1. Man duzt sich, ohne aber irgendwelche Vertraulichkeiten auszutauschen.
2. Unpünktlichkeit ist die Norm (ja nach Charakter zwischen 15 Minuten u. 1 Stunde)
3. Die Themen Religion und Politik vermeiden (vermintes Gelände)
4. Nicht offen widersprechen, sondern „Ich sehe das genauso. Allerdings möchte ich das noch ergänzen ....“
5. Nicht rauchen, auch wenn behauptet wird, das störe niemanden (Ausnahme: die Gesprächspartner qualmen auch)

:) "you can say you to me" - natürlich duzt man sich, wie auch sonst.
Man nennt sich beim Vornamen, deswegen benimmt man sich aber trotzdem wie wenn man sich auf Deutsch siezt.

wahrscheinlich fängt man auch besser gar nicht erst mit dem Irakkrieg an ("whatever you do, don't mention the war", hahaha).
Reisen in Europa sind immer ein gutes Thema. Oder wenn du schonmal in den USA warst und davon erzählen kannst.
Und Amis gehen zum Nasepudern in den "bathroom", nicht "toilet".

Agree with # 3. - 4.

# 1. - well, considering it's English...
Address by first name only if they introduce themselves that way (which they probably will, but you never know). If he says, I'm Mr. Sososo, then address him that way. Or he/she may say, I'm Mr. Sososo, but please call me Joe.
2. BE PUNCTUAL, even if they are not. A few minutes ahead of time is even better, especially if you are there before them. It shows you are eager to do business with them. (this is not a party where you are "expected" to come somewhat late). Trust me, unless your car breaks down on the Autobahn, it will be held against you.

Keep the small talk neutral - how are you enjoying our weather, have you ever seen this much rain, have you had a chance to visit any local points of interest (maybe your opportunity to arrange some visits through your company - would be seen as very friendly and helpful), etc. etc. Do not ask about wife, number of children, etc. unless they initiate it.

There is also a difference: are you courting them (do you want THEIR business or do they want YOURS, in which case you can take the lead)

PS - not only don't smoke, watch it with the drinks and take your cue from them - there are a surprising number of teetotalers around. best to stick to your Perrier.

@ RES-can - Oh boy, questions galore - a few weeks ago I attended "cocktails" hosted by a Canadian company I work with, where people were expected to socialize and get to know each other. Most of the people there were Canadians.
I drank some (but it IS for cocktails, isn't it?), and I was actually drilled on politics and religion in my country by almost everyone I met (I live in Israel). Now I'm wondering how many faux pas did I commit? Though I felt quite uncomfortable discussing these issues, I felt that evading the questions would not work well - in fact I tried being non-committal at the beginning, but it seemed like people were really expecting me to give them some insider information about the situation. So I started talking....

Bergspinne,
will you let us know how your meeting went?

@Efroch - don't worry - I'm sure you were just fine. Your situation is very different than Berspinne's, who is going to a meeting (dinner?) with potential business clients/associates. Of course you can drink at a cocktail party, and the social atmosphere is very different and informal. You can have a drink at a meeting too, the only thing I wanted to indicate was that in that particular business situation, you might want to take your cue from your guests.
Politics and religion are always tricky topics. I will generalize to a certain extent at the risk of getting my head chewed off: North Americans are generally apathetic about these topics outside of their borders, at least until 9/11 (of course there are always others too), plus media here is much narrower than in other parts of the world. The people you met probably were really interested in your point of view.
I can only speak for myself here: even in that situation, as much as possible I try to represent a balanced point of view, simply because you don't know how it will be interpreted and you WILL be quoted, and ultimately, even though it is a social occasion, the goal is still largely business networking.
Efroch, I'm sure you have absolutely nothing to worry about. I have read some of your other postings and you sound like a pretty balanced individual. Don't sweat it and relax and have fun at the next cocktail.
I think that most people do just fine, simply by using their common sense.

@RES-can - what a nice thing to say, thank you.
I did enjoy myself, just got worried there for a moment.

I was most definitely raised to be punctual, as were my friends. Personally, I have never encountered an American who was "running late." Americans use the "restroom" and not the bathroom.

Meiner Meinung nach ist Politik nicht gänzlich tabu -- aber vermeide es auf jeden Fall, dich kritisch zu den USA einschließlich der jeweils aktuellen Politik dort zu äußern, so gut deine Argumente auch sein mögen. Ich habe schon mehrmals erlebt, dass Amerikaner so etwas als persönliche Beleidigung auffassen, selbst dann, wenn sie mit dir eigentlich der gleichen Meinung sind. Aber während sich Europäer meist als Bürger einer vor Meinungsvielfalt strotzenden Welt sehen, sehen viele US-Bürger sich erst mal als "Amerikaner". Und Kritik an Amerika ist dann Kritik an der eigenen Person.

Natürlich denkt bei weitem nicht jeder so, aber die Gefahr ist groß, also begib dich gar nicht erst auf das Glatteis. ;-)