After the outcome of any negotiation, a public and formal signing ceremony must be held. Signing is a mutual commitment between both parties, which means that the final intention reached by both parties has officially taken effect, and the respective interests and rights of both parties and responsibility is guaranteed. In such a solemn occasion, of course, etiquette cannot be neglected.
A Chinese toy factory reached a supply and loan agreement with a large British supermarket. However, during the signing ceremony, the Chinese personnel asked the other party to sit on the left, so the British side refused to sign and left the place angrily. A toy factory. Just because they did not pay attention to the etiquette of seating arrangement between the two parties during the signing, this toy factory made the results of several consecutive days of negotiations in vain, turning the signing ceremony into a "break-up ceremony."
According to international practice, when holding a foreign-related signing ceremony, the signing parties must sit facing each other according to etiquette, with the host on the left and the guest on the right.
Prepare carefully and make sure you arrange the seats
Before the signing ceremony, we must carefully determine the signatory and accompanying persons. The identity of the signatory must conform to the nature of the document being signed. On the other hand, , the identities of the signatories of both parties should be equivalent. If the signing ceremony is of great significance, it may be appropriate to invite people with a higher ranking than the signatory to participate as a sign of grandeur.
Whether we are signing in a dedicated signing hall, or in a conference hall or reception room, we must arrange it carefully and try our best to make the signing venue neat, solemn, and quiet. The standard layout of the signing room is to cover the indoor floor with carpets and only display tables and chairs dedicated to signings. The standard signing table is a long table, with the table top covered with dark green tweed.
Place the signing table horizontally indoors. Place cards, flowers, microphones, monograms, necessary tools such as signing pens and ink absorbers, and texts such as contracts and agreements to be signed should be placed on the table. , please proofread it carefully in advance to ensure it is correct before printing, binding, and sealing it carefully. Every link involves the effect and result of the signature. If it is a foreign-related signing ceremony, whether it is official, business, or public welfare, the national flags of the countries where the signing parties are located must be placed on the signing table. The national flags of both parties should be placed directly in front of their respective seats. The guest is on the left, and the guest is on the right. Some countries will set up a signing table for each side and place their national flags respectively. Some countries will set up a table with both sides sitting across from each other, but hang the national flags of both sides behind the table. This is not rude and we should accept it happily.
The seating arrangement is determined by the host personnel. At the signing ceremony, the seating issue is related to the etiquette of dignity. We must pay special attention to avoid mistakes.
At a signing ceremony, there are generally three ways to arrange seating.
Holding a bilateral signing ceremony is similar to a negotiation. We can arrange the seats in a parallel or relative manner. When arranging seats side by side, all persons from both parties are asked to stand side by side behind the signing table. The signers of both parties sit facing the door, in the middle, with the host on the left and the guest on the right. In some foreign-related signing ceremonies, we can use the relative formula. The difference between it and the side-by-side arrangement is that the accompanying persons of both parties should be located opposite the signatories of both parties.
A well-known domestic game website cooperated with a certain brand of computer. After successful negotiation, it was decided to hold a signing ceremony in the form of a press conference. The signing ceremony was held in a dedicated business hall of a star-rated hotel. In addition to the signatories of both parties, there were also reporters from websites, newspapers, magazines, TV and other media, all of whom were fully armed and ready. The signing table was placed across the hall, with the signatories of both parties facing the main entrance of the hall, looking calm and serene. On the left is a representative of the hosting game website, and on the right is a representative of a certain brand of computer from the guest side. Behind the representatives of both sides, there are two rows of entourages, standing according to their positions and identities. The entire formation looks solemn and luxurious. In the hall facing the signing table, dozens of chairs were placed on the open space, where reporters and camera crews attending the press conference sat. Because of careful planning and vigorous publicity, this press conference-style signing ceremony was particularly successful, and both gaming websites and a certain brand of computers made considerable profits.
When a bilateral signing ceremony is held, participants standing behind the signatories of both parties must stand according to the rules of "the center is higher than the two sides" and "the front row is higher than the back row", that is, the middle and front rows are The position is reserved for people with higher status.
When a multilateral signing ceremony is held, all persons participating in the ceremony must sit with their backs to the main entrance and facing the signing seat. When signing, all parties should go to the signing seat to sign in the order arranged in advance, and return to their original seats after completion. When signing, the signature assistants of both parties should stand outside the signatories of each party and be ready to provide assistance at any time, such as opening the document to be signed for the signer and indicating where the signer should sign. The accompanying personnel of other parties should stand behind the signatory of the party in a certain order.
Follow the procedures, sign carefully and don’t be careless
When holding a signing ceremony, we must strictly follow the procedures. Any mistake may cause the other party to doubt our strength and sincerity. The entire signing ceremony should take about 30 minutes.
The first is to announce the start. All parties participating in the ceremony are requested to enter the signing hall in order and take their seats at the designated positions. At this time, we must maintain a decent appearance and a calm attitude.
The next step is to sign the document.
Generally speaking, when a signer of either party signs, he or she must first sign the document that needs to be preserved by the other party, so that the name of the signer of the other party is at the first place. It is then handed over to other signing representatives for signature. This is called "rotation". The purpose is to ensure fairness and equality, so that every signatory who participates in the signing ceremony has the opportunity to be ranked first in the order of signatures on the text.
An actor who is enthusiastic about public welfare initiated a charity performance to donate money to out-of-school children in mountainous areas. When she represented her performing arts company and collaborated with several other performing arts companies to sign an event agreement with a charity association, she committed a crime. A low-level error occurred. After the actress signed the document that she kept, she habitually sat motionless at the only signing table, as if waiting for the fans to bring the signature book. As she was about to continue asking for additional texts, other representatives stopped her. The actress then realized her rudeness and hurriedly left the signing table. Although she vigorously clarified that she just felt pity for the children in the mountainous area, she was too immersed in her thoughts and forgot her feelings for a moment. Negative news about her "ignoring the rules" and "not forgetting to act like a big name even during the signing ceremony" spread like wildfire in the entertainment industry, and her charitable initiatives were also exaggerated and given an extremely utilitarian tone. , couldn't help complaining.
When participating in the signing ceremony, you must not make mistakes in every step. It is absolutely impossible to get distracted and lose your composure.
Another step is exchanging text. After signing, all signatories should shake hands with each other enthusiastically, express congratulations to each other, and exchange the signature pens used when signing to express their commemoration. At this time, all persons participating in the signing ceremony should applaud warmly to celebrate the successful conclusion of the signing ceremony.
The final procedure is to drink and celebrate. This is an important link with international etiquette and beauty. After the signatories of all parties exchanged texts, they drank a glass of champagne on the spot, and then toasted to other signatories and accompanying persons participating in the signing ceremony. Afterwards, the people participating in the signing ceremony from both sides usually take a group photo. When the emcee announces that the signing ceremony is a complete success, the entire signing ends and all participants should exit in an orderly manner. The highest-ranking personnel from each party and those from the guest side are asked to leave first, with the host being the last to leave.