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Q1: Is the Banking
Commission meeting considered Mecca of LC world that every LC specialist
dreams to visit?
Yes. The ICC Banking
Commission has changed its old practice of holding
meetings only in Paris and now holds it in different countries to
make it possible for a banker to attend at least once in a lifetime. The ICC
also started asking local banks to sponsor the meeting venue, the lunches
and dinners to lighten the ICC financial burden since admission is free.
Q2: Is the Banking
Commission meeting a status symbol, a desire or a necessity for the LC
specialist?
All are true.
Q3: Is the Banking
Commission meeting considered "paid holiday" or "business trip" ?
Those who are paid by the
employers have to return immediately after the meeting. That is why,
during the afternoon of the last day of the meeting some participants have
to leave early to catch the train or plane. Some may apply for a holiday and spend two or three
days more for sight seeing and of course on their own expenses. Some Canadian representatives
would arrange their spouses to fly in later and join them after the
meeting for sight seeing holidays. I always take the advantage to stay
behind for one or two days, or even for two weeks for sight seeing tours,
not only after ICC meetings but also for lecture tours as well.
Q4: Is the Banking
Commission meeting a part of the LC specialist's specialization upgrading
attempt or welcome relief from the stress of hectic desk routine?
If you see the program of topics,
you would understand that it is not the right place for stress
relief. In fact, it is the ONLY place where you can meet ALL the world
class experts on L/C, transport, cargo insurance, etc. ALL AT ONE TIME and
argue with them for controversial issues and can also attend FREE OF
CHARGE. For other programs like, for instance, the IIBLP Annual Survey of
Letter of Credit Law and Practice, you have to pay a very high entry fee and I
have heard comments that heavy weight L/C experts like Gary Collyer, Dan
Taylor, Don Smith, etc. do not appear any more as they did frequently in
the past. I have also heard that some advertised experts may not appear at the end. From the ICC
meeting you can hear different opinions in
different perspectives free of charge and can see all heavy weight L/C
experts and other experts in transport, cargo insurance, Incoterms, etc.
all at one time,
free of charge Then you end up understanding the issues more in-depth.
This is what one cannot get from the books. For these reasons, if you
have a limited budget, I would strongly encourage you to attend the ICC
meetings, particularly those held near your place of domicile, although
you do not get a certificate but you can gain PDU for extending your CDCS
title without a re-examination.
Q5: What's the usual
menu of topics for discussion in the meeting? Is the menu static or
adaptive?
The menu is highly
adaptive, covering the current hot issues, such as the impacts from the
Glencore and Santander cases, the problems from the Maersk bill of lading,
and the like.
Q6: Is the meeting "much
ado about nothing" or ''something better than nothing"?
These are unfair comments.
For example, it is the ONLY place where you may hear the official ICC
National Committee comments and opinions on the UCP 600 and other new
rules from ICC. You also come know of what are the problems in other
countries.
Q7: What is the
importance of being Banking Commission member? What "Great Expectations"
the LC specialists have from the membership and meetings?
You can vote for the
adoption of the new ICC rules, such as the forthcoming UCP 600. You can
also vote for contents of certain new articles and choose the alternatives
provided by the Drafting Group. In this sense, you also get involved in
shaping the new rules, which you cannot do in any other functions.
Q8: Are most of the
participants 'Silent Lambs" in the meeting? How the new generation of LC
specialists feels vis-à-vis the old generation of vocal LC specialists who
always dominate the dais and mike?
Of course, in most meetings,
you would find some long winded speakers, dominating speakers and the
silent majority. But the control of the chair for each topic in ICC
meeting is quite efficient. For example, Gary Collyer would give priority
to those who have not yet spoken. So the impact of dominating speaker is
there but it is not so serious. I was a frequent speaker before but now
I have behaved and only speak for those subjects that bankers do not know
too much about, for example on transport and cargo insurance. I would
remain silent and leave to the banker members to deal with the banking
issues. I also encourage participants from Asia to speak up to show their
presence. Now I am glad to see that participants form India, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong and China are more out-spoken in the
meetings.
Q9: What's the usual
menu of food at a Banking Commission meeting? What food and drink you like
most?
As all the lunches and
dinners are sponsored by the hosting local bank, you cannot have
unreasonable demand. As a member of the gourmet clubs "La Chaine de
Rotisserie" and "Gordon Bleu" of France, I find the food standard OK for
meeting purpose. We come for the meeting and not for the food and drinks
anyway particularly that they are all free.
Q10: Do you consider
a lunch break an occasion for social networking for yourself or for
business networking for the business you represent?
Yes, it is an occasion for
people networking. That is why, the ICC Vienna that hosted the ICC
Meeting in May 2006 used the terms like "contact lunch", "contact dinner"
for participants to make more contacts with strangers from other countries.
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