ISSUE 01 09 AFTER DISASTER + MEETDIFFERENT IN THE NEW ECONOMY + COST-SAVING METHODS 0109_C2-001.indd C2 12/9/08 1:32:54 PM THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF M E N S A, FOR THEIR 2010 ANNUAL CONFERENCE If the smartest 2% of the world’s population chose Detroit for their next open meeting, what’s your excuse? Once you take a look at everything that’s heart of downtown and voted the fourth best public space in the U.S. and Canada. happening in Detroit, it doesn’t take With a wide array of available a mastermind to see that Detroit meeting has everything a group needs and facilities, (and wants). Dozens of new convention scores of brand restaurants and nightclubs new hotel rooms, and an line the streets of newly extensive list of impressively developed neighborhoods. cool The do throughout the region, revitalized riverfront things savvy now boasts three miles of to meeting see and planners are taking another look at upscale hotels, casinos, and Detroit ... a s one of the most Campus Martius Park, located in the m eu us opening in 2008. And then there’s affordable and versatile meeting oy R are Ph ot ob yR facilities M ord ry F He n entertainment itch ie family-friendly trails. Numerous destinations in the Midwest. T H E A C C E S S I B L E , A F F O R D A B L E A L T E R N A T I V E. For expert assistance in taking your next event to a city that will make you look pretty smart too, CALL CARLA CONNER-PENZABENE, DIRECTOR OF SALES, AT 313.202.1938 0109_C2-001.indd 1 12/9/08 1:33:07 PM TM January 2009 • Volume 2 • Number 1 EDITORIAL + PRODUCTION STAFF + ADVERTISING SALES EDITOR IN CHIEF CREATIVE DIRECTOR David R. Basler, dbasler@mpiweb.org Jeff Daigle, jdaigle@mpiweb.org MANAGING EDITOR Blair Potter, bpotter@mpiweb.org DESIGN AND PREPRESS Antonio Ducceschi, Director of Sales/ Partnership Development, EMEA Phone: +352 26 87 66 63 aducceschi@mpiweb.org Sherry Gritch, SG2Designs sherry@sgproductions.net ASSOCIATE EDITOR Michael Pinchera, mpinchera@mpiweb.org MPI ADVERTISING STAFF Dan Broze, dbroze@mpiweb.org Phone: (702) 834-6847, Fax: (702) 834-6847 Territory: AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, NV, OR, WA ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jason Hensel, jhensel@mpiweb.org ASSISTANT EDITOR Yvonne Christiansen, ychristiansen@mpiweb.org Phone: (952) 938-5281, Fax: (972) 406-6634 Territory: CT, DC, DE, IN, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VA, VT, WI, WV Jessica States, jstates@mpiweb.org PUBLICATIONS COORDINATOR Karin Buck, kbuck@mpiweb.org Katri Laurimaa, klaurimaa@mpiweb.org Phone: (972) 406-6538, Fax: (972) 406-6638 Territory: AL, AR, CO, IA, IL, KS, KY, LA, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NM, OK, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, WY Mary Lynn Novelli, CMP, mnovelli@mpiweb.org Phone: (214) 390-8858, Fax: (214) 390-8878 Territory: FL, GA, Canada, Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, South America Carolyn Nyquist, Manager of Client Services cnyquist@mpiweb.org Phone: (972) 702-3002, Fax: (972) 702-3096 MAGAZINE INFORMATION One+ (ISSN: 1943-1864) is published monthly by Meeting Professionals International, 3030 Lyndon B. Johnson Fwy., Ste 1700, Dallas, TX 75234-2759. Phone: (972) 702-3000, Fax: (972) 702-3096, E-mail: publications@mpiweb.org. Periodicals Postage paid at Dallas, Texas, and additional mailing offices. SUBSCRIPTIONS: One+ is the official publication of Meeting Professionals International, a professional association of meeting planners and suppliers. Members receive One+ as a membership benefit paid for by membership dues; US$50 of membership is allotted to One+ and is nondeductible therefrom. Nonmembers may subscribe to the publication for $99 annually ($129 outside the USA). For subscription information, deletions and address updates, contact publications@mpiweb.org. File address changes with the U.S. Postal Service online at www.moversguide.com. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to One+, Meeting Professionals International, 3030 Lyndon B. Johnson Fwy., Ste. 1700, Dallas, TX 75234-2759. IN CANADA: Publications Mail Agreement No. 40033737. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to MPI, 6519-B MPI MISSION: Make our members successful by building human connections to: Knowledge/Ideas; Relationships; Marketplaces MPI VISION: Build a Rich Global Meeting Industry Community GLOBAL HEADQUARTERS 3030 LBJ Freeway, Suite 1700 Dallas, TX 75234-2759 Phone: (972) 702-3000 Fax: (972) 702-3070 CANADIAN OFFICE 6519-B Mississauga Road, Mississauga, Ontario L5N 1A6 Phone: (905) 286-4807 Fax: (905) 567-7191 mpicanada@mpiweb.org EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA OFFICE 15, Route de Grundhof, L-6315 Beaufort, Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg Phone: +352-26103610 Fax: +352-26876343 dscaillet@mpiweb.org SINGAPORE OFFICE 73, Bukit Timah Rd. #04-01 Rex