Successful Meetings - October 2009 - (Page 8)

EDITOR’S LETTER The Authority on Meetings & Incentives Service is Always in Fashion ne of the perks of this job is the level of access it gives me to a variety of experiences I otherwise wouldn’t have. One evening last month I had a choice between attending a Yankees game in a luxury suite or attending a runway show as part of Fashion Week, the annual gathering of the world’s top designers, super models, and celebrities, to see what’s going to set the trends for women’s clothing in 2010. The ball game was more to my taste, but I chose the fashion show instead. I’ve probably been to a couple of hundred ball games over the course of my life, and I’ll probably see at least a few dozen more before I’m through. A fashion show? It’s taken me this long just to get invited to one. So I had to go—just to say I’ve had the experience. And thanks to my host, the Greater Houston CVB, I experienced it like an A-lister. When I got to the venue, the legendary velvet rope was draped across the entrance, with an impregnable doorman/bouncer standing behind it. There were two lines on either side: a short one to the right, for VIPs whose orbits made up some of the lesser constellations; and a really long one on the left for stargazers just hoping to be allowed to stand in the back. But I possessed the key to the kingdom. My date for the evening and I walked directly to the rope. The sentinel subtly puffed up like a sail catching a gust of wind—a force of nature harnessed against us. I mentioned the host’s name and immediately the gust subsided to a gentle breeze that swept the rope aside. Thank you, Houston CVB. It was a great event that really put the bureau’s creativity, organizational skills, and connections on display— everything a planner wants from a supplier working on an event. That’s the type of creativity that SM and the Association for Convention Operations Management (ACOM) have been recognizing for 32 years with the annual CSM of the Year award. If you’ve been lucky enough to work with a truly professional convention service manager from a hotel, convention center, or CVB in 2009, go to www.successfulmeetings.com, click on the link for the CSM of the Year ballot, and nominate them. Winners will be honored at a ceremony at the ACOM annual conference in Dallas in January. PUBLISHER : NELLA V ELDRAN vice president and group publisher, travel group (646) 654-7325, nella.veldran@nielsen.com O VINCENT ALONZO editor-in-chief, vince.alonzo@nielsen.com KINLEY LEVACK managing editor, kinley.levack@nielsen.com ANDREA DOYLE senior editor, andrea.doyle@nielsen.com LEO JAKOBSON senior editor, leo.jakobson@nielsen.com WILLIAM NG contributing editor, william.ng@nielsen.com JENNIFER RUF art director, jennifer.ruf@nielsen.com 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 Chan, associate art director; Tessa Sestina, associate art director INFORMATION MARKETING (646) 654-7258 Shelly Patton, manager, audience marketing, shelly.patton@nielsen.com CUSTOMER, SUBSCRIBER SERVICES (800) 697-8859; (847) 559-7533 nsm@omeda.com MARKETING (646) 654-7263 Catherine Marchese, marketing manager, travel group (646) 654-5131, catherine.marchese@nielsen.com ADVERTISING (646) 654-7327, New York office REPRINTS The YGS Group, Diana Sholl, (800) 501-9571, diana.sholl@theYGSgroup.com For one-time use of our content: Dana Parra, (646) 654-4696, dana.parra@nielsen.com LIST RENTAL Nikki Miller, (646) 654-7261 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, Brand Media: Andrew Bilbao Senior Vice President, Media & Entertainment: Gerry Byrne Senior Vice President, Finance: Sloane Googin Senior Vice President, Retail: David Loechner Senior Vice President, Content: Scott McKenzie Senior Vice President, Building & Design: Joe Randall Senior Vice President, Central Services: Mary Kay Sustek Chief Operating Officer, Entertainment: Howard Appelbaum Vice President, Manufacturing & Distribution: Jennifer Grego Vice President, Licensing: Andrew Min Vice President, Client Marketing: Sue Tremblay Vice President, Audience Marketing: Joanne Wheatley cyc le This M a ga Plea se Re Vincent Alonzo, Editor-in-Chief vince.alonzo@nielsen.com ns er t s&S amples B r efo I SM I October 2009 I SuccessfulMeetings.com eR ec y cling zin eI ov Re m http://www.SuccessfulMeetings.com http://www.successfulmeetings.com http://www.SuccessfulMeetings.com

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

Successful Meetings - October 2009
Contents
Editor's Letter
Tackling H1N1
Management Matters
Incentive Insights
The Big Time
Green in More Ways Than One
Not Another Whitewash
Place + Spaces
Austin
New Orleans
Reno/Lake Tahoe
San Jose
Colorado
Mexico

Successful Meetings - October 2009