Successful Meetings - May 2008 - (Page 10)

Editor’s Note > By Vincent Alonzo vince.alonzo@nielsen.com If Memory Serves Me Correctly They say if you stick around long enough, you’ll see everything. And if you stay at the party even longer, you’ll see it twice. Well, I’ve been around so long that this is probably the fifth or sixth economic downturn I’ve experienced. I’d like to say that this one feels a little different, a little more ominous, a little more like, “Uhoh, we really did it this time,” than the others; but I’m not sure if that’s true. Because whenever the economy has gone south in the past, the general reaction of shock, dismay, and fear that we’re going to lose everything—forever—has kind of been the same. At least that’s how I remember it. Of course, the reaction to every recovery has always been the same, too. Everyone jumps right back on the ride, spending too much, borrowing too much, and generally behaving like a drunken sailor on shore leave. It’s fun, fun, fun. The bill’s never gonna come. Until, of course, the next downturn, and then it’s back to: “Oh no! We’re screwed—forever!” Neither extreme is good for us—either in our professional or our personal lives. So here’s some free counsel for those of you out there who might be feeling the strain of these troubling times: Scared about the future? Don’t waste your time. Be more deliberate about creating an atmosphere in which you can be happy. You can’t always control the depths, but you can definitely shape the surfaces. Having some regrets about past excesses? C’est la vie. Sometimes we can be guilty of wanting too much, but at the end of the day (by which I mean your deathbed) it’s probably better to have grasped at more than you could carry than vice versa. Sure, the world may be falling apart, and ice cream and party favor prices may be rising through the proverbial roof, but a warm spring breeze coming across the river as the sun is setting is a lot more important than that stuff. You need a beer. And some good friends—and some great networking contacts. Just get out there and make it happen. EDITORIAL and EXECUTIVE OFFICES: 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003, (646) 654-7381; fax (646) 654-7365; www.mimegasite.com VINCENT ALONZO editor-in-chief, vince.alonzo@nielsen.com SUZIE AMER managing editor, suzie.amer@nielsen.com TERRI HARDIN destinations editor, terri.hardin@nielsen.com KINLEY LEVACK senior editor, kinley.levack@nielsen.com NANCY LAZARUS research director, nancy.lazarus@nielsen.com CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: ROBERT CAREY, RAYNA KATZ, WILLIAM NG, MICHAEL GOLDSTEIN, TOM MCDONALD CORRESPONDENTS: NEELAM MATHEWS (ASIA); ED SCHMIDT JR. (FLORIDA); HEIDI WALDROP BAY (WESTERN U.S.) ART (646) 654-7348 DON SALKALN art director, don.salkaln@nielsen.com PRODUCTION (646) 654-7293 GRACE CASEY production manager SPECIAL PROJECTS (646) 654-7360 BETH WEST editorial director; ALISON GOLUB executive editor; DENNISTON BROWN art director; MICHELLE TROPIANO associate art director INFORMATION MARKETING (646) 654-7256 KWAFO group director, audience marketing, kwafo.anoff@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 FOR THE NEW YORK OFFICE REPRINTS For advertising/editorial: The YGS Group, Jenny Kintner, (800) 3242930, e-mail: successfulmeetings@theYGSgroup.com. For one-time use of our content, as a full article, excerpt, or chart: Barbara Grieninger, (646) 654-4675, email: barbara.grieninger@nielsen.com LIST RENTAL (646) 654-7220 MICHELLE WIESNER Vice President, Manufacturing and Distribution: Jennifer Grego Vice President, Audience Marketing: Joanne Wheatley ANOFF 10 mimegasite.com MAY 2008 SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS http://www.mimegasite.com http://mimegasite.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - May 2008

Successful Meetings - May 2008
Contents
Editor's Note
Industry Trends
Destination News
Destination News
Suppliers
Destination News
Calendar
On the Record
Websites of the Month
Management Matters
Mouth for Sale
Meetings Law
Planner's Spotlight
Pre-Event
On Site
Tools of the Trade
Pre-Event
Counting Change
Giving Them the Business
The Magnificent Seven
All-American Gift Guide
Green Lights
Places & Spaces
Anaheim & Orange County
Upstate New York
Cincinnati
Detroit
San Diego
Phoenix
Gurus

Successful Meetings - May 2008