House, Singapore 229832 Phone: 65 6496 5504 Fax: 65 6336 2263 mtay@mpiweb.org 2 one+ Mississauga Road, Mississauga, ON L5N 1A6. ADVERTISING POLICY: Advertisers and advertising agencies assume liability for all content (including text, representation and illustrations) of advertisements printed and assume responsibility for any claims arising therefrom made against the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to reject any advertising which is not in keeping with the standards of One+ and Meeting Professionals International. Advertising rates and specifications are available upon request. Call (972) 702-3002 or visit www.mpiweb.org. REPRINTS: Material in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without written permission. To order reprints, call Wright’s Reprints toll free at (877) 652-5295 or visit www.wrightsreprints.com. EDITORIAL POLICY: As part of its commitment to editorial integrity and responsibility, One+ commits to coverage of news and events in a fair and ethical manner. Editors will ascertain content’s newsworthiness independent of an individual’s or organization’s financial support of One+ and/or MPI. The purchase of advertising in One+ and/or other financial support or sponsorship will in no way guarantee mention of the advertiser or sponsor in related editorial. Statements of fact and opinion within One+ are made on the responsibility of the authors alone and do not imply an opinion on the part of the members or staff of Meeting Professionals International. One+ is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts and no guarantee of publication of unsolicited editorial content is implied or should be inferred. One+ ETHOS: Just as a meeting is always one person plus at least one more, a human connection is always you plus another person, market opportunity or community. One+ is your connection to a global meeting and event community and to a world of ideas, multiplying your potential. Engage. Enjoy. Be successful. One Connection at a time. “One+” and the One+ logo are trademarks of Meeting Professionals International. Copyright 2008, Meeting Professionals International, Printed in the USA by RR Donnelley & Sons Co. MPI EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS Bruce M. MacMillan, C.A., President and CEO bmacmillan@mpiweb.org EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Cary Broussard, Vice President of Marketing and Brand Management cbroussard@mpiweb.org Katie Callahan-Giobbi, Executive Vice President, MPI Foundation, MPI Chief Business Architect kcallahangiobbi@mpiweb.org Trey Feiler, Chief Operating Officer tfeiler@mpiweb.org Vicki Hawarden, Vice President of Knowledge and Events vhawarden@mpiweb.org Diane Hawkins, SPHR Director of People and Performance dhawkins@mpiweb.org Greg Lohrentz, Chief Financial Officer glohrentz@mpiweb.org Sandra Riggins, Director of Governance and Chief of Staff sriggins@mpiweb.org Didier Scaillet, Vice President of Global Development dscaillet@mpiweb.org Junior Tauvaa, Vice President of Member Care and Chapter Business Management jtauvaa@mpiweb.org Larry Luteran Chairman of the Board Hilton Hotels Corp. Kevin Hinton hinton+grusich Kevin Kirby Hard Rock International Karen Massicotte, CMP, CMM, BA PRIME Strategies Inc. Ann Godi, CMP Chairwoman-elect Benchmarc360, Inc. Carole McKellar, MA, CMM, MCIPD Resources for Business Group Eric Rozenberg, CMP, CMM Vice Chairman of Administration Ince & Tive Patty Reger, CMM Johnson & Johnson Sales and Logistics Company, LLC Sebastien Tondeur Vice Chairman of Finance MCI Group Holding SA David Scypinski ConferenceDirect Alexandra Wagner Vice Chairwoman of Member Services SunTrust Banks Inc. Angie Pfeifer, CMM Immediate Past Chairwoman Investors Group Financial Services Inc. BOARD MEMBERS Marge Anderson Energy Center of Wisconsin Matt Brody JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort and Spa Luca Favetta SAP SA Caroline Hill Carhill Associates Ole Sorang The Rezidor Hotel Group Carl Winston San Diego State University Paul Cunningham (Europe Middle East and Africa Advisory Council Representative) IIMC International Information Management Corporation Rita Plaskett, CMP, CMM (MPI Foundation Board Representative) ASSET Katherine Overkamp, CMP (ICLC Board Representative) US Airways Jonathan T. Howe, Esq. (Legal Counsel) Howe & Hutton, Ltd. 01.09 Staff Page 0109.indd 2 12/22/08 2:38:04 PM 0109_003.indd 3 12/9/08 10:52:57 AM SSUE ISSUE 01 09 After Disaster +66 How CVBs and Hotels Bounce Back +66 Sarbanes-Oxley 2.0 +70 Keeping Tabs on Global Accountability Standards +63 Let it be Fun +74 AP PHOTO Why Gretchen Rubin set out on a search to understand happiness and what she learned about her life along the way. MeetDifferent in the New Economy +78 Innovative Strategies to Facilitate Professional Success Penny Pinching Planning Tips +84 Steal these ideas to save big bucks on your next event. +84 +78 +74 Down to a Science +54 Managing a FAM with detailed, scheduled visits and activities can prove to be tricky; however, the Scottsdale (Ariz.) CVB has it down pat. +60 +58 A Can Do Attitude +60 Playing host to a group that deals with blind and visually impaired students is an audacious move, but The Banff Centre is up to the challenge. Hawai’i Five-Oh +64 +64 Fifty years after becoming a state, Hawai’ians celebrate their golden anniversary with tributes to the past, present and future. mpiweb.org January TOC.indd 5 5 12/22/08 3:05:38 PM 0109_006.indd 6 12/9/08 10:54:28 AM E ISSUE 01 09 CONVERSATION In It Together +10 Editor’s note The Energy of Many +14 Global update from the CEO of MPI Impressions +18 Letters to One+ Overheard +20 Rumblings from the industry Irrelevant +44 Nothing much INNOVATION Agenda +23 IGNITION Defining Experiences +46 Borbala Csillag Global View Flight Fright +48 Tony Carey Across the Bow How Virtual Can a Meeting Get? +50 Annalee Newitz Open-Source Everything Attitude Adjustment +52 Tim Sanders Transform the World +26 Where to go, in person and online Art of Travel +36 +42 +24 The latest in transportable business technology RECOGNITION Top Spots +24 New venues + re-openings +44 Focus On … +26 Reid Sigmon reserves Sundays for football Spotlight +28 Industry leaders announce job advancements Your Community +38 Community Knowledge Plan, New COO, Students-in-Transition, Council ponders industry future, The European Meetings and Events Conference Meet Where? +100 Wow us with your knowledge CO-CREATION Hot Buzz +30 U.S. Travel Association, new application for travelers to U.S., saving the white lion, Russians flock to Israel, Venice in High Water, this-just-in from the air industry, Asia travel crisis, EIBTM Making a Difference +41 MPI Foundation plans fabulous MeetDifferent events Connections +42 Collaborative planner + supplier success story mpiweb.org 7 0109 www.mpioneplus.org online + Asian MICE Update Bruce Northam reports the latest MICE news to come out of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ 2009 Asian Tourism Forum in Hanoi, Vietnam. Putting the “Meet” in MeetDifferent The Importance of Community + Planner Julie Tieman reports on Guam’s meeting and events industry, as well as a culture of cooperation and sharing. The Doghouse Beau only stays at top U.S. luxury hotels. His favorite amenities are monogrammed pillows, bedtime treats and scented toiletries. Discover how this Irish Setter plans to change the world of pet accommodations with One+ Assistant Editor Jessie States. MPI is teaming up with Pathable to provide an online community where everyone coming to MeetDifferent can get to know each other. Once you’ve registered for MeetDifferent, use your MPI username and password and log into http://pathable.com/events/ meetdifferent-2009. Join a conversation about the meeting and events industry with the editors of One+ on their new blog, PlusPoint—consistently updated, always relevant, sporadically funny. Complete issues of One+ are available in digital flipbook and PDF formats! 8 one+ TOC 3 0109.indd 8 01.09 12/22/08 4:44:27 PM 0109_009.indd 9 12/16/08 8:54:11 AM In It Together More Blogging, Less Bagging After a recent reader survey, we learned that you think our content is some of the best in the industry and that most of you are knowledge junkies like us—always wanting more relevant information that can be translated into future success. It’s a legitimate desire in any global economic climate and we are always asking ourselves, how can we expand our content streams outside the printed pages of One+? Beginning with the October issue we introduced monthly online exclusive content available only at www.mpioneplus.org. Consisting of expanded and/or original content, we’ve received rave reviews from you on this new addition, but as I said, we are always striving to give you more. In that spirit, we recently kicked off the One+ editor’s blog, PlusPoint. Since the inception of One+ in August 2008, PlusPoints have been prevalent throughout the pages of the magazine—adding relevant, thought-provoking bullet points to the already in-depth stories. Although any industry-relevant topic can be discussed on the new blog, the concept behind the blog’s moniker is that the in-print PlusPoints would be a source of continued discussion linking One+ to the PlusPoint blog. After a few months of careful planning, brainstorming and a bit of trial and error, PlusPoint was born. Be sure and check out the PlusPoints throughout this issue and join the continued discussion with us on the blog at www.mpioneplus.org. Another exciting piece of One+ news for the new year is the introduction of One+ Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Edition that will be launched in mid-February. Replacing the European Digest, One+ EMEA will mix the already global content of the flagship One+ with original content aimed directly at our EMEA members. This