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Part III : Management of the International Relation Offices 3555.3. IRO as a Hospitality Unit: How and whyUlrika Qvist MATHIESENMost universities receive a large number of visit requests from representatives foruniversities, governments or other organizations around the world every year. Someorganizations are already partners, while others would like to investigate the possibilitiesof initiating cooperation on an academic and/or administrative level. This text,written from a Lund University perspective, will focus on visits with a more generalobject or where multiple faculties/departments are involved, and thus normally arehandled by a central function.As the organization of visits demands resources in terms of time and funding, the followingquestions need to be asked in order to prioritize:What is the purpose of the visit? Who is coming? Can the expectationsbe met?If the purpose is not clear when the programme is put together, there is a risk thatresources might be wasted on both sides. It is important to match the visitors with relevantcounterparts within your own organization. In order to facilitate the initial communication,a Visit Request Form may be useful. The document used at MelbourneUniversity can serve as an example: http://www.iro.unimelb.edu.au/internationalvisitors/visit_request_form).If the expectations cannot be met, perhaps the visit should be postponed or cancelledunless the arrangement can be transformed into merely a courtesy visit. This shouldbe understood by both parties.Is the visit of interest to your university (strategies and goals)?Is the visit (and the expected outcome) in line with strategic goals and priorities for theuniversity as a whole, for one or more faculties and centres, or not of interest at all?Who is responsible for the visit?Many universities have a specific unit or staff responsible for organizing visits. TheIRO is usually responsible for internationalisation on a university wide level, andthus one of the tasks could be to handle proposals regarding cooperation and visits.The visit requests might initially be addressed to the University management, to otherunits, or directly to the IRO. A good idea is to prepare the visit in cooperation withthe concerned departments, faculties or centres. The organizer should be familiar withformal procedures and also with the cultural context, which is an important factor inorder to avoid awkward situations and unwanted results.