Introduction

Welcome to the Second Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) Conference, to be held on October 29 & 30, 2010 at the Marriott Airport Hotel in Minneapolis, Minnesota! Register now to take advantage of the "early bird" registration fee of $275 for the two day conference. The early registration rate is valid until September 15, 2010. After September 15, 2010 the registration rate will increase to $325.This fee includes attendance at the conference sessions of your choice, daily refreshment breaks, continental breakfast, lunch each day, and an opening reception the first night of the conference on October 29th.

The conference is open to current IDI Qualified Administrators as well as anyone who is interested in learning more about the IDI. The goal for the conference is to share resources, tools, and best practices for building intercultural competence through IDI Guided Development. IDI Guided Development is a term that describes the core purpose and process for effectively using the IDI: Building competence to achieve real results.

My goal for sponsoring the IDI conference is to create a supportive, cooperative space for IDI Qualified Administrators and newcomers to share practical insights and best practices with one another. With over 1600 IDI administrators in more than 25 countries using the IDI, coming together at this conference will allow us to improve our work with the IDI and truly facilitate increased intercultural competence within our global community.

During the conference, participants will gain practical insights and tools for:

• Individual coaching
• Team building
• Training design and delivery
• Needs assessment
• Program evaluation
• Organization development/change efforts

Exciting plenary sessions and presentations are planned where you will hear from leaders in the field about how they are using the IDI effectively in their organizations and research, highlighting best practices. In each session, leading-edge applications of the IDI will be presented by IDI Qualified Administrators. There will also be interactive skill-building sessions.

For those who are new to the IDI and want to attend the conference, there will be a special introduction to the IDI where you can familiarize yourself with this powerful approach to building intercultural competence.

I am convinced you will find the IDI Conference quite worthwhile! I recommend registering early as we are able to accommodate up to 300 participants only! I look forward to seeing you in Minneapolis, Minnesota!

Mitch Hammer, Ph.D.