move is exciting, not only because we are expanding our publication to cover specific regions of the globe, but also because of the positive corporate social responsibility aspects involved. Printing and shipping will now take place regionally, and members will not receive hard copies of both magazines, ultimately cutting down on the amount of environmentally unfriendly plastic bags and fuel used in the past to package and ship across the ocean. The end result? If you live in the EMEA region, you will begin receiving One+ EMEA in February and the flagship One+ magazine will be e-mailed to you as a digital flipbook. If you are a member living elsewhere on the globe, you will continue to receive One+, and if you wish you can opt-in to receive the digital flipbook of One+ EMEA. These are just a few simple ways MPI continues to bring you the most relevant content in the most environmentally friendly and cost-effective ways possible. Keep reading and enjoy the new year! David R. Basler is editor in chief of One+. He can be reached at dbasler@mpiweb.org. 10 one+ 01.09 Editor Letter 0109.indd 10 12/22/08 3:35:03 PM 0109_011.indd 11 12/9/08 11:01:02 AM Contributors ALLAN LYNCH has been an advertising representative, reporter, editor and publisher. He’s authored four books. His latest is The Nova Scotia Book of Musts: The 101 Places Every Nova Scotian MUST See. In pursuit of story ideas, Allan bobbed around icebergs off Newfoundland in a tiny open boat, hung upside down from treetops on an Alberta dude ranch and nearly killed himself snowbiking down an 8,500-foot mountain. In the last two years, Allan has visited Alberta five times to research features about golf and mountain meetings. Based near the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, Canada, Lynch has covered the global meeting and events industry since 1992. KATHLEEN NACOZY is a licensed attorney working as a freelance journalist. Her background in law enables her to interpret legal topics for a variety of publications—this fall she even penned a blog for teenagers on U.S. voting laws. Law school taught Nacozy to think like a lawyer, but she strives to write like a nonlawyer and offer content that’s more accessible. She received her law degree from Texas Tech University and undergraduate degree in communication and business from the University of Arizona. She currently resides in Austin, Texas. 12 one+ Freelance writer JENNA SCHNUER lives in New York. A contributing editor for American Way, the American Airlines magazine, she has also written for magazines including National Geographic Traveler, Continental and AAA Living. Interviewing author Gretchen Rubin about happiness reminded Jenna that she’s happiest when challenging herself, so she pretty much immediately got back to work on the book proposal she’d been ignoring for months. As for the hot pink cowboy hat, it kept the sun off her neck and a smile on her face when she attended the Calgary Stampede last August. Read more of her work at Jennaschnuer.com. Professionally, JOSEPH DOBRIAN writes about any and all business topics under the sun, including real estate, finance, travel, jewelry, golf, cars, meetings, retailing and business management. His byline appears in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, National Jeweler and Real Estate Forum. His corporate clients include Prudential Douglas Elliman, J.D. Power and Associates, American Airlines and CIT Group. For his own vanity, he writes plays, poetry, fiction and essays on politics and popular culture. A resident of New York, Dobrian is also a noted boxing historian. 01.09 pp 12 Contributors 0109_B.indd 12 12/17/08 1:27:22 PM 0109_013.indd 13 12/9/08 11:03:42 AM The Energy of Many Thriving Together in 2009 Happy New Year! It’s always at this time of year we are inundated with trend forecasts for the year that is to be. Let’s start with the obvious: there is little doubt that the global economic crisis will dramatically affect our industry in the coming year. Nomenclature like “disruptive,” “paradigm-shifting” and “transformational” will be the norm. According to FutureWatch 2009 presented by American Express, reductions in meeting and event budgets have already been implemented on a broad scale in the United States, and are increasing in Canada and the EMEA countries. Bottom-line, we are going to have to work harder in 2009 and probably for less money. The term “running to stand still” will become all too familiar. But remember this: you are not alone. We have not and never will lose sight of the fact that MPI is a member-based community—and it is this energy of many that will help you find success. To help you remain part of the MPI community family, we have created several programs to give you the weapons you need to successfully fight any battle the economy may throw in your direction. We recognize that some of you have lost your jobs, and maintaining