Behind every state visit, diplomatic summit and international event sit months of quiet preparation: precedence lists and seating plans, flag order and arrival choreography, interpreters, gifts and contingencies. The guests see only the result.

The sixth World Protocol Matters Conference is about that unseen work. Over two days in Istanbul, heads of protocol, diplomats and event leaders from across the world will share real cases of how ceremony is planned, rehearsed and delivered when the stakes are institutional and the margin for error is close to none, and what happens when something goes wrong.