Meeting News - March 10, 2008 - (Page 4)

M a r c h 1 0 , 2 0 0 8 Vo l u m e 3 2 , N u m b e r 5 Perspectives Corporate/Sales Editorial Editor-In-Chief, Elizabeth West (646) 654-7360; elizabeth.west@nielsen.com Executive Editor/Hotels, Rayna Katz (646) 654-4421; rayna.katz@nielsen.com Managing Editor/International, William Ng (646) 654-4451; william.ng@nielsen.com Senior Editor/CVBs/Technology, Marshall Krantz (510) 530-3776; marshall.krantz@nielsen.com Senior Associate Editor, Lori Morris (646) 654-7329; lori.morris@nielsen.com Research Director, Nancy Lazarus (646) 654-7272; nancy.lazarus@nielsen.com Editorial Fax: (646) 654-4428 Editorial Address: 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003-9595 Scott Pierce, Vice President Travel Group Phone: (646) 654-7325 Open and Shut Case I’m not talking about a lawsuit. I’m talking about air access. When I consider the machinations going on in the airline industry right now, I’m alternately excited and frustrated, especially for mid-size cities that stand to be affected most by some exciting opportunities and some challenging setbacks. The Open Skies agreement, hammered out last year between the United States and the European Union, takes effect later this month. Though there have been many other such agreements penned between the U.S. government and specific countries, this one opens air lanes like never before between the States and the Europe. Major European carriers like Lufthansa and British Airways are going to be aggressive about serving mid-size cities that have, in many cases, been shut out from international travel because they require elaborate connections. In addition, low-cost domestic carriers like Southwest and JetBlue are looking at international flights that could really change the skyscape for both leisure and meetings travelers. Southwest, which bridled in the past at the idea of preferred partner agreements, is courting such opportunities, based on volume sales. But as the skies open up for international travel, consolidation talks among major domestic carriers are threatening to shut down some service in the mid-size cities. The possible merger between Elizabeth West, Delta and Northwest could hit cities like Memphis Editor-In-Chief and Minneapolis hard by reducing flight volume through those Middle America hubs. Should Continental and United consolidate as well, meeting planners should brace for a significant reduction in access points to cities across the country. Unfortunately, the consolidation talks are not necessarily addressing customer needs, but are fixated mostly on cost-cutting and policies. At press time, pilot seniority issues have snagged merger progress, and maybe that’s not all bad. Should plans move foreward, I see a grim picture for meeting planners looking to reduce travel hassles for attendees. I’m interested to see how consolidated carriers would deliver on service standards against the low-cost carriers that are building loyalty and expanding access. Check out contributing writer Christopher Hosford’s cover story to get the view of the skies from industry analysts and meeting planners like you. r Southeast/Mid-Atlantic/Ohio Larry Mischik, Ad Director/Account Manager 3054 Four Oaks Drive, Atlanta, GA 30360 Phone: (770) 604-9641 NYC/NJ/New England/Bermuda/Caribbean Diane DiMaggio, International Advertising Director 770 Broadway, NY, NY 10003; Phone: (646) 654-7332 Florida/Cruise Arthur Hyman, Associate Publisher/Account Manager 1267 Via Fiume, Boynton Beach, FL 33436 Phone: (561) 736-5374 Contributing Editors Christopher Hosford, Emily Carrus, Heidi Waldrop Bay Phillip Hennessey, Bob Curley, Sari Krieger, Irene Korn Kinley Levack, Suzie Amer, Terri Hardin Robert Carey (Editor-At-Large) Midwest/Texas/Louisiana Patrice Carman, Account Manager 200 West Jackson Blvd., 27th floor, Chicago, IL 60606 Phone: (312) 583-5522 Art Group Creative Director, Amy Bothwell Art Director, Richard Prestia (646) 654-4424; richard.prestia@nielsen.com California/Hawaii/Nevada Sharon Freeark, Account Manager 