access to MPI’s networking, online conversations and Career Connections opportunities is now more vital than ever. So, we are now offering members in-transition who are up for renewal a six-month membership extension. This keeps you connected to your profession by providing critical access to vital success tools. The economy has hit everyone hard—the most senior and those just entering our industry. It’s not easy to make the transition from college to career, especially as recent graduates search for their first jobs. Under MPI’s new Students-in-Transition program, first-year graduates pay only US$75 for membership. A gradually increasing scale will ease you into full membership, allowing you to get your foot in the door and boost your career when it needs it the most. Lending their hand in this battle for success is the MPI Foundation. They are a key investor in our knowledge and educational programs such as our new Global Certificate in Meetings Operations and an enhanced Certificate in Meetings Management program. The Chapter Grant Program will enable chapter initiatives for leadership development, research projects, scholarship programs, development of educational programs and community building to grow throughout 2009. All you need to do is apply. Members can also apply for grants to MPI programs and events and scholarships to finance CMP or CMM certifications. The MPI Foundation pledges to help members achieve their success goals despite economic restrictions. We also issued a call to action for business leaders everywhere to pause amidst the mania of politics and bailouts to consider the importance of face-to-face gatherings and the findings of the George P. Johnson/ MPI Foundation 2008 EventView study. Rather than seeing these events as disposable budget items, we are making great strides in proving the business, social and educational value of connecting. And I, along with leaders of many of our peer organizations, am leading frank conversations about the value of sales events, educational conferences, trade shows and performance incentive programs across the globe. Welcome to 2009 and a new beginning. It is surely going to be a roller coaster ride this year, and with the proper tools and support from a strong global community, our industry will not only survive, but thrive in ways in which only can be ignited by the energy of many. Bruce MacMillan, CA, is president and CEO of MPI. He can be reached at bmacmillan@mpiweb.org. 14 one+ 01.09 Energy of Many 0109.indd 14 12/22/08 5:25:32 PM 0109_015.indd 15 12/9/08 11:05:44 AM 0109_016-017.indd 16 12/22/08 3:33:01 PM 0109_016-017.indd 17 12/22/08 3:33:11 PM Impressions What I Missed I have just recently become an MPI member and it is amazing how much information I have been missing. The experience of others is of invaluable help. I will make sure to apply every single article to my everyday life and share it as much as possible. I am glad there are many more colleagues as positive as myself. We will overcome this crisis. —Carolina Munguia MPI Mexico Chapter Promotora Xcaret Plus/Minus EDITOR’S NOTE: We appreciate the feedback on MPI and your magazine, One+. Your ideas and thoughts are important to us. Let us know what you think. E-mail the editorial team at publications@mpiweb.org. You Tell Us Where are you going for your next vacation? Send us an e-mail at publications@ mpiweb.org. 18 one+ In the November Plus/ Minus section, all three features in the “minus” column just sent me through the roof. First of all, why are cell phones even allowed in the air traffic control booth at all? There are many jobs where a cell phone is NOT needed or could cause a potential hazard, and I would think the air traffic control booth would be at the top of that list. Secondly, the survey by Sheraton reported a whopping 87 percent of professionals take their PDAs into their bedrooms. What on earth for? Which explained the next statistic that one-third (35 percent) say that if forced to choose they’d pick their PDAs over their spouses. Seriously? No wonder our world is going to hell if people would choose an electronic device over their spouse. It causes concern that we have gone too far with our technology dependence that someone would value a PDA over people. I certainly want to know who these people are, because I don’t want to do business with any of them. Yes business is important, but really, there is a proper time and place for it. Life balance and time management come to mind. The final “minus” was the growing concern about bed bugs (80 percent) among travelers. It indicated at least 8 percent had experienced the critters in hotel beds. How can we protect ourselves? And it came as no surprise that other sources of anxiety were dirty carpets, bedspreads, television remotes and bathrooms. Those should be “easy fixes” for hotels, and I wonder why the room cleaning process hasn’t really evolved over the