Passport DC Post-Event Report: Overview Report

Passport DC is a one-month cultural tourism program intended to showcase and develop the thriving international community of Washington as well as its ‘melting-pot’ culture. Since May is International Cultural Awareness Month celebrated in Washington, Passport DC provides multiple opportunities to hold various meetings and programs by embassies as well as the best cultural institutions in the city. This report focuses on the evaluation of the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Washington participating in the Passport DC program.

The aim of the Embassy’s engagement with the program was to provide the visitors of the event with the ample knowledge about the culture and heritage of Saudi Arabia, including the country’s vision of the future, language, its leaders, as well as visionary projects that have been taking place in the Kingdom. The first program goal was to engage in meaningful interactions with the visitors to ensure that they get as much information as possible about the rich culture and diversity of Saudi Arabia. The second program goal was to answer any questions visitors had about the Kingdom to expand their knowledge. The third program goal was to gain more experience interacting with different visitors and know which questions concern them the most. The event was held on May 7, 2021, with the Embassy team including the Media department, the IT and Engineering Crew, and Public Diplomacy representatives, including King Abdullah Academy Staff and Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission (SACM) students and volunteers.

Important Event KPIs

To evaluate the success of the event, several key performance indicators (KPIs) were introduced. They were the following:

1. Visitor satisfaction – the indicator measured the satisfaction of visitors with the event to determine whether they liked the activities that were held. The visitors commented positively on the activities, which included interactive engagement with children, photoshoots in traditional Saudi clothing, authentic food tasking, and getting designs from henna artists and calligraphers.
2. Comfort – the indicator measured whether the event was held in a good location that could meet the expectations of visitors. Regarding venue size, the visitors reported that the space allowed everyone to move around freely without any crowding. It could have been helpful to have a tent installed outside to enable the visitors to disperse around the venue and have more room for activities.
3. Event venue preparedness – the indicator measured whether everything was considered when it comes to the event’s organization. The negative indicator was that the lines were quite long at the main entrance due to the lack of rope lines for sectioning the crowd. Besides, it was challenging for several people to enter because the doors were too small. In addition, the big auditorium backdrop was outdated.
4. Staff performance – the indicator measured whether the staff involved in the event met all of the expectations. During the event, there were some issues associated with performance; namely, there were no brochures about tourism to Saudi Arabia, troubles with a video, and not all photos that should have been.
5. The number of staff – the indicator measured whether there was enough staff at the event to complete all tasks successfully. Notably, there were not enough volunteers from SACM, which caused some underperformance.
6. Information fullness and coverage – the indicator measured whether the information presented to the visitor was complete and covered everything relevant to Saudi Arabia. The visitors were shown a video about Saudi Arabia at the event, but it lacked some important information. Specifically, there was a lack of focus on Makkah and Al-Madinah, no information on female empowerment in Saudi Arabia, no mentioning of traditional foods, no mentioning of the Kingdom’s 2030 strategic vision, and no mention of the world heritage sites in the country.

Quantitative Data Findings

While the KPIs mentioned in the previous section tend to cover qualitative data, several quantitative indicators should be mentioned. In contrast to qualitative data, which requires more time to be analyzed and compared, quantitative indicators are easier to note and report on a long-term basis. Recording quantitative data from the event for several years can help compare them and make conclusions regarding which event was the most successful. The quantitative data for May 7, 2021, event is the following:

1. More than 1,200 attendees at the event;
2. More than 600 photos were taken in traditional costumes and candid images for visitors to keep for memories;
3. More than 700 cards with Thuluth handwriting were given as keepsakes;
4. More than 600 cold beverages were served by Shotted Specialty Café when entertaining guests.

Recommendations for Improvement in the Future

Since there is no limit to perfection, it is essential to learn from mistakes or minor missteps in order to organize better events in the future. Drawing from the event assessment findings, recommendations for improvement can be made. The following is the recommendations list:

1. Improve venue preparation and organization – during the next event, it is necessary to eliminate long wait times at the entrance through improved crowd sectioning and a bigger entrance door. In addition, several tents can be placed outside so that visitors have more room to move around the event.
2. Improve the information organization efforts – when preparing for the next event, the presentation shown to visitors should have more detailed information about Saudi Arabia, including its sociopolitical background, the vision of the future, as well as abundant tourism-related information to encourage more visitors to the country.
3. Encourage participation of higher-standing diplomats so they can talk more about the country, its culture, the opportunities for tourism, diplomatic relationships, and other relevant information.
4. Engage more consular efforts, such as having a table at the venue for Consular Office to explain visitors how they can apply for a visa to visit Saudi Arabia. In addition, the consular representative can hand out informational brochures containing full information about visiting the country.
5. Increase the number of volunteers at the event to ensure the meeting of visitors’ demands. The more volunteers there will be, the easier it is to distribute assignments and responsibilities between them. A larger number of volunteers will ensure that all the recommendations mentioned above are met.
6. Expand the variety of activities at the event because the visitors reported to like them. The majority of positive comments that the event attendees gave were regarding different activities that they could do. Considering the diversity of the Saudi Arabian culture, it is possible to come up with different activities that are relevant to the country. These may include masterclasses on making Arabian pita bread, quizzes on who knows the most facts about Saudi Arabia, more entertainment for kids, and many others.

Summary and Conclusion

The Passport DC event was overall a success, with a lot of visits getting to know the diverse cultural heritage of Saudi Arabia and engaging in discussions about what the future holds for collaborative efforts to exchange knowledge and experience. The most important takeaway from the event was that more than one thousand and two hundred people who participated developed an awareness about the notable transformation occurring in the Kingdom aimed at becoming a valuable player in the International Affairs arena. Due to the goal of promoting Saudi Arabia and encouraging more tourists to the country, in the future, it could be helpful to include the representatives of Saudi Arabia’s Consular Office. They can show how easy it is to apply for a visa and fly to the country.

Unfortunately, there were some mistakes that the team made in terms of the event’s organization. However, since they did not detract from the success of the event, it is easy to note them and improve during the next events. The most notable issue during the event was the lack of informational preparation because the presentation did not include some of the most important information about Saudi Arabia necessary to show the country in the best light possible. The venue could be expanded to include more outside tents so that attendees have more room to move and participate in different activities. The organizational part at the entrance needs work because there were large lines, and this problem can be solved by increasing the entrance size and dividing groups of people into more lines. Overall, there is always room for improvement, and it is hoped that the next event planners will consider the recommendations.