2950 31st Street, Suite 100, Santa Monica, CA 904053037; Phone: (626) 578-0700; Fax: (626) 578-0720 Marketing Marketing Manager, John Toler (703) 488-2739; john.toler@nielsen.com Promotions Associate, Jennifer Ginsberg (646) 654-7210; jennifer.ginsberg@nielsen.com Asia/Pacific/Southwest/Colorado Edie Garfinkle, International Advertising Director 2510 G Las Posas Road, #505, Camarillo, CA 93010 Phone: (805) 383-1326; Fax: (646) 654-4456 Production Production Manager, Adam Schaffer (646) 654-7295; Fax (646) 654-7318 adam.schaffer@nielsen.com Subscription Information: (847) 763-9050 Subscription Fax: (847) 763-9037 Single Copy Sales: (847) 763-9050 E-Media Jared Smith, National Account Manager 770 Broadway, NY, NY 10003; Phone: (646) 654-5520 Marketing Services Peter Hirschhorn, Director of Marketing Services 770 Broadway, NY, NY 10003; Phone: (646) 654-7556 Steve Moore, Account Manager 770 Broadway, NY, NY 10003; Phone: (646) 654-5533 Reprints The YGS Group Barb Karmilowicz (800) 290-5460 x106 MN@theYGSgroup.com List Rentals For postal mailings: Julius Single, (845) 731-2731 For emailings: Nicole Guarascio, (845) 731-3828 International CANADA: Wayne St. John, President; Penny Dickenson, VP Sales; Alex Kinninmont, VP Sales/Admin.; Francoise Chalifour, Cyndy Fleming, American Publishers Canada Phone: (416) 363-1388; Rosalind Genge, Western office, Phone: (604) 988-0730; MEXICO & LATIN AMERICA: Veronica Castro; CASS Media; Phone: 52-55/5605-1757 EUROPE/AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST: Diane DiMaggio, International Advertising Director, Successful Meetings/MeetingNews; Phone: 646-654-7332; Fax: 646-328-0218; Cell 914-299-4394 ASIA/PACIFIC: Singapore Lavendar Tan, Al Media, 733 Bukit timah Road #03-05, Singapore 269748; Phone: (65) 469-9321; Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines Annie Blanchard & Associates, Tel/Fax (632) 645-7296; Korea Mr. Jung-Won Suh, President, Singesi Media Inc., Phone: +82 2 3275 5969; Japan Etsuko Ichinohe, Pacific Business, Inc.; Phone 81-3-3661-6138; Fax: 81-3-3661-6139; Macau, Hong Kong, China Stephen Hutton, Hutton Media Limited, International Media Representatives, Suite 2102 Fook Lee Commercial Centre, 33 Lockhart Road, Wanchai Hong Kong; Phone: 852 2528 9135; Fax: 852 2528 9281 Group President William J. Cooke VP Finance Rhonda Linovitz President, Greg Farrar Senior Vice President/Human Resources: Michael Alicea Senior Vice President, Finance: Derek Irwin Senior Vice President, Travel, Performance, Life Sciences & Marketing Services: William J. Cooke Senior Vice President, Marketing & Media: Sabrina Crow Senior Vice President, Film & Performing Arts: John Kilcullen Senior Vice President, Music & Literary: John Kilcullen Senior Vice President, Corporate Development & Planning: Thomas Kuczynski Senior Vice President, Retail: David Loechner Senior Vice President, OnlineMedia: Linda McCutcheon Senior Vice President, Building Design: Joe Randall Senior Vice President, Central Services: Mary Kay Sustek Vice President, Licensing & Events: Howard Appelbaum Vice President, Marketing Services: Drew DeSarle Vice President, Manufacturing and Distribution: Jennifer Grego Vice President, Audience Marketing: Joanne Wheatley elizabeth.west@nielsen.com IN THIS ISSUE ® ® ® ® ® What’s Up @ MeetingNews.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Advertisers Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58 MN Webcast Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 Successful Meetings University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 Live from the Forum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 www.meetingnews.com 4 MeetingNews March 10, 2008 http://www.meetingnews.com http://www.meetingnews.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Meeting News - March 10, 2008

Meeting News - March 10, 2008
Contents
What’s Up @ MeetingNews.com
Advertisers Index
MN Webcast Report
Successful Meetings University
Live from the Forum
PASSPORT: Guide to Int'l Marketplace

Meeting News - March 10, 2008