The Japanese arrived with their own sushi master. The Norwegians had a lot of fish on their menu. It was important for Denmark to have a subtle floral decoration with grasses and lots of green. Colour to the max - that was Mexico. Since 2008, the International Transport Forum has met once a year in Leipzig. The country where the current president of International Transport Forum resides also hosts the Presidency Reception.

For a few hours, guests can experience what this country has to offer - its music, its typical food and drinks, its colours and dances. All right in the middle of Leipzig. This first evening is more than just an official welcome - it is a calling card for all the senses.

The host's themselves are guests who are often in Leipzig or Germany for the first time. This is why an experienced accomplice, a partner with a knack for events and, above all, an understanding of cultural differences who can make compromises between desire and feasibility needs to be on site. What do you do when the Japanese colleague's aesthetic need for minimalism does not comply with the necessary number of tables? Where do you get real Latvian beer if you don't want to import it? And what can visitors expect when New Zealand flies in scantily dressed Maori for its cultural programme?

Over a period of months, a multitude of particulars is put together, with emails and telephone calls, and some linguistic pitfalls. Only on the night itself, it will become clear if all the preparations were successful. When the guests - like in the past three years - come through the main entrance of the KONGRESSHALLE they find themselves in France, Mexico or Latvia and are blown away by what they see.

Photo credits
Eric Kemnitz