More than six months before the 6th World Protocol Matters Conference opens, the work has already begun. Catalina Bora, Founder and Director of the Institute of Etiquette and Protocol, introduces the team hosting this edition.
The conference floor at Hilton Istanbul Maslak is still empty. Catalina Bora walks it slowly, checking where the stage will stand, how delegates will enter and where the flags will go. This is the part of protocol no one applauds. It is also the part that decides whether everything else succeeds. That is fitting, since this edition’s theme is Protocol in Action: the Art and Craft Behind the Scenes.
A path she did not plan
“I did not plan to create the Institute of Etiquette and Protocol,” Catalina says. From an early age she was drawn to how each period of history expressed its aesthetics. She saw it in art and architecture, and also in how people spoke, behaved and carried themselves.
After graduating in banking, life took an unexpected turn and placed her in the Office of the President of the Republic of Moldova. She went on to serve under two presidents. She sat in rooms with heads of state and prime ministers, attended ambassador accreditation ceremonies and witnessed high-stakes negotiations. “In those moments I understood something essential,” she recalls. “How you show up matters. Representation carries meaning.”
Later, while studying international law and diplomacy in Athens, she saw how cultural nuance can either build trust or quietly create distance. Then she moved to Istanbul, where she has now lived for fourteen years. “And I paused. I understood that my interest in aesthetics was not about refinement alone. It was about structure, symbolism and the subtle frameworks that govern human interaction. I also understood that everything I had learned over the years could be of use to others, if I chose to teach it and share it.”
The Institute of Etiquette and Protocol was founded in 2023 from that reflection.
Who we are
Today the Institute is based in Istanbul, with representation in Moldova. It trains executives, diplomats and senior leaders in what Catalina calls culturally fluent protocol: the discipline of getting the form right while understanding the people in front of you.
Its work includes live courses, CPD-accredited online courses and masterclasses for companies, institutions and professional associations. It also runs Around the World with Etiquette, a campaign that gathers cultural insights from practitioners across the world. In three years the Institute has trained hundreds of people: protocol specialists, professionals from other fields seeking to raise their standard, from airline staff to lawyers, and private individuals who simply wish to learn more. Along the way, it has grown into an international community.
The team
The Institute runs on a permanent core team. Catalina leads its direction, programmes and partnerships. Ion Braga, Marketing and Digital Director, oversees the Institute’s marketing and digital presence. Şebnem Güneş, Director of the Türkiye Office, leads the Institute’s operations and institutional relations in Türkiye.
Around this core stands a network of partners across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Foremost among them for this edition are Dr Nikoletta Hossó and the Organisation of International Protocol Professionals, founders of the World Protocol Matters Conference series. The Institute has also signed cooperation agreements with protocol associations and established professional providers in Europe and the Middle East, among them the Romanian Association for Protocol and Ceremonial (ARPC) and the Global Center for Protocol Development (GCPD).
Why Istanbul, and what comes next
Istanbul has received envoys for centuries, and few cities understand ceremony so instinctively. From 11 to 13 May 2027, it will welcome protocol professionals, diplomats and hospitality leaders from across the world. The emphasis will be on the applied craft behind state visits, summits and international events.
“We are proud to host this edition,” Catalina says. “Protocol deserves greater visibility, a day of its own and events like this one, where leading names in the profession come together to discuss its future.”
The Institute’s ambitions reach beyond the conference. It is committed to supporting Dr Hossó’s initiative to have 11 May recognised by the United Nations as World Protocol Day. It also aims to become the leading institution of protocol excellence in South-East Europe and Türkiye.
“Cultural etiquette and protocol are not formalities,” Catalina says. “They are about connecting people, building meaningful relationships and, above all, about awareness.”
And awareness shapes influence.
