A delegation takes a small number of members somewhere at real expense. The community that funds and supports that is entitled to know what came of it — including when the answer is not much.
What each report will cover
- Who went, and how they were selected
- What the delegation was for — sourcing and advisory trips have different purposes and different measures
- What was achieved — suppliers met, relationships opened, agreements reached, and which are still live months later
- What did not work, including meetings that led nowhere
- What it cost, and who paid
- What will be done differently next time
Achieved and still live are different measures
A trip can produce a long list of introductions and no trade at all. Reports here will distinguish between contact made and business actually done, and will revisit the earlier ones once enough time has passed to say which held.
Why the room is scarce but the report is not
Only a few members can travel. Everyone can read what was learned. The report is the counterweight to a scarce opportunity: what was said in the room does not have to stay in the room.
Refusals and no-shows included
Members who were selected and could not travel, including those refused a visa, will be reflected in the numbers. A report that quietly counts only those who made it overstates how reliably selection turns into travel.
Nothing to report yet
This is the standing format rather than a first report. Delegations are part of the community's plans, and this page exists so that the reporting standard is set before the first trip rather than written afterwards to suit the outcome.
