Business Diplomat: A Two-Layer Model
A large summit gives visibility; small meetings give continuity, says Prof. Dr. Mehmet Emin Erendor. He proposes one summit, three or four thematic roundtables, six to eight workshops and digital outputs in between. Interviewed by: Asst. Prof. İsmail Polat Interviewee: Prof. Dr. Mehmet Emin Erendor
Should a platform bet on one big event or on many small ones? Prof. Dr. Mehmet Emin Erendor declines the choice. In this part of its interview series, Business Diplomat presents his proposal.
First observation: not alternatives
“To increase the platform’s impact, it would be more correct to build a two-layer model, instead of treating the two as alternatives to each other.” A summit held once a year gives visibility. Small meetings through the year “increase the platform’s continuity and its capacity to produce real relationships.”
Second observation: strengths and risks of the summit
The summit’s main advantage is brand and visibility. Bringing together senior state representatives, ambassadors, academics, business and international organisations can raise public awareness. But because it happens once a year, “it can also make the platform appear passive for the rest of the period.”
Third observation: the function of small meetings
Workshops and roundtables work differently. A limited number of participants allows “more open discussions on a particular subject and the development of personal relationships.” Where diplomacy, business and public administration meet, trust “can form in smaller and regular meetings rather than at large summits.”
Fourth observation: the structure
Erendor outlines the model:
one large summit a year, the platform’s shop window
three to four thematic roundtables, for relations with decision-makers
six to eight small workshops, for expertise and content
digital publications and reports between meetings, for continuity.
The logic of the assessment
The summit and the small meetings serve different purposes. The summit alone risks leaving the platform silent. Small meetings alone lack visibility. The combination, with digital outputs linking them, gives both reach and depth.
The role of Business Diplomat
The platform’s mission is to give young people experience, bring a diplomatic order to the business world, and benefit states by revitalising the economy. Erendor’s numbers turn a general preference into a concrete calendar. Business Diplomat can adapt them to its own capacity.
Conclusion
Visibility comes from one summit and real relationships from regular small meetings. Business Diplomat can build both into a single annual calendar.
İsmail Polat
Ph. D. in International Relations
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