Successful Meetings - June 2009 - (Page 6)

EDITOR’S LETTER The Authority on Meetings & Incentives Fun for Less D uring a recent road trip with some friends to the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, CT, I decided to try my hand at baccarat. The casino has a rolling chip program that allows players to purchase gaming chips with a 1.5 percent rebate at the time of purchase. The customer then uses the chips while betting during play. Winning bets are paid out with regular cash chips, while losing bets are taken back by the House. The program offers players an instant advance rebate, which allows them to play longer. Widely found in Macau casinos, it debuted in the United States at the baccarat tables at Foxwoods in December and will be extended to other areas of the casino in the future. That’s good news for me. I’ve always been a betting man, but these days I have to look for bargains in order to indulge that fancy. You know who else needs a break these days when it comes to unwinding after a hard day’s work? Meeting attendees, that’s who. We all know about the thousands of events that have been canceled since the last quarter of 2008, but the meetings that weren’t canceled are moving forward with reduced budgets. That’s left planners scrambling to find cheap thrills to fill out event itineraries. On page 36, managing editor Kinley Levack looks at resorts around the country to find deals like the one at Foxwoods and other freebies that can enhance the attendee experience without making a dent in a meeting’s budget. But cash isn’t the only “green” on everybody’s mind these days. Making meetings and events more environmentally friendly is on the top of many planners’ to-do lists as well. It’s especially significant in light of the bad press the industry received in the aftermath of the AIG scandal. Many organizations have a heightened awareness of how important it can be to have socially responsible elements attached to meetings and events when they come under fire in consumer press. To facilitate this, we’re debuting a regular department called Green Scene on page 64 in this issue. In it, you’ll find news on green facilities, ideas for greening a meeting, and products that will help make your events more eco-friendly. P U B L I S H E R : NE L L A V E L D R A N 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 ANDREA DOYLE senior editor, andrea.doyle@nielsen.com LEO JAKOBSON contributing editor, leo.jakobson@nielsen.com WILLIAM NG contributing editor, william.ng@nielsen.com NANCY LAZARUS research director, nancy.lazarus@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 SUBSCRIPTIONS (847) 763-9050 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, Jenny Kintner, (800) 324-2930, successfulmeetings@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 Seni or Vice President, Human Resources: Michael Alicea Sen ior Vice President, Finance: Sloane Googin Sen io r Vice President, Marketi n g: Mark Hosbein Se ni or Vice President, Media & Entertainment: Gerry Byrne S e n i o r Vi c e P r e s i d e n t , B r a n d M e d i a a n d Corporate Development: Sabrina Crow Se ni or Vice President, Retail: David Loechner Seni or Vice President, Building & Design: Joe Randall S en i or Vice President, Central Ser vices: Mary Kay Sustek V ice President, Licensing: Howard Appelbaum V ice President, M a n u fac t u ring & D is tri b u ti on : Jennifer Grego V ice President, A ud ie nc e M a r k e t i n g : 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 6 I SM I June 2009 I SuccessfulMeetings.com eR ec y cling zin e e In ov Rem http://www.SuccessfulMeetings.com http://www.SuccessfulMeetings.com

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

Successful Meetings - June 2009
Contents
Editor's Letter
Maritz Goes Virtual
Education
Management Matters
Food & Beverage
Incentive Insights
Roger Dow Leads the Troops
Life Goes On
The Good Life
Las Vegas Supplement
California Supplement

Successful Meetings - June 2009