years. Thank you for letting me vent, and keep up the great work. —Diane Dukes, CMP MPI Minnesota Chapter Professional Liability Underwriting Society Why One+? I love the look and feel of the new magazine. It is superior to the old one in every way, except for the name. I am the type of person that expects the name of the publication to reveal its content. Entertainment Weekly, Newsweek and Smart Money all get this, and the contents are no surprise based on the name. With One+, the name really is vague and has no bearing on the excellent content contained within its cover. It is not a bad name; it just does not describe the content or the readership. When I gave my mother a copy with my picture in it, she had no idea what magazine it was or what it was about. I had to tell her that it was the top magazine for the meeting industry. With The Meeting Professional, nobody ever had to make that explanation. So, I love the magazine, but the name leaves a bit to be desired. —Timothy Alan Arnold MPI Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter Hospitality Performance Network 01.09 pp 18 Impressions 0109.indd 18 12/22/08 3:44:20 PM Overheard Strength in India “Terrorists will try to destabilize us. They will try to provoke the global community to abandon India. They will try to make our diverse communities fight. But for all the idiosyncrasies that make India complex, we are a nation that always gets up after being knocked down.” —A message from the India Convention Promotion Bureau following the late-November terrorist attacks in Mumbai Cyprus Advice Farm Tourism? Caribbean Tides “The steep increase of more than 70 percent in airport charges at Larnaca and Pafos [airports] and the unacceptable government concession fee of 33 percent on airport revenues are examples of how Cyprus has become an unattractive place to do business for airlines. Other resorts in Egypt and Turkey, that reacted quickly to the current downturn in the tourist sector, are continuing to grow as holiday destinations.” —Luc Geens, International Air Carrier Association operations manager “The farmhouse owner will provide home-cooked food, comfortable accommodations and show the visitors local agricultural practices such as floriculture, harvesting, bee-keeping and dairying. Besides the farm experience, visitors will also receive exposure to local community life.” —D.P. Reddy, secretary cum director of tourism and cultural affairs for the Punjab region in India, on a new farm tourism scheme (The Financial Express) “We are putting the roof on top of the house so that when the rain falls the people will not be wet. We have already generated over one million seats this winter season across the various marketplaces. Airlifts are in place so that people who want to travel to Jamaica can.” —Jamaican Tourism Minister Ed Bartlett on plans to increase the country’s advertising campaign from US$12 million to $15 million (Jamaica Observer) Obama’s Hawai’i “Hawai’i will always be home for President-elect Barack Obama. There can be no doubt that growing up in this idyllic, multicultural setting was a major influence in shaping who Obama is today.” —The Hawai’i CVB details U.S. President-elect Barack Obama’s favorite local activities and restaurants on its Web site, GoHawaii.com Best of the Blogs Keep On Giving Posted by Mitchell Fielder MPI Tennessee Chapter Green Savings Posted by Michelle Scott, CMP MPI Northeastern New York Chapter PlusPoint (One+ Blog) Posted by Jason Hensel One+ Associate Editor Justin Greeves, vice president of Harris Interactive, says that “in a year when people are having trouble meeting basic needs, giving by individuals usually increases.” Companies decide that instead of a lavish party, they’ll help those in need. An easy way to give back is the MPI Foundation. Just imagine if every member of MPI gave US$1 a week to the foundation, what an impact that could have. This is a year where organizations, corporations, families and individuals should dig deep and help each other out. The green movement is about strategic rethinking and decisions based on responsible, long-term use of resources—both financial and environmental. Since this is also good business practice, organizations looking at long-term viability will simply have to adopt greener practices if not for environmental/ social reasons then for financial reasons. The bottom line is that green practices save money overall. Isn’t that what we are all looking to do during economic hard times? Let me extend a digital handshake and welcome you to the new One+ magazine blog. Here you will find industry news stories, editorial opinions and behind-the-scenes workings of magazine production. Think of this blog as a conversation among the One+ staff about the meeting industry. ▲ Find out what the editors of One+ think about the industry’s hot trends and late-breaking news on the new One+ blog, PlusPoint. Share your