282 CultureShock! Egypt
seating between country representatives according
to ranking (senior-most ranked persons closest to the
head table).Comments
Well, this one can be difficult because there might be some
hidden relative status factors of which you are not aware. is
not good because it undermines your intent which is to foster
an opportunity for cross-communication between Egyptian
and home country people. is equally inappropriate, but
for a different reason. Choosing this option suggests that
people from your home country are in some way superior to
your Egyptian hosts—not the impression you want to give,
assuming you want to do business in the country.
is a possibility, but better if you direct people to seats
either across from or next to a person of similar status.
The hazard of letting people choose their own seats is not
with the Egyptians (they will undoubtedly assort according
to rank), but with your home country participants. Your
home country colleagues may well not recognise the
importance of status in seating or how their position among
the group is perceived. This could easily lead to a low-
ranking person sitting next to a very high-ranking Egyptian;
after all, who wouldn’t want to sit next to a minister,
for example.
gives you the best opportunity to recognise important
persons from both groups. The tricky part then becomes
determining who should sit at the head table. If there is a
doubt about who should be recognised in this manner, ask a
trusted Egyptian friend. In the example given, the Egyptians
you would probably choose to sit at the head table would
most likely be the minister, the retired ambassador and
the visiting consul general. Among the visitors, you would
probably choose the CEO, the embassy representative, and
either the project director or the visiting company vice
president, depending on how you perceive their importance.
Since you are the organiser, you might also seat yourself at
the head table, next to the podium so you can easily introduce
your speakers.