Successful Meetings - February 2010 - (Page 8)

NEWS UPDATE Leaders Forecast Future Heads of all the major industry associations weigh in on the state of meetings at a January PCMA event I t was standing room only at The PCMA Masters Series at the organization’s annual meeting in Dallas in January. The session, “Top Industry Leaders on the Future of Meetings,” offered a lively discussion in which virtually every top industry association leader participated, moderated by Jonathan Tisch, chairman and CEO of Loews Hotels. The panelists were Brenda Anderson, Site; Roger Dow, U.S. Travel Association; Michael Gehrisch, Destination Marketing Association International; John Graham, ASAE & the Center for Association Leadership; Bruce MacMillan, Meeting Professionals International; Deborah Sexton, Professional Convention Management Association; and Martin Sirk, International Congress & Convention Association. Tisch warned of the possibility of over-leveraged hotels going under as loans become due in 2010. “Some of the best hotel operators are vulnerable to this,” Tisch said. “Lack of financing has stopped the construction of new hotel inventory, which means there will be less hotels to clog the supply of hotel rooms.” of the industry that are not participating in the effort on board,” said Dow. “The airline industry is the most important player not at the table with the industry initiatives.” There were some firsts at this year’s event. PCMA held its first CEO Summit for convention center and convention and visitors bureau CEOs. The CEO Summit brought together nearly 50 executives for high-level colFrom left, MPI’s Bruce MacMillan, PCMA’s Deborah Sexton, and laboration and information Martin Sirk of ICCA sharing. Executives assisted in When asked if incentives will be a the initiation of a formal program to vital part of travel again, Anderson said orient convention center and CVB volthat the industry and corporate endunteer leadership to the realities and users are in the process of redefining idiosyncrasies of destination manageincentives. ment, facility marketing, and the meet“Incentive practitioners are changing ings and convention industry in general. the value proposition of what incen“With the help of top industry tives offer,” said Anderson. “There is a leaders, PCMA was able to lay the renewed emphasis on proving ROI, and foundation for a program focused on economy and value are now elements educating destination stakeholders on of program designs that once emphathe value of the meetings and convensized luxury.” tion industry,” said PCMA’s Sexton. Dow stressed the importance of “Collaboration is the key to ensuring building on the industry-wide effort to the future success of the meetings present a unified lobbying and public industry, and PCMA is proud to help relations initiative that successfully facilitate progressive programs like the changed the perception of meetings CEO Summit.” and events in 2009. In another first, Kati Quigley, director “We have to get some segments of event marketing for Microsoft I SM I February 2010 I SuccessfulMeetings.com http://www.SuccessfulMeetings.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - February 2010

Successful Meetings - February 2010
Contents
Shift Happens
Leaders Forcast Future
Education
Personal Success
Incentive Insights
Food & Beverage
Visionaries
Industry Awards
CVBS
Places & Spaces
Florida's East Coast
Atlantic City
Maui
Aruba

Successful Meetings - February 2010