Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Transcription

1 z Fact Sheet

2 InterNations Facts The Company The Structure Member Demographics Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Where did the idea for InterNations come from? In what way is InterNations different from other expat platforms or communities? Who works at InterNations? Who are InterNations members? How can interested people get involved? What are InterNations Events? What are InterNations Groups? What is InterNations Changemakers? Founder Information Malte Zeeck, Founder and Co-CEO of InterNations Philipp von Plato, Founder and Co-CEO of InterNations InterNations at A Glance

3 Company Facts The Company The Structure InterNations offers global and local networking both online and face-to-face: At around 6,000 monthly events and activities, expatriates have the opportunity to meet with other global minds. Online services include country and city guides created by a team of professional writers, guest contributions about life abroad, and discussion forums to help members with topics such as local housing and job searching. To ensure the quality of the network, InterNations membership is by approval only. With about 2.9 million members in 390 cities around the world, InterNations () is the largest global network and information site for people who live and work abroad. The first international community for expatriates was founded in Munich (Germany) in 2007 by Malte Zeeck, Philipp von Plato and Christian Leifeld. Malte Zeeck and Philipp von Plato remain as the Co-CEOs of InterNations.

4 Member Demographics Age 25 and below and above 6% 17% 24% 18 % 21% 14% Education InterNations on a Map

5 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About InterNations Where did the idea for InterNations come from? The three founders have all lived and worked abroad. Like many other expatriates, they noticed how tiring and time-con- suming it could be to gather all the necessary information before moving to another country and build up a network of social and professional contacts at their new location. This is how they came up with the idea to create a platform where people who were in the same situation could share their ex- periences and learn about the different countries and cities. In what way is InterNations different from other expat platforms or communities? Whereas other expatriate networks are mostly locally driven and focus on a certain nationality or destination, InterNations operates on a global level and is present in almost 400 cities across the world. The platform is not only a way to connect with other expatri- ates and get information online, but members can actually meet each other face-to-face at local events and activities. Unlike other platforms, InterNations members are hand se- lected by a dedicated multicultural team in order to ensure the high quality of the network.

6 Who works at InterNations? Approximately 100 employees representing more than 30 nationalities work at the InterNations headquarters in Munich. This office is responsible for the management of all of the InterNations Communities around the world from London and New York to Quito and Baghdad. Some of InterNations employees are also based in Vilnius, Lithuania and Madrid, Spain.

7 The Members Who are InterNations members? InterNations members are expatriates from all around the world. They include expatriates in the stricter sense of the word, being skilled professionals sent abroad by their em- ployer, as well as their families. With more and more people deciding to live and work abroad for a certain amount of time, irrespective of their employer, nowadays the definition of the term is used in a much broader sense. One in four expatriates is even considering staying abroad forever. The InterNations Expat Insider survey identifies ten common types of expatriates, whereas the foreign assignee and their spouse are only two of them. Others include, for example, romantics who move for love, former students who came for an education and stayed for a job, globetrotters who enjoy extended travels and getting to know various countries, and so on. How can interested people get involved? Expatriates and global minds interested in joining InterNations can do so by registering at. To ensure the quality of the network, InterNations membership is by approval only and those receiving approval will then have the benefits of Basic Membership with the option to upgrade to premium Albatross Membership, for which they will receive additional benefits for a small fee. InterNations members can contribute more to their local InterNations Community by becoming an Ambassador or Group Consul. Ambassadors are the volunteers responsible for organizing monthly events and acting as the contact person for expatri- ates in their respective local communities. Group Consuls create groups and organize activities on a regular basis.

8 The Structure What are InterNations Official Events? What are InterNations Groups? Almost all of the InterNations Communities organize at least one InterNations Official Event per month. Large communi- ties can have as many as three or four events. These occa- sions are the ideal opportunity for expatriates and other global minds to get together and network or to dance the night away. InterNations Groups are a great way to meet fellow expatriates who share the same hobbies and interests. In many InterNations Communities there is a hiking group, a group for art lovers, one for language exchanges, one for business networking, and one for parents and children, just to name a few examples. What Is InterNations Changemakers? InterNations Changemakers is the world s largest community outreach program for expats. It s a global initiative where over 40,000 expats donate their time and talents to people in need each year. In more than 45 cities, expats work together to support good causes, and make their community a better place. Click here to find out if there s a Changemakers Group in your city. The vision of the program is to be rolled out to all InterNations Communities worldwide. With monthly community outreach activities like cooking for homeless people, visiting the elderly, helping refugees learn the local language, or going on excursions with children in need, our Changemakers step up and provide sustainable support for disadvantaged people in their cities.

9 InterNations Fact Sheets Founder Biographies Malte Zeeck Founder and Co-CEO of InterNations Prior to founding InterNations, Malte Zeeck worked as a correspondent and television reporter for international broadcasters such as CNN International, N24, n-tv and ARD. While reporting from various countries, in- cluding India and Brazil, he experienced many of the challenges related to being an expatriate. Early in 2007, Malte Zeeck and Philipp von Plato, who had both graduated from the University of St. Gallen together, met again in Cologne. Based on their indi- vidual life experiences, they both agreed on the potential of a platform aimed at those liv- ing and working in a foreign city or country, which is how the idea of creating a social net- work especially for expatriates came to In 2012 and 2013, Malte Zeeck was the sole CEO of InterNations due to a temporary leave taken by Philipp von Plato at the end of During this time Malte Zeeck intro- duced the InterNations Groups that enable members to organize their own activities based on common interests, which helped the company achieve global success. In just two years InterNations tripled its number of registered members and doubled the staff s size. Malte Zeeck has a Master of Business Administration from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland and additionally studied at the Bocconi University in Milan, the Fundação Getúlio Vargas in São Paulo and the Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie in Berlin.

10 InterNations Fact Sheets Founder Biographies Philipp von Plato Founder and Co-CEO of InterNations Prior to founding InterNations, Philipp von Plato was a consultant at McKinsey & Compa- ny, where he did consulting for several global blue chip companies in Germany, the United Kingdom and Croatia. While living abroad, he experienced many of the challenges related to being an expatriate. Early in 2007, Malte Zeeck and Philipp von Plato, who had both graduated from the University of St. Gallen together, met again in Cologne. Based on their individual life experiences, they both agreed on the potential of a platform aimed at those living and working in a foreign city or country, which is how the idea of creating a social network especially for expatriates came to life. At the end of 2011, Philipp von Plato helped the Westwing Group, an ecommerce busi- ness for home and living products, on its way to market dominance. As the company s co- CEO, he was responsible for managing the global country subsidiaries as well as run- ning the global marketing, CRM and finance departments. After Westwing had grown to be the market leader in ten countries world- wide, Philipp von Plato returned as co-ceo of InterNations in April Philipp von Plato holds a Master s degree in Business Administration from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland and also studied at the ESADE Business School in Barcelona.

11 InterNations Fact Sheets At a Glance Headquarters & Official Launch Munich, Germany September 2007 Event Registration Media representatives who are interested in attending an InterNations Official Event or Activity can contact the Press Team: General Management Malte Zeeck, Philipp von Plato Global Reach 2.9 million members 390 cities 6,000 monthly events and activities InterNations GmbH Schwanthalerstrasse Munich, Germany Tel: +49 (0) Fax: +49 (0) Website press@internations.org