Meeting News - March 24, 2008 - (Page 3)

Perspectives What Kind of Message Is That? It’s always surprising to me when I see meeting properties and meeting destinations raising an eyebrow at government programs. Yes, the rates are lower. No, they don’t do as many elaborate food and beverage functions. But as a whole, government meetings are a decent chunk of the market, and California suppliers are about to find out exactly how much—since Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, facing massive state budget deficits, has put the kibosh on government meetings as “non-essential spending,” at least through June 30. It could be a tricky trade-off for him. Government meetings (as well as all other types) help drive the state’s private economy. Local hospitality providers are understanding but cautious in the face of this news—for now. Should the situation push beyond June 30, however, they may become less so. Sari Krieger, contributing writer, covers the industry reaction in California in her cover story. But I am also concerned about the ripple effect this action could have in two areas. 1) Government conferences outside of the state. California will be drastically reducing the number of delegates it sends to meetings and conferences—cutting into conference revenues outside the state, yes, but also curtailing the training and education opportunities of the state’s employees. 2) The message it sends to government entities, Elizabeth West, corporations, and meeting planners at large. Editor-In-Chief Any official statement that identifies meetings as “non-essential spending” is threatening to this industry. It drastically downplays the importance of face-to-face interactions and the knowledge sharing on which this industry thrives. This is why meeting planners, in addition to addressing logistics, must position themselves and their events strategically, proving ROI and tying their professional role to their organization’s bottom line. Check out our Webcast Report on page 50 for a current industry snapshot of these efforts and best practices on how to make meetings count when budgets get tight. r Editorial M a r c h 2 4 , 2 0 0 8 Vo l u m e 3 2 , N u m b e r 6 Corporate/Sales Scott Pierce, Vice President Travel Group Phone: (646) 654-7325 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 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 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, Phillip Hennessey, Bob Curley Sari Krieger, Heidi Waldrop Bay, Dana Young Kinley Levack, Alex Palmer, Robert Carey Suzie Amer, Terri Hardin 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 Sr. Marketing Manager, Jennifer Pepper (646) 654-7263; jennifer.pepperstam@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 Reprints The YGS Group Barb Karmilowicz (800) 290-5460 x106 MN@theYGSgroup.com 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 List Rentals For postal mailings: Julius Single, (845) 731-2731 For emailings: Nicole Guarascio, (845) 731-3828 International Group President Sabrina Crow VP Finance Rhonda Linovitz 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 President, Greg Farrar Senior Vice President/Human Resources: Michael Alicea Senior Vice President, Finance: Derek Irwin Senior Vice President, Entertainment: Gerry Byrne Senior Vice President, Marketing & Media: Sabrina Crow Senior Vice President, Travel & Performance: Sabrina Crow 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, Manufacturing and Distribution: Jennifer Grego Vice President, Audience Marketing: Joanne Wheatley 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 elizabeth.west@nielsen.com IN THIS ISSUE ® ® ® ® ® ® ® What’s Up @ MeetingNews.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Chef Talk: Rosen Shingle Creek’s David Ramirez . . . . . . .8 Convention Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 MN Webcast Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Successful Meetings University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 Advertisers Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 Live from the Forum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58 www.meetingnews.com March 24, 2008 MeetingNews 3 http://www.meetingnews.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Meeting News - March 24, 2008

Meeting News - March 24, 2008
Contents
What’s Up @ MeetingNews.com
Chef Talk: Rosen Shingle Creek’s David Ramirez
Convention Centers
MN Webcast Report
Successful Meetings University
Advertisers Index
Live from the Forum

Meeting News - March 24, 2008

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