Meeting News - March 9, 2009 - (Page 48)

Cover Story continued from cover financial assistance from the government,under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), be “required to publish policies online”for “luxury”or “excessive”expenditures, including meetings. Later, an amendment proposed in the Senate— and passed as part of president Barack Obama’s stimulus package—made any requirement to publish travel policies retroactive for firms that received financial assistance, and told the Treasury Department to define “luxury” and “excessive.” “This wasn’t a knee-jerk reaction [by Washington], it was a body shake,” said industry attorney Jonathan Howe. In a decisive response to the legislation, the industry coalition proposed guidelines for best practices when TARP recipients are planning meetings, events, and incentive travel (available at www.ustravel.org). “Many companies are saying,‘I don’t want to risk becoming the poster child [for bad Corporate America meeting on taxpayer money], so we have to remove the risk and make it safe to go in the water again,” said Geoff Freeman,senior VP of public affairs at the U.S. Travel Association, the coalition’s lead lobbyist.“This will help ensure that.” “Companies should be embracing these standards, that’s what’s going to satisfy Congress and taxpayers,” he said. “They want you to bring in revenue and get off the taxpayers’ dole.” The coalition also created sample letters (archived on the U.S. Travel Association site) for industry constituents to send their congresspeople and local media explaining why meetings and travel must continue. (For the response to the industry attacks by non-coalition associations, go to www.MeetingNews.com). And, the group plans to take a great deal more action. The U.S. Travel Association is conducting a survey of chief marketing officers and front-line sales executives, to be released this month, on the value of business travel and meetings. It also has partnered with an economics firm to study the return on investment of business travel; that research will be finished by early summer. Plus, the coalition is lining up funding for an economic impact study, due out in about a year. Other ideas being kicked around by coalition members: talking to the national conferences of U.S. mayors and governors; having a well-known business leader or politician (Jack Welch, Michael Bloomberg, and Rudolph Giuliani have been AD Index Advertiser Page Advertiser Page Atlantis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10-11 www.atlantis.com Boston Convention Marketing Center . . . .7, 9 www.AdvantageBOSTON.com Continental Airlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 www.continental.com Emerald Coast CVB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 www.destin-fwb.com Fort Lauderdale CVB . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 www.sunny.org Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 www.hiltonsandestinbeach.com Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress . . . . . . . .39 www.hyattgrandcypress.com Knoxville Tourism & Sports Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .FC, 3 www.Knoxville.org Memphis CVB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 www.memphistravel.com Nuevo Leon Monterey . . . . . . . . . . . . .BC www.ocvmty.com Palm Beach County CVB . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 www.palmbeachfl.com Peabody Orlando, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 www.PeabodyMeetings.com/MN PGA National Resort and Spa . . . . . . . . .27 www.pgaresort.com Pier House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 www.pierhouse.com Rosen Hotels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 www.rosenhotels.com Savoya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 www.savoya.com The Index to Advertisers is published for the convenience of our readers. Every effort is made to list advertisers’ names, web addresses and page numbers correctly. The publisher is not liable for errors or omissions. bandied about) represent the industry in public relations efforts; and, as suggested by an MPI member, emphasizing that meetings are perhaps the largest provider of adult education. Beleaguered destinations also are stepping up. Following comments by president Obama discouraging corporate travel at taxpayers’ expense (i.e., using TARP money), Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman sent 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue a letter that said the president’s remarks harm the meetings-dependent city. Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority has conducted an informal study of the city’s losses due to canceled events. As of Feb. 26, for about the previous 30 days, the city was down approximately 30,000 room nights and $20 million in nongaming revenue, said a spokesman. Former MPI president David Kliman, now an industry consultant, oversaw a letter-writing effort by MPI members in California—home to 10 percent of all MPI members—by chapters statewide to their senators. Internet marketing guru Jim Grillo, founder of Hereschicago.com, compiled several U.S. Travel Association statistics on meetings’ economic impact, and sent the data in a newsletter to 9,000 industry professionals. And there’s been help from outside of the industry. Under pressure to cancel a conference in Las Vegas, Howell Thurston III, CEO of JD Credit Drexel GoodBank—a TARP recipient—in a press conference announced the event would happen.“A junket is an extravagant trip or celebration,and this is a business trip,” he said.“To cancel, postpone, or move this event would be counterproductive to our bank, the Las Vegas economy, and U.S. taxpayers.” Industry attorney Josh Grimes had suggestions for independent planners and suppliers.“If I were advising a third-party planner, I’d say they need to be helping customers be comfortable with their events,” he said. “They can say, ‘You still can go to Las Vegas, but you have to have your budget approved, a travel policy, and an ROI.’” And, for hotels and CVBs, Grimes said,“I would create a mechanism to deal with TARP guidelines; appoint someone to get customers’ travel policies, to make sure they’re adhered to.” It may be onerous, but the alternatives are worse, Grimes noted. “In this environment, can hotels afford to have uncomfortable customers?” H Contact Rayna Katz at rayna.katz@nielsen.com www.meetingnews.com 48 MeetingNews March 9, 2009 http://www.MeetingNews.com http://www.ustravel.org http://www.Hereschicago.com http://www.ocvmty.com http://www.atlantis.com http://www.palmbeachfl.com http://www.AdvantageBOSTON.com http://www.PeabodyMeetings.com/MN http://www.continental.com http://www.pgaresort.com http://www.destin-fwb.com http://www.pierhouse.com http://www.sunny.org http://www.rosenhotels.com http://www.hiltonsandestinbeach.com http://www.savoya.com http://www.hyattgrandcypress.com http://www.Knoxville.org http://www.memphistravel.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