Fons Trompenaars, an author, consultant, and motivational speaker, delivered the keynote address at the 11th annual IMI conference. (Photo: Jeff Watts)

On March 10 and 11, 2011, the Intercultural Management Institute (IMI) will hold its twelfth annual conference. Historically, IMI, which was previously called the Business Council for International Understanding, has held the conference as an opportunity “for those in the field of intercultural, cross-cultural, and diversity training and education,” according to the IMI website. 

This year’s conference will feature over 35 sessions, led by members of the SIS community and beyond, focusing on topics such as “The Cultural Dimensions of Plane Crashes,” “Cultivating Consumption: Global Cultures in Lebanese Advertising,” and “Intercultural Knowledge Management in Global Organizations.”  The event will kick off with a day-long, pre-conference workshop on Wednesday, March 9, entitled “Energize Your Training: Interactive Learning with Cross-cultural Content.”

IMI Director Dan Deming is enthusiastic about the 2011 offerings. "The annual IMI Conference is one of the few places to see so many people in the same place who share an interest in the field of cross-cultural and intercultural communication. It's a dynamic, vibrant experience that gets better every year,” he comments. “This year, we've gone all-out to provide a wide range of compelling presenters and fascinating session topics - everything from cultural challenges in healthcare to a live digital videoconferencing session with a professor in Bahrain.”

Providing this year’s keynote remarks will be CBS foreign correspondent Lara Logan (Thursday), and Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies Akbar Ahmed (Friday). Past year’s speakers have included professors from universities around the world, Pulitzer prize-winners, CEOs, authors, and bloggers.

For more information about the IMI conference, visit their web page.