotel, and the rest are determined by the nature, scale, size, owner's wishes and practical possibilities.

Sixth, send an invitation. Invitations are usually sent one to two weeks in advance, so that the invitees can make arrangements in advance. Invitations should still be sent to activities agreed orally. The contents of the invitation letter include the form of the activity, the time and place of the activity, and the name of the host. Invitations should be written without punctuation, and the names of people, organizations and festivals mentioned should be complete.

Etiquette of seating arrangement in foreign banquets

Seats are usually arranged for formal banquets, or only some guests can be arranged, and others can only arrange tables or sit at will. No matter which way you take, you should tell everyone before attending the meeting, so that everyone can have a good idea and someone will guide you on the spot. It is best to arrange seats for large banquets to avoid confusion. The international practice is that the number of tables depends on the distance from the main table, with the right high and the left low. When there are many tables, the tables should be arranged in rows. At the same table, the height of the seat depends on the distance from the host seat. Foreigners are used to mixing men and women, the hostess is the subject, the guest of honor is on the right of the hostess, and the wife of the guest of honor is on the right of the host. Our country is used to arranging everyone according to their position, which is convenient for conversation. Protocol order is the main basis for seating arrangement. Before arranging seats, the host and guests who are confirmed to attend the event should be listed separately in the order of protocol. Multilateral activities need to pay attention to the political relationship between guests. People with big political differences and tense relations between the two countries should try to avoid being put together. When the long table is used as a guest seat, no one sits on the side of the guest facing away from the crowd and on the seat facing away from the guest seat in the first row of tables below. In many countries, interpreters don't sit. In order to facilitate conversation, they sit behind the host and guests. After arranging the seats, write a handwritten seat card. You don't need a seat card for a casual meal or a family dinner. But the host should also make general arrangements for the guests' seats.

Foreign banquet etiquette

1. The host usually greets the guests at the door. Official activities, in addition to the male host, there are several other major officials accompanying the host to queue up to welcome guests, usually called the welcome line. After shaking hands with the guests, the staff will introduce the lounge. If there is no lounge, they will go straight into the banquet hall, but they will not be seated. On official grand occasions in some countries, when guests arrive, they are called by full-time staff. After the guests arrive, the host will accompany them into the lounge or banquet hall to meet other guests. If other guests haven't arrived yet, other officials on the welcome line will greet them at the door on behalf of the host. The host escorted the guests into the banquet hall. After all the guests were seated, the banquet began. If the lounge is small and the banquet is large, guests outside the main table can also be invited to sit down first, and the VIP table will be seated last. After eating the fruit, the host and guests stood up and the party was over. After the host and guest said goodbye, the host saw him to the door. After the guests left, the original greeters lined up in the same order and shook hands with other guests.

2. The staff should go to the site to check the preparation work in advance. If it is a banquet, put the seat card and menu in advance. The seat card is placed in front of the wine glass or above the tableware, not in the plate, and the menu is generally placed on the right side of the tableware. If you have words, you must implement them. Usually, the two sides exchange speeches in advance, and the party hosting the banquet provides them first. The welcome banquet is provided by the host country, and the thank-you banquet is provided by the delegation first. Generally, it is agreed in advance who will translate the speeches of both parties.