Meeting News - March 9, 2009 - (Page 2)

M a r c h 9 , 2 0 0 9 Vo l u m e 3 3 , N u m b e r 4 Perspectives Corporate/Sales Editorial Editor-In-Chief, Terri Hardin (646) 654-7364; terri.hardin@nielsen.com Executive Editor, Rayna Katz (646) 654-4421; rayna.katz@nielsen.com Managing Editor, William Ng (646) 654-4451; william.ng@nielsen.com Research Director, Nancy Lazarus (646) 654-7272; nancy.lazarus@nielsen.com Editorial Fax: (646) 654-4428 Editorial Address: 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003-9595 Nella Veldran, Vice President Travel Group Phone: (646) 654-7325 The Tough Get Going With all the controversy surrounding meetings, maybe some of you are thinking of getting out of the industry. Perhaps you might consider a job where you can show up whenever you like, set your own salary, receive universal health care, get seen on TV, and—in special cases—receive complimentary transportation and free bodyguards. If this sounds good to you, then you are ready for a career in politics. Seriously, we are at a crossroads about the accountability of banks and big corporations to the people they ostensibly serve. Meetings have to have a return on investment (ROI)—not just be free parties for CEOs and their cronies. But you know that already, because you’ve been determining meetings ROI for years. Unfortunately, it’s the instant experts that currently have the bully pulpit, with disastrous results. Recently, Goldman Sachs pulled a meeting Terri Hardin, out of Las Vegas, allegedly paying $600,000 in canEditor-In-Chief cellation fees for doing so. Even more recently, senator John Kerry (D-MA) submitted legislation to stop recipients under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) from using taxpayer dollars to pay for conferences, holiday parties, and entertainment events. With respect, Senator, when you were running for president in 2004, my commuter train was held up because your entourage was leaving Jon Bon Jovi’s house following a fundraising party for your candidacy. Since you are a government employee, I suspect there was some taxpayer money involved in that party—although I’m sure it was chump change compared to the figures being thrown around now. But enough about me. Rayna Katz’s cover story, “The Industry Fights Back,” details the current struggle of our $740 billion industry to justify its existence to our leadership, while in our MeetingNews Exclusive Research, correspondent Julie Barker talks to planners who may be facing their loss of livelihood and health insurance. Meanwhile, TBA Global has started the Keep America Meeting petition at www.keepamericameeting.com. MeetingNews suggests you sign it, and visit the Keep America Meeting Facebook Fan Page and the Keep America Meeting LinkedIn Group, which MN sponsors. H 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 Contributing Editors Julie Barker, Robert Carey, Gretchen Kelly Rowland Stiteler, Brad Crawford Edward Schmidt, Jr., Phillip Hennessey Julie Catalano, Randee Dawn Florida/Cruise Arthur Hyman, Associate Publisher/Account Manager 1267 Via Fiume, Boynton Beach, FL 33436 Phone: (561) 736-5374 Art Art Director, Michael J. Strong (646) 654-7471; michael.strong@nielsen.com Midwest/Texas/Louisiana Patrice Carman, Account Manager 200 West Jackson Blvd., 27th floor, Chicago, IL 60606 Phone: (312) 583-5522 Marketing Sr. Marketing Manager, Jennifer Pepper Stam (646) 654-7263; jennifer.pepperstam@nielsen.com CA/HI/Colorado/Arizona/Nevada/NM Sharon Freeark, Account Manager 2950 31st Street, Suite 100, Santa Monica, CA 904053037; Phone: (626) 578-0700; Fax: (626) 578-0720 Production Production Manager, Adam Schaffer (646) 654-7295; Fax (646) 654-7318 adam.schaffer@nielsen.com Subscription Information: (847) 763-9050 Subscription Fax: (847) 763-9037 Single Copy Sales: (847) 763-9050 Digital Sales Jared Smith, National Account Manager 770 Broadway, NY, NY 10003; Phone: (646) 654-5520 Custom Media Editorial Director, Marilyn Moore (305) 884-0295 Executive Editor, Alison Golub Executive Editor (Performance), Karen Gines Associate Editor, Sarah Veit Creative Director, Denniston Brown Art Director, Michelle Tropiano Associate Art Director, Jonathan Chan Associate Art Director, Tessa Sestina International International Advertising Director Diane DiMaggio, International Advertising Director 770 Broadway, NY, NY 10003; Phone: (646) 654-7332 email: Diane.Dimaggio@nielsen.com CANADA: Publicitas APR; Cyndy Fleming. 