Tackling the nuts and bolts of planning events in other countries, the fourth annual Beyond Borders Conference drew about 85 registrants to the New York Hilton Hotel & Towers in New York City in March for an information-packed, two-day conference.

Emphasizing education and networking, the conference offered in-depth sessions on shipping materials overseas, cultural protocol, AV presentations in foreign countries, budget planning, VAT reclaim, and how to work with CVBs, NTOs, DMCs, and other partners, among other issues.

This year's conference had a deeper emphasis on technology, including an opening session on the pros and cons of virtual site inspections. Jane Edelstein of PlanSoft Corp., Twinsburg, Ohio, talked about the company's global efforts to include thousands more international venues in its site selection data base. Pamela Block, CMP, director of conferences, Chemical Week magazine, discussed how she uses the Web to help plan 13 annual conferences worldwide.

Beyond Borders was produced by Adams Business Media, publishers of this magazine. Sponsors included PGI, the New York Hilton, Shangra-La Hotels, Networld Inc., PlanSoft, and Continental Airlines.