Meeting News - February 16, 2009 - (Page 22)

SOUTH REGIONAL Perspectives South Regional, February 2009 Editorial Rayna Katz, Editor Phone: (646) 654-4421; rayna.katz@nielsen.com William Ng, Managing Editor Phone: (646) 654-4451; william.ng@nielsen.com Richard Prestia, Art Director Phone: (646) 654-4424; richard.prestia@nielsen.com Matt Alderton, Writer; matt@logolepsy.com Terri Hardin, Editorial Advisor Phone: (646) 654-7360; terri.hardin@nielsen.com The Glass Is Still Half Full It’s tough to resist stories about the economy. It’s what everyone’s talking about, it’s today’s greatest concern, and those worries are driving all sorts of goings-on. Such was clearly the experience of writer Matt Alderton, who put together this section. That’s the bad news. After all, the stories you’re hearing (and likely experiencing) every day—of layoffs, Rayna Katz, cutbacks, and spending Editor declines—aren’t uplifting. But the good news is our industry is finding creative ways to deal with the rough climate. As you’ll see in Matt’s first cover story, “Preemptive Strike: Destination Deals,” convention and visitors bureaus are coming up with enticing packages to woo groups, including some with free transportation and entertainment. His second cover story, “Southern Meetings 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 Florida/Cruise Arthur Hyman, Associate Publisher/Account Manager 1267 Via Fiume, Boynton Beach, FL 33436 Phone: (561) 736-5374 Get More Mileage with Drive-To Access,” talks about the increased appeal of staying local, but it also discusses decisions by meeting planners and attendees to continue to meet. There was one blemish there though, which ties into the economy-related storm. At press time, the problem was just brewing, but by the time you read this, I fear it is already a cyclone. That problem is meetings and incentives are getting a bad rap. After financial and insurance firms that received government bailouts planned lavish group functions, a glaring spotlight is being cast on such events. Yet, destinations throughout the South understand that the industry must go on. So Atlanta is planning to expand its convention center; Beaufort, SC, has had enough growth to create not one but two CVBs after never having one; and Hilton has set up a Southern headquarters. Not bad for tough times. So keep on planning—there’s a bright new day ahead. I Midwest/Texas/Louisiana Patrice Carman, Account Manager 200 West Jackson Blvd., 27th floor, Chicago, IL 60606 Phone: (312) 583-5522 CA/HI/Colorado/Arizona/Nevada/NM Sharon Freeark, Account Manager 2950 31st Street, Suite 100, Santa Monica, CA 90405-3037; Phone: (626) 578-0700; Fax: (626) 578-0720 rayna.katz@nielsen.com IN THIS SECTION Destination Deals . . . . . . . 21 Drive-To Increases . . . . . . 21 People Making News . . . . 24 Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Georgia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Tennessee . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 South Carolina . . . . . . . . . 30 North Carolina . . . . . . . . . 31 22 MeetingNews February 16, 2009 www.meetingnews.com http://www.meetingnews.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Meeting News - February 16, 2009

Meeting News - February 16, 2009 Contents What’s Up @ MeetingNews.com People Making News International Technology MN Webcast Report Ad Index Live from the Forum

Meeting News - February 16, 2009

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.