Successful Meetings - December 2007 - (Page 10)

12.07 & NEWS ANALYSIS > Special Report San Diego Firestorm By Ron Donoho Inside > RESEARCH A Successful Meetings poll says productivity prevails at small meetings PAGE 12 > INDUSTRY TRENDS AMEX predicts high hotel rates in 2008 PAGE 14 > EVENTS 2008 meetings industry event calendar PAGE 16 The numbers are staggering. Wildfires that sparked to life October 22 in San Diego County—and took more than a week to abate— claimed 14 lives and caused more than $2 billion in property damage. A half million people responded to mandatory or voluntary calls to evacuate. Blazes burned roughly 400,000 acres of land, and more than 1,600 homes were destroyed. While the tragedy will be felt by residents for some time—particularly those living north and east of the city—the good news for the region is that downtown San Diego and most of the tourist and convention infrastructure was left untouched by flames. “We plan to be very proactive in contacting about 80 groups that were booked here for the two weeks after the fire,” says San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau president and CEO David Peckinpaugh. He says only a small percentage of meetings—the exact number was not known right after the fires began— canceled or pulled out. At least eight of the county’s 450 hotels (comprising 54,000 rooms) were closed due to the fires, reports a San Diego CVB spokesperson. Most that evacuated guests as a precautionary measure reopened after a few days, including the Rancho Bernardo Inn and the Hilton San Diego in Del Mar. Some popular attractions—Legoland, SeaWorld, and the Wild Animal Park—were closed for a few days. The Wild Animal Park is affiliated with the downtown San Diego Zoo, and is located in a northern swath of the county. The zoo did not close. The Wild Animal Park was closed for three days and saw 600 acres of property burned (the land was open buffer zone and not public access space). Two animals died from complications brought on by fire. Downtown Lindbergh Field remained open for air traffic. The San Diego Convention Center also stayed open for business. Sharp DECEMBER 2007 SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS PHOTO: UPI / NASA / LANDOV 10 mimegasite.com http://mimegasite.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - December 2007

Successful Meetings - December 2007 Contents Editor's Note Special Report Research Industry Trends 2008 Meeting Events Planner Spotlight Websites of the Month Mouth for Sale Technology Talk Food & Beverage Pre-Event On Site Pre-Event Tools of the Trade Goodbye, Booth Babes Five Tips to Improve Your Golf Events When Crime Pays Office for Hire More Miles for Your Money Places & Spaces South Florida Biloxi / Mississippi Gulf Coast Fort Worth Monterey Beijing Gurus Special Supplement: Hawaii Island-by-Island Guide

Successful Meetings - December 2007

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