Successful Meetings - June 2009 - (Page 26)

PLANNER’S WORKSHOP visionaries Roger Dow, CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, has come a long way from the housekeeping department of the Houston Marriott Roger Dow Leads the Troops By Andrea Doyle andrea.doyle@nielsen.com t the start of a tour of duty in Vietnam, Sergeant Roger Dow kept some distance from his men. He believed it was the way to establish leadership; his squad quickly dispelled that notion. Someone must be on patrol 24-7, and Dow was in charge of the schedule. A soldier pointed out that Dow didn’t have any patrol duty of his own. “I thought as a sergeant I was supposed to be the boss, which meant not having to do what the rest were doing. I realized the message I was A communicating and took the 3 a.m. post,” explains Dow. “Although I was scared to death, this turned out to be one of the greatest experiences of my life.” He was forced to lead in an environment where everyone’s life was at risk. Dow was a recent college grad and being drafted to serve in Vietnam was a constant, all-tooreal possibility. Those fateful papers arrived as he was working at the Houston Marriott. “I can picture that envelope. In it was a letter that read, 26 I SM I June 2009 I SuccessfulMeetings.com Roger Dow stands on the roof deck of the U.S. Travel Association’s Washington, DC, office building http://www.SuccessfulMeetings.com

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

Successful Meetings - June 2009
Contents
Editor's Letter
Maritz Goes Virtual
Education
Management Matters
Food & Beverage
Incentive Insights
Roger Dow Leads the Troops
Life Goes On
The Good Life
Las Vegas Supplement
California Supplement

Successful Meetings - June 2009