Successful Meetings - April 2009 - (Page 8)

EDITOR’S LETTER The Authority on Meetings & Incentives It Can Be Done T his month’s cover story takes an in-depth look at the work a coalition of meetings and hospitality industry associations has been doing to change the public perception of meetings. As we went to press, the Coalition scored a lobbying victory. The day after a group of high-profile members of the Coalition met with President Obama, the President released a statement that markedly toned down his rhetoric on the topic of meetings. Before the meeting, the President was lumping off-site meetings in with the greed and excess that rightfully has the entire country up in arms with the corporate leadership of particular industries. In a statement made after that meeting, the President stressed the important role that meetings play in making it possible for companies to be more productive and financially successful. Hallelujah! If it’s possible to change the perception of the leader of our nation, maybe it’s possible to get the consumer press and the public at large to see the other side of the meetings story too. But it’s an uphill battle. There is still legislation working its way through Congress that would impose new restrictions on meetings. And while the work the Coalition is doing is crucially important, it’s one piece of a two-piece puzzle—the other piece is you. We need a strong grassroots effort spreading our message. The best thing you can do is visit www.keepamericameeting.com and sign the online petition. The site also has a link to help you contact your congressperson and a sample letter to help you make the argument that meetings not only make companies more productive and profitable, but they also support jobs in every community. A sample letter to the editor is also available that can be used to spread our message to media outlets around the country. On a related note, the incentive industry has been just as demonized as the meetings industry, maybe even more so. Another website, www.save employeemotivation.org, was created for the incentive industry by our sister publication, Incentive. As the success that the Coalition achieved with President Obama proves, if we focus on the facts of meetings and incentives, we can bring about a shift in the public’s perception of these tools. 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 April 2009 I SuccessfulMeetings.com eR ec y cling zin e e In ov Rem http://www.SuccessfulMeetings.com http://www.keepamericameeting.com http://www.saveemployeemotivation.org http://www.saveemployeemotivation.org http://www.SuccessfulMeetings.com

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

Successful Meetings - April 2009
Contents
Editor's Letter
News Update
The Industry Fights Back
Gaming Meetings
The Coolers
Vegas Big, Vegas Small
Golf Meetings
Places + Spaces
Colorado
Central Florida
Missouri
Puerto Rico
U.K.
Cape Town

Successful Meetings - April 2009