Patricia Sheehan

Globalization was the buzzword bandied about by designers and suppliers at the recent HOTEC Design conference held last month at the Chateau Elan Winery & Resort in Braselton, Ga. Many of the designers in attendance might not currently be working on projects outside of the U.S. but they recognized the great opportunities available to them in Europe, South America, Asia and the Middle East. They were eager to gain insight into the myriad issues involved in overseas work and hungry for tools to give them a leg up on the competition.

And the issues can be overwhelming and intimidating to the novice: everything from sourcing, foreign standards and business and personal etiquette, to satellite office setup and management, import restrictions, market analysis, regional trends, even design and trademark piracy. How does one market oneself and one's firm? How does one network, make connections, develop new business?

On hand to address these issues with encouragement, guidance and good humor was Lawrence Brill, director of market expansion in the Office of Textiles and Apparel at the U.S. Department of Commerce. He presented an eye-opening, fast-paced and informative overview on global opportunities in the hospitality industry.

Brill has his fingers on the pulse of emerging and growing development opportunities for hotel design and was happy to help attendees navigate the complexities of everything from the legal aspects of market preparation and business strategies to cultural taboos and regulatory issues and concerns. He's available to share his resources and knowledge with you as well. Contact him at lawrence_brill@ita.doc.gov
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Also, as the hospitality design industry becomes increasingly global in scope, we'll bring you more news and projects from the four corners of the world together with strategies and case studies from designers toiling in the foreign trenches. That said, I want to hear from you. Drop me a note at psheehan@questex.com
describing your efforts to expand your firm and develop more international business. What kinds of opportunities and challenges have you faced? What regions of the world have been most accommodating or easiest to work in and which have been the most difficult? What lessons have you learned that you'd be willing to share with the design community?

I look forward to publishing your experiences (the good, the bad, the funny and the sad) in an upcoming issue, or on our recently created blog, which you can view by going to http://hoteldesignmagazine.com/ and clicking on HotelTalk Blog. It's a small world, afterall.