Globetrotting alliance sample local colour

Members of Ideal, the international alliance of design groups, certainly make the most of their contacts. Twice a year they get together for a three-day symposium, with venues including glamour spots such as Montreal, San Francisco and, most recently, er Brussels.

But the globe-hopping can cause communication problems as William J O’Connor, president of Chicago consultancy Source, discovered. Relaxing in a Belgian night spot the evening before talks began O’Connor bravely attempted to order a glass of green wine when he meant red. Local knowledge, as he pointed out the following day, can be hugely important to branding projects.