thoughts at www.mpioneplus.org. 20 one+ 01.09 pp 20 Overheard 0109.indd 20 12/17/08 6:09:57 PM 0109_021.indd 21 12/9/08 11:09:31 AM 0109_022.indd 22 12/9/08 11:21:47 AM Agenda MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA For planners looking for inroads into the Asia Pacific market and suppliers hoping to boost their international business, AIME offers a VIP hosted buyer program and 12,000-square-meter trade show. At the 2008 event, 92 percent of hosted buyers said they would likely place business as a result of attending. Can’t beat those odds. Visit www.aime.com.au. ▲ FEB. 17-18 Asia-Pacific Incentives & Meetings Expo (AIME) FEB. 23-25 NBTA Mexico Corporate Travel Conference MEXICO CITY Attend the National Business Travel Association’s Mexico conference for travel management practices and industry trends for North America’s southern sector. More than 300 industry leaders are expected to attend the event, which will offer education sessions as well as a Trade & Technology Exchange Showcase. Visit www.nbtamexico.org. TORINO, ITALY Connect to the passion of the meeting industry with MPI’s biggest European event. The annual conference promises three days of groundbreaking education and next-level networking as well as dialogue and solutions for current challenges facing the industry. Education sessions will focus on the war for talent, corporate social responsibility and the future of meetings. Visit www.mpiweb.org. ▲ MARCH 1- 3 The European Meetings and Events Conference MARCH 11-15 ITB Berlin BERLIN Industry leaders will focus on headline topics at the 2009 ITB Berlin, one of the world’s largest tourism conventions. For the first time, the event will devote an entire day to corporate social responsibility, focus on best practices and experiences in other sectors and put forward concrete solutions for making CSR work in the tourism industry. Visit www.1messe-berlin.de. Connected ROMANCE ON THE ROAD CALCULATE THE SCORE WHERE WE MEET Business travel is a requirement of the professional world, especially within the meeting industry, but having a career focus doesn’t mean your personal life should be put on hold. TravelingEn counters.com is the first online dating community that helps you find locals or other travelers to enjoy dinner, drinks or something more with during your business trips. Join now and get total access through 2009 for free. Meeting Strategies Worldwide Inc. has launched the Bestplacestomeetgreen. com Web site, which allows viewers to score cities based on environmental programs available through the CVB, convention center and area hotels. Or calculate the best place to meet based on the home regions of your attendees. Conventioncities.com provides meeting planners with a comprehensive and up-to-date list of convention centers throughout the U.S. The search engine allows users to inventory available facilities by state, square footage or number of meeting rooms and then links directly to matching sites. It’s easy and free. Don’t forget to register for MeetDifferent 2009, scheduled for Feb. 7-10 in Atlanta. Visit www.mpimeetdifferent.org to register. mpiweb.org pp 23 Agenda 0109.indd 23 23 12/17/08 1:31:27 PM Top Spots N E W VEN U ES + RE-O P ENING S 1. Stoorn Thorbjörn Holmlund decided to build the world’s largest moose on top of the 510-meter Vithatten Mountain in the late 1990s. With his broad experience in eco-tourism, Holmlund saw opportunity in creating a center for adventure tourism for both Swedish and foreign visitors. Apart from conference and exhibition space and a top-class restaurant, the 45-meters-high facility will also offer activities such as snowmobile safaris, sled-dog tours, hunting, fishing and guided nature walks. The project was granted an environmental license in 2007, and the Skellefteå and Arvidsjaur municipal governments issued building permits in 2008. The facility is scheduled to open its doors to the public in 2010. 2. InterContinental Melbourne The Rialto The AU$60 million resurrection of Melbourne’s grandest heritage hotel is complete, and the iconic The Rialto has reopened as InterContinental Melbourne The Rialto. Guests can now experience the only luxury hotel in Melbourne’s financial district, transformed as one of the city’s best remaining examples of 19th-century gothic architecture into a world-class international hotel by Joseph Pang Design Studio. The hotel offers all the facilities and services expected of a luxury international hotel, including a variety of five-star dining establishments and bars, the Club InterContinental overlooking Collins Street, private business environments and a suite collection that takes advantage of 3. Indianapolis International Airport Col. H. Weir Cook Terminal In November, the US$1.1 billion Indianapolis International Airport Col. H. Weir Cook Terminal opened. The terminal touts 40 gates and will be able to handle up to 12 million passengers annually. The terminal’s Civic Plaza, a pre-security, 25,000-square-foot space with 100-foot glass windows, overlooks the runways and the city’s skyline. This space is available for special events and receptions. More than 50 retailers and restaurants are featured throughout the terminal including Indianapolis originals such as the Indy 500 Grill as well as free Wi-Fi. It is expected that a 250room hotel, located at the airport complex, will be developed in the next five years. 