Successful Meetings - May 2009 - (Page 8)

EDITOR’S LETTER The Authority on Meetings & Incentives Waiting for the “All Clear” t the end of March, Successful Meetings Managing Editor Kinley Levack and I ventured to Las Vegas to conduct a leadership summit at Caesars Palace with directors of sales at 16 properties from up and down The Strip. We expecting to see a ghost town due to all the negative press (which included comments from President Obama criticizing companies that use the city as a meeting venue) and the subsequent meetings cancellations the destination suffered. I’m happy to report that was not the case, the resorts were bustling with guests and we even got caught in a traffic jam or two both driving and walking on The Strip. For details on the event there’s a news story on page 10 and a full report on the summit can be found on page 68. If you would like to view the actual event visit SuccessfulMeetings.com, where you will find links to video clips. One interesting comment came from Chris Meyer, vice president of convention sales for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. Meyer spoke of the need for an “all clear” signal that it’s safe for organizations to host meetings again—not just in Las Vegas, but in any destination. Back in 2001, then President George W. Bush, gave such an “all clear” signal for the travel industry in general when he assured Americans that it was “all right to travel again.” The gesture had a strong impact on the recovery of the travel industry. The ensuing discussion at the round table came to the conclusion that the best signal would be for President Obama or Vice President Biden to attend a corporate event. I don’t know if this will do any good, but this summer, former President Bill Clinton will not only attend, but speak at, the National Business Travel Association’s Annual Convention in San Diego, CA. He’s nine years removed from office, but in that time, clearly he has spoken at enough conferences in both the corporate and association world to be able to weigh in on the value of meetings. Of course, a word from the current President would be the most effective “all clear” signal we could get. But failing that, old Bill just might be our man. A PUBLISHER: NELLA VELDRAN vice president and group publisher, travel group (646) 654-7325, nella.veldran@nielsen.com VINCENT ALONZO editor-in-chief, vince.alonzo@nielsen.com KINLEY LEVACK managing editor, kinley.levack@nielsen.com CORRIE DOSH destinations editor, corrie.dosh@nielsen.com ANDREA DOYLE senior editor, andrea.doyle@nielsen.com NANCY LAZARUS research director, nancy.lazarus@nielsen.com JENNIFER RUF art director, jennifer.ruf@nielsen.com CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Rayna Katz, William Ng, Michael Goldstein, Tom McDonald PRODUCTION (646) 654-7293, Grace Casey, production manager CUSTOM PUBLISHING (305) 884-0295 MARILYN MOORE, editorial director; Alison Golub, executive editor; Karen Gines, executive editor (performance); Sarah Veit, associate editor; Denniston Brown, creative director; Michelle Tropiano, art director; Jonathan Chang, associate art director; Tessa Sestina, associate art director INFORMATION MARKETING (646) 654-7258 Shelly Patton, manager, audience marketing, shelly.patton@nielsen.com SUBSCRIPTIONS (847) 763-9050 MARKETING (646) 654-7263 Jennifer Pepper Stam, senior marketing manager, travel group, jennifer.pepperstam@nielsen.com ADVERTISING (646) 654-7327, New York office REPRINTS The YGS Group, Jenny Kintner, (800) 324-2930, successfulmeetings@theYGSgroup.com For one-time use of our content: Barbara Grieninger, (646) 654-4675, barbara.grieninger@nielsen.com LIST RENTAL (646) 654-7220 Michelle Wiesner, Editorial Offices: 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003 (646) 654-7361; Fax (646) 654-7365; www.SuccessfulMeetings.com President: Greg Farrar Senior Vice President, Human Resources: Michael Alicea Senior Vice President, Finance: Sloane Googin Senior Vice President, Marketing: Mark Hosbein Senior Vice President, Media & Entertainment: Gerry Byrne Senior Vice President, Brand Media and Corporate Development: Sabrina Crow Senior Vice President, Retail: David Loechner 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 Re e This M cycl a ga Plea se Vincent Alonzo, Editor-in-Chief vince.alonzo@nielsen.com se rts for & Samples Be 8 I SM I May 2009 I SuccessfulMeetings.com eR ec y cling zin e e In ov Rem http://www.SuccessfulMeetings.com http://www.SuccessfulMeetings.com http://www.SuccessfulMeetings.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - May 2009

Successful Meetings - May 2009
Contents
Editor's Letter
News Update
Education
Management Matters
Meetings Law
Mouth For Sale
Visionaries
Gurus
Forging Ahead
The Road to Ruin
The Case for Spas
Foreign Affairs
Paper Purge
Carnival Spirit
Defending Meetings
Places + Spaces
Upstate NY
Anaheim
Minneapolis
San Diego
French Riviera
Park City

Successful Meetings - May 2009