Join us in San Antonio for the 21st Annual International Protocol Education Forum: Building Bridges: Protocol Through Cultural Diplomacy!

For members of PDI-POA as well as non-member protocol professionals around the world, the Forum is a chance to expand your knowledge, refresh your skills and reunite with colleagues from around the world.  For non–members and individuals interested in learning more about protocol, it is the perfect introduction to the protocol field.  The program of each Forum provides practical, thought-provoking information useful to protocol professionals from around the world.

PDI-POA Forums draw protocol professionals from around the world. In recent years participants represented countries including Australia, Barbados, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Germany, Ghana, Italy, Kosovo, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland, Sudan, Trinidad & Tobago, United Kingdom and the United States.

Participation in the International Protocol Education Forum is open to PDI-POA members as well as the general public.

Register now to attend the 21st Annual International Protocol Education Forum!

• Agenda (updated below!)
• Host City
• Forum Hotel
• Registration Rates
• Registration Deadlines
• Other information for attendees

Thank you to our generous sponsors for making the 2022 Forum possible!

Agenda

The theme of the 2022 Forum is Building Bridges: Protocol Through Cultural Diplomacy.

During this year's Forum we will also launch the celebration of the 20th Anniversary of Protocol & Diplomacy International - Protocol Officers Association, highlighting our luminary members who have been there since the beginning, reflecting on two decades of friendship and shared knowledge, and looking forward to the next 20 years and beyond!

Details of the plenary and breakout session topics and speakers will be added below as they are confirmed.

Monday, 18 July 2022: 3:00-8:00pm CDT

• Registration check in
• New member and first-time Forum attendee session
• Evening opening reception at the San Antonio International Center, located on the Riverwalk

Tuesday, 19 July 2022: 8:00am-5:00pm CDT

• Association committee sessions, Author's Corner, Meet the President, and Vendor/Sponsor exhibits
• Official Forum opening with Parade of Flags
• Plenary session: Setting the Stage for High Level International Relations: the Protocol Foundation
• Featured speaker: Ambassador Rufus Gifford, Chief of Protocol of the United States
• Breakout sessions:
• Diplomatic Gifts and their Meaning (Protocol Fundamentals)
• Mr. David Solomon, Deputy Assistant Chief of Protocol for Visits, Office of the Chief of Protocol, U.S. Department of State
• Ms. Tiffany T. Divis, President and CEO, Turtle Creek Conservatory 
• Protocol in a Healthcare Environment – Balancing the Protocol Experience of the Principal, the Patients, and the Subject Matter Experts (Educational Case Studies)
• Ms. Ginny Raderstorf, Department Chief, Executive and Legislative Affairs, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center 
• Barrier to Builder: Building Bridges to Cross-Cultural Engagement (Advanced Protocol)
• Ms. Lauren G. Montgomery, Protocol Officer, U.S. Cyber Command  
• Networking lunch and commemoration of 20 years of Protocol & Diplomacy International - Protocol Officers Association
• Breakout sessions
• Managing an Official Residence (Advanced Protocol)
• Ms. April L. Harris, Principal, Harris Etiquette Events Protocol
• Cultural Diplomacy at the Highest Level: State Visits by Royalty (Educational Case Studies)
• Mr. Bengt-Arne Hulleman, MSc, Executive Director, Protocolbureau
• How to Write a Book (Professional Development)
• Ms. Colleen A. Rickenbacher, Co-Founder, Global Protocol, Etiquette, & Civility
• Group photo of Forum attendees
• Plenary session: Hallelujahs and Horror Stories – An AMA (Ask Me Anything!) with PDI-POA Luminaries
• Mr. David Attree, Private Contractor
• Ms. Diane Brown, Trainer, Protocol Solutions LLC
• Ms. Leslie Lautenslager, Private Contractor
• Moderator: Mr. Chris Young, Chair of Governance and Ethics, PDI-POA

Wednesday, 20 July 2022: 8:00am-7:30pm CDT

• Association committee sessions, Author's Corner, Meet the President, and Vendor/Sponsor exhibits
• Opportunity for professional headshots
• Plenary session: The Architecture of Engagement: Forge Relationships, Boost Audience Dynamics and Capacity Through Seating
• Featured speaker: Dr. Paul O. Radde, founder of The Thrival Institute, consultant, speaker, and author
• Sponsored by The Protocol School of Washington
• Breakout sessions
• Names, Titles, and Forms of Address (Protocol Fundamentals)
• Mr. Robert Hickey, Deputy Director, The Protocol School of Washington; author
• Protocols, Precedents and a Pandemic – Navigating an academic installation during an unprecedented time (Educational Case Studies)
• Ms. Liz King, Director, Ceremonies and Events, University of British Columbia
• Advancing Diplomacy Through International Partnerships (Advanced Protocol)
• Ms. Lindsay Kirchinger, CMP, Chief of Protocol, Michigan Economic Development Corporation
• Networking lunch
• Off-site plenary session: Protocol Through Culinary Diplomacy at St. Philip's College Culinary Arts Program, Alamo Colleges District
• Mr. Matthew Wendel, Former Personal Chef for President George W. Bush and Author of Recipes from the President's Ranch
• Chef Patrick Costello, Chef of Tourism, Hospitality, and Culinary Arts, St. Philip’s College
• Ms. Colleen Swain, Director of the World Heritage Office, San Antonio UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy 
  
• Chef Lilla Bernal, CMB, CHE, San Antonio’s UNESCO Ambassador Chef and Culinary Institute of America Assistant Professor 
• Moderator, Mr. David Nelson, Associate, Hospitality and Leisure, Spencer Stuart
• Free evening to enjoy San Antonio sites (transportation provided from St. Philip's College to the Pearl District and the Riverwalk)

Thursday, 21 July 2022: 8:00am-5:00pm CDT

• Association committee sessions, Author's Corner, Meet the President, and Vendor exhibits
• Plenary session: The Importance of Ceremonies
  
• Panel discussion
• Discussion and demonstration with military canine trainers
• Networking lunch
• Breakout sessions
• Identifying the Transferrable Skills of the Protocol Officer (Professional Development)
  
• Mr. Darin F. Pfeifer, Associate Vice President and University Secretary, Drexel University
• Behind the Scenes: International Protocol at the Invictus Games, The Hague (Educational Case Studies)
• Mr. Mark Verheul, Founder, Mark Verheul - International Protocol and Strategic Networking
• Ms. Karen Bryk, Trainer, The Protocol School of Washington
• The Gift of Protocol: When Mourning Becomes Responsibility and We Honor Their Memory (Advanced Protocol)
• Ms. Leslie Lautenslager, Private Contractor
• Plenary session: The Art of Festivals: Building Community with Fiesta San Antonio
  
• Association announcements and closing session
• Optional: closing reception 6:30-8:30pm CDT

Host City

We are delighted to host the 2022 International Protocol Education Forum in San Antonio, Texas, USA. Learn more about the city and the many things to do while you visit!

Forum Hotel

The official Forum hotel is the Omni La Mansion Del Rio. A special Forum attendee rate starting at $189 US plus tax per night is available for registrants. To book your hotel room at the Forum rate, please click here. The attendee room rates will be available until all rooms in the block are reserved or through 30 June 2022.

Registration Rates