Meeting News - December 15, 2008 - (Page 2)

D e c e m b e r 1 5 , 2 0 0 8 Vo l u m e 3 2 , N u m b e r 2 0 Perspectives Defining Moments I must be stuck in a rut; it seems like every time a year comes to a close, I say to myself, “Boy, am I glad that’s over!” While this year is no different, I have hopes that next year will bring change. Because of the economic downturn, a somewhat welcomed sobriety has descended upon the giddy excesses of the last decade. As president-elect Obama put it in his acceptance speech: “The challenges we face require tough choices. And [we] will need to cast off the worn-out ideas and politics of the past, for part of what has been lost these past eight years can’t just be measured by lost wages or bigger trade deficits.” Even while the “AIG Effect” (p. 4, 64) continues to diminish the meetings industry, ways to foster a better environment by doing good have emerged. Some planners who have had to cancel their holiday parties for fear of negative reaction (and have paid cancellation penalties, as a result) are donating their unused food to charities like Terri Hardin, City Harvest. Correspondent Diana Rowe went Editor-In-Chief to Colorado Springs’ Broadmoor resort in October to report on a career summit held in conjunction with the Homeland Defense and Security Symposium, and the hope it held for a young Iraq War veteran and his family (cover story). Roiled as they are by the political and economic climate, planners are doing what they always do: looking to the future and making plans—but still not enough! To my amazement, 20 percent of all planners responding to our MeetingNews Exclusive Research survey (p. 26) had no New Year’s Resolutions, saying they “couldn’t think that far ahead.” Seriously, what kind of example is that? Some of the world’s greatest chefs—with whom executive editor Rayna Katz spoke at Atlantic City’s Borgata resort last month for our latest Chef Talk (p. 6)—are also feeling the economic heat as entrepreneurs, but they offered tips on how to roll with the punches. And, while the cover feature by managing editor William Ng and reporter Robert Carey indicates tough times ahead for hotels, I’m happy to announce the 2008 Planners’ Choice Awards (p. 43), where MN celebrates successful planner-vendor relationships. r Editorial Editor-In-Chief, Terri Hardin (646) 654-7364; terri.hardin@nielsen.com Executive Editor, Rayna Katz (646) 654-4421; rayna.katz@nielsen.com Managing Editor, William Ng (646) 654-4451; william.ng@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 Corporate/Sales Nella Veldran, Vice President Travel Group Phone: (646) 654-7325 Southeast/Mid-Atlantic/Ohio Larry Mischik, Ad Director/Account Manager 3054 Four Oaks Drive, Atlanta, GA 30360 Phone: (770) 604-9641 NY/NJ/New England/Bermuda/Caribbean Diane DiMaggio, International Advertising Director 770 Broadway, NY, NY 10003; Phone: (646) 654-7332 Contributing Editors Robert Carey, Gretchen Kelly, Joy Anderson Corrie Dosh, Irene Korn, Heidi Waldrop Bay Patricia Alisau, Marc Boisclair Florida/Cruise Arthur Hyman, Associate Publisher/Account Manager 1267 Via Fiume, Boynton Beach, FL 33436 Phone: (561) 736-5374 Art Art Director, Richard Prestia (646) 654-4424; richard.prestia@nielsen.com Midwest/Texas/Louisiana Patrice Carman, Account Manager 200 West Jackson Blvd., 27th floor, Chicago, IL 60606 Phone: (312) 583-5522 Marketing Sr. Marketing Manager, Jennifer Pepper Stam (646) 654-7263; jennifer.pepperstam@nielsen.com CA/HI/Colorado/Arizona/Nevada/NM Sharon Freeark, Account Manager 2950 31st Street, Suite 100, Santa Monica, CA 904053037; Phone: (626) 578-0700; Fax: (626) 578-0720 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 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 Digital Sales Custom Media Editorial Director, Marilyn Moore (305) 884-0295 Executive Editor, Alison Golub Executive Editor (Performance), Karen Gines Associate Editor, Sara Veit Creative Director, Denniston Brown Art Director, Michelle Tropiano Associate Art Director, Jonathan Chang Associate Art Director, Tessa Sestina Jared Smith, National Account Manager 770 Broadway, NY, NY 10003; Phone: (646) 654-5520 International CANADA: Publicitas APR; Rosalind Genge Executive Director; Publicitas APR 1281 West Georgia Street, 502, Vancouver, British Columbia V6E 3J7 Phone: +1 604-688-5914; Fax: +1 604-689-0703 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; Spain Luis Andrade, Luis Andrade Publicidad Internacional; Phone: 34-91-441-6266; Fax: 34-91-441-6549; Portugal Paulo Andrade, Ilimitada Media International; Phone: 351-21-385-3598/45; Fax: 351-21-388-3283 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, Phone: (632) 532-6827; Fax: (632) 584-2110; Korea Mr. Jung-Won Suh, President, Sinsegi 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 Information Marketing Associate Director, Audience Marketing, Tracey Dwyer (646) 654-5879; tracey.dwyer@nielsen.com 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 Group President Sabrina Crow Business Manager Leslie Musick President, Greg Farrar Senior Vice President, Human Resources: Michael Alicea Senior Vice President, Marketing: Mark Hosbein Senior Vice President, Finance: Derek Irwin Senior Vice President, Entertainment: Gerry Byrne Senior Vice President, Marketing, Media & Visual Arts: Sabrina Crow Senior Vice President, Retail: David Loechner Senior Vice President, Online: Linda McCutcheon Senior Vice President, Building & Design: Joe Randall Senior Vice President, Central Services: Mary Kay Sustek Vice President, Licensing: Howard Appelbaum Vice President, Manufacturing & Distribution: Jennifer Grego Vice President, Audience Marketing: Joanne Wheatley terri.hardin@nielsen.com DEPARTMENTS IN THIS ISSUE ® ® ® ® ® ® What’s Up @ MeetingNews.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 People Making News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Transportation & Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Green Beat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 Advertisers Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 Live from the Forum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 2 MeetingNews December 15, 2008 www.meetingnews.com http://www.meetingnews.com http://www.meetingnews.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Meeting News - December 15, 2008

Meeting News - December 15, 2008
Gloom Looms for Rooms
Sixth Homeland Defense and Security Symposium's Career Summit...
Perspectives
What’s Up @ MeetingNews.com
Chef Talk
People Making News
Hotels & Resorts
%20%20%20%20%20Dolce Offers to Rebuild Meetings in Public Crisis
CVBs
%20%20%20%20%20Charlotte's Tim Newman Cultivates a Green Team
International
%20%20%20%20%20Downturn Deals Sands a Bad Hand in Macau
Transportation & Services
MN Exclusive Research
Green Beat
Insider Reports
%20%20%20%20%20Affordable Las Vegas
%20%20%20%20%20Galveston
Destination Insider
%20%20%20%20%20Phoenix
Incentive Reports
%20%20%20%20%20Europe
%20%20%20%20%20Ski Destinations
Meeting News Planners' Choice Awards
Advertisers Index
Live from the Forum

Meeting News - December 15, 2008