international dateline - continued

buenos aires

Governor Roy Barnes has thrown down the political gauntlet to rival city Miami. Atlanta wants to replace the South Florida mecca as Latin America's gateway to the north. After all, Delta Air Lines with its Atlanta headquarters can offer Latin American passengers easier access to more of the United States with fewer plane hops. American Airlines in Miami can't compete with Delta on direct flights to smaller cities such as Columbus or Memphis.

An even bigger challenge, however, is to persuade Latin Americans to fly to Atlanta as their final U.S. destination, even when they have no business to transact here. How does Georgia accomplish that marketing feat without a beach or a host of famous attractions to draw tourists? The answer, according to Professor David Bruce, is a concept being touted as educational tourism.

As a collaborator in a program being developed by Georgia's Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Atlanta Convention and Visitor's Bureau and Delta, the Robinson College of Business will offer Latin American guests a range of business courses from e-commerce to marketing to entrepreneurship. Other area universities such as Georgia Tech and Emory are hoping to offer complementary classes in technology and medicine to attract Latin American visitors with an interest in continuing education.

Bruce, a faculty member in RCB's Institute of International Business, comes to the table with years of experience in running executive education programs for Latin Americans. A specialist in hosting groups from Brazil and Argentina, he is an expert in arranging travel and hotel accommodations, providing professional translators and coordinating business classes for the visitors. His efforts are intensifying through a growing program at the institute known as Expanding Horizons.

The program's recipe for success includes giving a small group of 15 to 20 managers tailored instruction with expert teachers, access to executives at Atlanta's premier international companies, case studies of American companies and programs, and simultaneous interpretation. Expanding Horizons has hosted Executive MBA classes from the Federal University of Pernambuco and the Federal University of Parana in Brazil, among others. In April, social sciences graduates from the Universidad del Salvador - RCB's partner institution in downtown Buenos Aires - attended a workshop in Atlanta that focused on the economy and business. They heard lectures and discussed case studies at the RCB and interfaced with leaders from federal, state and city governments. In turn, they made presentations to their Atlanta hosts on free trade in the Americas.

Unfortunately, with costs for airfare, lodging, meals, recruitment and instruction, the trips are far from inexpensive. "When currencies drop in value, we find ourselves pushing the envelope for costs," Bruce said. "But, whether we're hosting students or business executives, we give them lots of value for their money. If anything, we tend to overbook their schedule to ensure the program meets their expectations."

Previous | Top | Next Page