Meeting News - April 7, 2008 - (Page 4)

A p r i l 7 , 2 0 0 8 Vo l u m e 3 2 , N u m b e r 7 Perspectives Corporate/Sales Editorial Editor-In-Chief, Elizabeth West (646) 654-7360; elizabeth.west@nielsen.com Executive Editor/Hotels, Rayna Katz (646) 654-4421; rayna.katz@nielsen.com Managing Editor/International, William Ng (646) 654-4451; william.ng@nielsen.com Senior Associate Editor, Lori Morris (646) 654-7329; lori.morris@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 Scott Pierce, Vice President Travel Group Phone: (646) 654-7325 Buoyant Feelings On the heels of our March 24 issue, which featured a cover story about California’s budget crisis and the resulting cancellation of government meetings in the state, we received some encouraging news. Even in the face of a nationwide recession, meetings cancellations are not running rampant among states, associations, mid-sized businesses, or enterprise businesses, according to research from American Express and George P. Johnson Event Marketing that is featured in our cover story. That’s great news…but how can it be true? The role of professional associations often becomes even more important to members in lean times. As companies pare down, career development opportunities for employees may fall by the wayside as firms concentrate on becoming money making machines (yes, even more than usual). Establishing industry credentials through association membership and events can help shore up the loss. And networking with innovative thinkers outside their companies can help members create future businesses opportunities should the need arise. For large enterprises, a tough economy might not be the time to reduce meetings—especially marketing events that focus on building stronger relationships with existing customers and establishing ones with business prospects. Also, such Elizabeth West, companies may have financial reserves or diverse Editor-In-Chief business units that can support struggling divisions. For now, they seem willing to let their meetings dockets play out. But the best perception of our industry, if you ask me, is the position that mid-sized businesses take. These are the businesses that stand to be affected most by a struggling economy, where every dollar spent has to count. The fact that this segment continues to acknowledge the importance of face-to-face meetings should be encouraging to planners. To find out how long industry experts think this will last, check out contributing writer Christopher Hosford’s cover story. To our friends in Atlanta affected by the March 14 storm, our thoughts are with you. As the cleanup continues, planners should be aware that most venues are operating, but inquire about downtown hotels and meetings facilities. Executive Editor Rayna Katz has press time conditions in her cover story. r Southeast/Mid-Atlantic/Ohio Larry Mischik, Ad Director/Account Manager 3054 Four Oaks Drive, Atlanta, GA 30360 Phone: (770) 604-9641 NYC/NJ/New England/Bermuda/Caribbean Diane DiMaggio, International Advertising Director 770 Broadway, NY, NY 10003; Phone: (646) 654-7332 Florida/Cruise Arthur Hyman, Associate Publisher/Account Manager 1267 Via Fiume, Boynton Beach, FL 33436 Phone: (561) 736-5374 Contributing Editors Christopher Hosford, Bob Curley, Renee Wright, Jeanie Casison Kinley Levack, Robert Carey Suzie Amer, Terri Hardin Midwest/Texas/Louisiana Patrice Carman, Account Manager 200 West Jackson Blvd., 27th floor, Chicago, IL 60606 Phone: (312) 583-5522 Art Group Creative Director, Amy Bothwell Art Director, Richard Prestia (646) 654-4424; richard.prestia@nielsen.com California/Hawaii/Nevada Sharon Freeark, Account Manager 2950 31st Street, Suite 100, Santa Monica, CA 904053037; Phone: (626) 578-0700; Fax: (626) 578-0720 Marketing Sr. Marketing Manager, Jennifer Pepper (646) 654-7263; jennifer.pepperstam@nielsen.com Asia/Pacific/Southwest/Colorado Edie Garfinkle, International Advertising Director 2510 G Las Posas Road, #505, Camarillo, CA 93010 Phone: (805) 383-1326; Fax: (646) 654-4456 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 E-Media Jared Smith, National Account Manager 770 Broadway, NY, NY 10003; Phone: (646) 654-5520 Reprints The YGS Group Barb Karmilowicz (800) 290-5460 x106 MN@theYGSgroup.com Marketing Services Peter Hirschhorn, Director of Marketing Services 770 Broadway, NY, NY 10003; Phone: (646) 654-7556 Steve Moore, Account Manager 770 Broadway, NY, NY 10003; Phone: (646) 654-5533 List Rentals For postal mailings: Julius Single, (845) 731-2731 For emailings: Nicole Guarascio, (845) 731-3828 International Group President Sabrina Crow VP Finance Rhonda Linovitz CANADA: Wayne St. John, President; Penny Dickenson, VP Sales; Alex Kinninmont, VP Sales/Admin.; Francoise Chalifour, Cyndy Fleming, American Publishers Canada Phone: (416) 363-1388; Rosalind Genge, Western office, Phone: (604) 988-0730; MEXICO & LATIN AMERICA: Veronica Castro; CASS Media; Phone: 52-55/5605-1757 President, Greg Farrar Senior Vice President/Human Resources: Michael Alicea Senior Vice President, Finance: Derek Irwin Senior Vice President, Entertainment: Gerry Byrne Senior Vice President, Marketing & Media: Sabrina Crow Senior Vice President, Travel & Performance: Sabrina Crow Senior Vice President, Retail: David Loechner Senior Vice President, OnlineMedia: Linda McCutcheon Senior Vice President, Building Design: Joe Randall Senior Vice President, Central Services: Mary Kay Sustek Vice President, Licensing & Events: Howard Appelbaum Vice President, Manufacturing and Distribution: Jennifer Grego Vice President, Audience Marketing: Joanne Wheatley EUROPE/AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST: Diane DiMaggio, International Advertising Director, Successful Meetings/MeetingNews; Phone: 646-654-7332; Fax: 646-328-0218; Cell 914-299-4394 ASIA/PACIFIC: Singapore Lavendar Tan, Al Media, 733 Bukit timah Road #03-05, Singapore 269748; Phone: (65) 469-9321; Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines Annie Blanchard & Associates, Tel/Fax (632) 645-7296; Korea Mr. Jung-Won Suh, President, Singesi Media Inc., Phone: +82 2 3275 5969; Japan Etsuko Ichinohe, Pacific Business, Inc.; Phone 81-3-3661-6138; Fax: 81-3-3661-6139; Macau, Hong Kong, China Stephen Hutton, Hutton Media Limited, International Media Representatives, Suite 2102 Fook Lee Commercial Centre, 33 Lockhart Road, Wanchai Hong Kong; Phone: 852 2528 9135; Fax: 852 2528 9281 elizabeth.west@nielsen.com IN THIS ISSUE ® ® ® ® What’s Up @ MeetingNews.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Successful Meetings University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Advertisers Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 Live from the Forum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34 4 MeetingNews April 7, 2008 www.meetingnews.com http://www.meetingnews.com http://www.meetingnews.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Meeting News - April 7, 2008

Meeting News - April 7, 2008
Contents
What’s Up @ MeetingNews.com
Successful Meetings University
Advertisers Index
Live from the Forum

Meeting News - April 7, 2008