Meeting News - January 7, 2008 - (Page 9)

Inside the Meetings Industry Beyond the government statistics, “Associations Matter” delves into other benefits of associations, including their role in training and educating America’s workforce, setting professional standards and codes of ethics, and promoting civic volunteerism. The report differs from previous research conducted as part of ASAE & The Center’s Associations Advance America (AAA) program, in that it does not rely solely on membership surveys to catalog the benefits derived from associations’ activities. “‘Associations Matter’ is compelling research, in part, because it’s entirely verifiable,” said ASAE President and CEO John Graham IV. “There are no formulas or survey results to interpret. These are just the numbers, as compiled by the government, and they happen to support what ASAE and the Center have been saying about our industry for years—that associations make very real and quantitative contributions to our economy and the quality of life we enjoy in this country.” For a copy of “Associations Matter,” call (202) 626-2798 or e-mail cvest@asaenet.org. H —Section written by Robert Carey Inter national Meetings Fir m, Association Mgmt. Company Come Together for Syner gies Washington, DC—In early December, Association Global Services (AGS), an association management company, joined forces with one of the world’s largest international meeting/exhibition management services firms, Congrex Group. AGS was founded in 2000 and now has 45 employees in seven locations worldwide. Congrex, founded in 1982, will offer AGS and its clients the services of a large-scale congress organization team. AGS, in turn, represents an opportunity for Congrex Group to offer association management and secretarial services to clients on six continents. AGS’s founder, Terrance Barkan, said: “AGS will continue to operate independently. There will be no changes to staff or management. What will change is that AGS joins more than 300 experienced colleagues in the fields of professional congress organization and IT services who have long served associations, corporations, and governmental institutions.” Social Scene Food Drives Green 25,000 SQUARE FEET OF EVENT SPACE. On Dec. 20, the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis held its Green Holiday Food Drive, in which each hotel employee who donated two non-perishable food items received an energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulb provided by Sylvania and Minnesotabased distributor Muska Lighting. In all, 400 light bulbs were handed out. The food drive benefited Second Harvest Heartland. HOTEL NIKKO IS THE ONLY HOTEL IN SAN FRANCISCO TO WIN BOTH THE 2006 PINNACLE AWARD AND THE 2006 GOLD KEY AWARD. 1.866.447.1183 :: 222 MASON STREET, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102 AAA FOUR DIAMOND AWARD :: WWW.HOTELNIKKOSF.COM www.meetingnews.com January 7, 2008 MeetingNews 9 http://WWW.HOTELNIKKOSF.COM http://WWW.HOTELNIKKOSF.COM http://www.meetingnews.com

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Meeting News - January 7, 2008

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