14.1. Arrival

1. VIPs. Although it is understood that the host country has its own protocol regulations, VIPs should be met by the appropriate authorities, such as a designated protocol officer from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the case of ministers, a senior officer from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Treasury in the case of Heads of Delegations who are not ministers, and the host country coordinator in the case of the ADB President. One representative from ADB should be present to receive the ADB President and the Secretary. Other VIPs (e.g., Governors; ADB Vice-Presidents; Managing Director General, Dean of the ADB Institute; former ADB Presidents, Vice-Presidents, and Secretaries; heads of state and/or government and other ministerial rank or higher; former heads of state and/or government; members of royal families; eminent seminar speakers; governors of central banks; heads of multilateral organizations; and selected observers) are accorded a reception that befits their status.
2.  All VIPs have cars assigned to them for the duration of the meeting. Parking spaces and collection points (preferably within the VIP lounge) are identified and arranged.
   VIP airport reception procedures. The reception officials should be at the gate (or similar) 15 minutes before the scheduled arrival of the VIP's flight. Upon arrival of an aircraft, airline representatives call out the VIPs' names or hold up signs either in hard copy or on a digital screen such as an ipad; at the same time, they request that the VIPs proceed to where the reception officials meet and greet them. The reception officials then escort the VIPs to the VIP lounge. In case shuttles are used from the tarmac to the terminal, there should be dedicated vehicles for VIPs and clear signs to identify them. Immigration officials and/or customs officials should be at the VIP lounge to facilitate the usual procedures and to take accompanying aides of the VIPs to help identify their luggage (which should be confirmed by the VIPs concerned before they are loaded into the assigned cars). An escort (or the liaison officer) is then assigned to take the VIPs to waiting cars. Reception officials and/or members of the Annual Meeting transport unit closely coordinate the car and collection arrangements with the Host Country and ADB Secretariats.
3. In some cases, members of the ADB Board of Directors (i.e., Director, Alternate Director, or Director’s advisor), embassy personnel, and/or local representatives welcome arriving delegates and escort them inside the airport terminal building, preferably to VIP lounges. VIP meeting and greeting arrangements should be prepared and discussed, including any airport passes that may be required. Diplomatic representatives, local representatives, and certain ADB personnel should have access to the VIP lounge. Vehicle access to the VIP lounge as well as the plans for the holding area for the liaison officers should also be considered.
4. The ADB Secretariat representative provides all appropriate information relating to the welcoming of the VIP at the airport to the host country counterpart, including (i) member country, (ii) complete travel itinerary, (iii) full name and position, (iv) full details of the member(s) of ADB Board of Directors who will welcome the VIP, if any, and (v) request for authorization from the host country to use the car assigned to the VIP by the concerned member of ADB Board of Directors to travel to the airport. Alternatively, the concerned member(s) of ADB Board of Directors may use the airport shuttle service or the most practical means of transport.
5. VIP cars. All VIPs have cars assigned to them for the duration of the meeting. Parking spaces and collection points (preferably within the VIP lounge) are identified and arranged. All drivers are briefed, trained, and preferably English-speaking. Aside from an English-speaking liaison officer, a transport conversation sheet with local translation must be made available to the VIP. A sample conversation sheet is in Appendix 89.
6. Other participants. To the extent possible, other participants are also accorded special airport reception arrangements. The host country may consider providing the following:
   • hospitality desks to (a) welcome the participants, (b) assist the participants with inquiries relating to their hotel accommodations and airport shuttle arrangements, and (c) provide information on the Annual Meeting
   • express lanes for (a) immigration, (b) customs, and (c) visas on arrival
   • holding areas preferably with refreshments, such as water and candies
   • a luggage handling system for participants
   • an onsite transport dispatcher who will coordinate with participants' hotels
   • assistance with taxis for the participants making their own transport arrangements
   • (optional) welcome entertainment upon arrival
   • Hotel check-in desks and luggage tagging (Managed and staffed by hotels)
7. VIPs' travel itineraries are sent to ADB for consolidation. ADB sends this consolidated report to the host country coordinator to ensure VIP treatment is accorded to these participants. ADB does not monitor the travel details of the other participants, who provide their firm arrival dates and flight details directly through online registration or through the hotel accommodation booking system with the PCO or local hotel booking agent. The host country coordinates with the PCO or the local hotel booking agent to consolidate the itineraries. This information is the basis for preparing the airport shuttle schedule.
8. It is recommended that where possible, the hotel/PCO/booking agent develop a system whereby they capture both hotel booking and flight information in order to understand delegate travel arrangements. This will ensure transfers can be arranged with a clear insight as to who is arriving and departing, when. If flight information is not captured as part of the registration process, another means by which to capture flight details should be deployed. This may be done via a delegate eDM (electronic direct mail) or a conference app.
9. The transport service representative at the airport advises the transport unit or operations center at the meeting venue of the arrival of the VIP and his or her departure from the airport to the hotel. Where feasible, the transport unit and the reception or transport service center at the airport are equipped with cell phones or radios on the same frequency. An arrivals schedule board is also maintained at the transport unit center, indicating the flight numbers, time of arrival, gate number, estimated number of delegates on board, and the names of VIPs on any one flight. Delays should be communicated clearly to both the transport company and the hotels involved. Such communications should be coordinated by the PCO or booking agent.
10. Given the volume of participants arriving at a specified time, the host country must anticipate the queues both in the immigration lines and baggage claim areas. The host country includes solutions to these issues in their airport reception arrangements plan.
11. Staffing at the airport is to be organized by HC/PCO as part of the conference personnel requirements. A full staff list with names, phone numbers may need to be provided to Airport officials to be checked so staff can be provided a badge for temporary access to the airport grounds. It is recommended that this list is provided 4 - 6 weeks in advance to allow enough time for the Airport management team to do background checks and provide access cards/badges as applicable.

Appendix 91_Diagram of Airport Arrival Procedures