468 Queen St E,Toronto, ON M5A 1T7, Phone: (416) 363-1388; Email: Cyndy.Fleming@Publicitas.com Western office: Publicitas APR; Rosalind Genge, 1281 W.Georgia St, 502, Vancouver, BC V6E 3J7; Phone: (604) 688-5914; Fax: (604) 689-0703; Email: Rosalind.Genge@Publicitas.com MEXICO & LATIN AMERICA: Veronica Castro; CASS Media; Corina No 31-B; Col. Del Carmen Coyoacan, Mexico, DF 04100, Mexico; Phone: 52-55/5605-1757 Email: veronicacastro@cassmedia.com ASIA/PACIFIC: Singapore Lavendar Tan, Al Media, 733 Bukit timah Road #03-05, Singapore 269748; Phone: (65) 6469-9321; Fax: (65)6469-8028; email: lavtan@signet. com.sg Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines Annie Blanchard & Assoc, Unit 9A #8 Wack Wack Rd Condominium, Wack Wack Rd, Greenhills E, Mandaluyong City 1550, Metro Manila, Philippines; Phone: (632) 646-2497; Fax: (632) 647-1853; Email: abaltd@skyinet.net; Korea Mr. Jung-Won Suh, Sinsegi Media Inc.,4-13, Yoick-dong, Kandungpo-gu, Seoul, Korea 150-890; Phone: +82 2 3275 5969; Fax: +82 2 785 8225; Email:sinsegi-2@sinsegimemdia.info; Japan Hiroko Kujime, Pacific Business, Inc, Matsuda Building, 2-4-6 Nihonbashi Kayabacho Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0025; Phone 81-3-3661-6138; Fax: 81-3-36616139; email: Kujime-pbi@gol.com Taiwan Ye Chang & Paula Liu, Epoch Ltd, 3F-4, 189 eelung Road, Section 2, Taipei 11054, Taiwan; Phone: +886-223-779108; Email: epoch.paula@msa.hinet.net, epoch.ye@msa.hinet.net EUROPE: Spain Luis Andrade, Luis Andrade Publicidad Internacional, Plaza Descubridor Diego de Ordas 1, Madrid, 28003, Spain, Phone: +34-91+441+6266, Fax: +3491-441-6549, Email: LAndrade@luisandrade.com Portugal Paulo Andrade, Ilimitada Media International; Av. Eng. Duarte Pacheco; Amoreiras Torre 2, Piso 5 Sala 1, Lisbon, 1070102, Portugal; Phone: 351-21-385-3598/45; Fax: 351-21388-3283, email: PAndrade@ilimitadapub.com Information Marketing Associate Director, Audience Marketing, Tracey Dwyer (646) 654-5879; tracey.dwyer@nielsen.com Reprints The YGS Group Barb Karmilowicz (800) 290-5460 x106 MN@theYGSgroup.com List Rentals For postal mailings: Julius Single, (845) 731-2731 For emailings: Nicole Guarascio, (845) 731-3828 Group President Sabrina Crow Business Manager Leslie Musick 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, Corporate Development: Sabrina Crow Senior Vice President, Retail: David Loechner Senior Vice President, Online: Linda McCutcheon 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 terri.hardin@nielsen.com ADDITIONAL DEPARTMENTS IN THIS ISSUE ® What’s Up @ MeetingNews.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 ® People Making News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 ® Ad Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48 ® Live from the Forum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 2 MeetingNews March 9, 2008 www.meetingnews.com http://www.meetingnews.com http://www.keepamericameeting.com http://www.meetingnews.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Meeting News - March 9, 2009

Meeting News- March 9, 2009
Contents
What’s Up @ MeetingNews.com
Live from the Forum
Inside the Industry
People Making News
Value Meetings
Convention Centers
Transportation
Green Beat
Planners Guide to Florida
Destinations: Tennessee
Destinations: Boston
Destinations: Dallas-Fort Worth
Ad Index
Passport

Meeting News - March 9, 2009