1. 2. 3. 4. Airport Station “Are you ready for takeoff?” runs the slogan for the Station Airport, a new special event venue that opened this month at Düsseldorf International Airport in Germany. Directly overlooking the airport runways and part of the airport’s mainline railway station, the facility can accommodate up to 1,650. In the coming months a glass partition wall will be installed to screen off the public station area and ensure that events take place in a secluded and exclusive atmosphere. All the facilities needed for smooth events, such as dressing rooms, sanitary installations, production offices, conference rooms and a kitchen, are being fitted. 3 5 the building’s gothic heritage. 24 one+ 01.09 pp 24-25 Top Spots 0109R1.indd 24 12/20/08 2:36:26 PM 4. 4. 5. The Malta Room 5. Recognized as Orange County’s largest resort/meeting facility with more than 30,000 square feet of indoor and 60,000 square feet of outdoor meeting space, the St. Regis Monarch Beach in California now offers a new high-tech boardroom for smaller, intimate business meetings. The Malta Room features a 60-inch plasma TV, built-in Internet, videoconferencing, a drop-down screen and an integrated sound system. The room also showcases remotecontrolled audiovisual, curtains and lighting schemes. For receptions and events, the Malta Room can accommodate up to 50. 6. Fairmont Yangcheng Lake, Kunshan Part of the Fairmont’s foray into Asia, this resort—located on the shores of Yang Cheng Lake in China’s Jiangsu province—will join sister hotels operating in the region including the Fairmont Singapore and the Fairmont Beijing, expected to debut in winter 2008/2009. A short drive from nearby Shanghai and a 15-minute drive from Kunshan’s city center (home to a growing manufacturing center that produces one third of the world’s notebook PCs), the resort will feature 210 guest rooms with lakeside views, 30,000 square feet of function space, a spa and health club facility, dining options and a state-of-the-art business center when it opens in spring 2009. 6. 1 4 6 2 pp 24-25 Top Spots 0109R1.indd 25 mpiweb.org 25 12/20/08 1:46:31 PM Focus On... BOB BAGGETT PHOTOG R APHY The Sigmon brothers all work on Sundays. Two are ministers. The other plans Super Bowls. Reid Sigmon Tampa Bay Super Bowl Host Committee 5 Things You Don’t Know About Planning a Super Bowl Volunteers Needed. For this year’s game in Tampa Bay, we needed 6,000 volunteers. Within my first few weeks, we recruited 2,000. In four months, we had more than 6,400. It’s Not Just a Game. The NFL has made a commitment to local communities. The Emerging Business program focuses on involving minority- and womenowned businesses in the procurement process. Educational projects offer academic outreach. Habitat SuperBuild will assemble new homes for 20 families during a three-week, blitz-building operation. Sunday is THE Day. My focus right now is on the next 32 days and getting to Feb. 1. You don’t have time to think about anything else. No Glamour in This Job. There’s not a lot of interaction between the stars and the planning committee. Sometimes current and former players or coaches are speakers and guests at the special events, but we’re not running around with a bunch of superstars. It’s Like Building a Business. You start with one employee and no office. A few months later, you have 15 staff members, a Web site, publications, events, community outreach, sales and marketing. And when it’s all over, when the game has been played, you’re back where you started: one employee, no office. 26 one+ A backup kicker for Wake Forest University, Reid Sigmon’s first job after graduation was as operations assistant in his school’s athletic department. Twelve years later, he is planning the biggest annual sporting event in the U.S. as executive director of the National Football League (NFL) Super Bowl XLIII Host Committee. The position comes after an unusually rapid rise through the ranks of sports planning. In 1998, Sigmon followed his former Wake Forest boss and mentor, Michael Kelly, to St. Petersburg, Fla., to help plan the 1999 NCAA Division 1 Men’s Final Four college basketball tournament. Sigmon served as project manager for transportation, stadium operations, game management and YES (Youth Education through Sports) clinics. Following the event, Sigmon accepted a post as director of operations for the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Super Bowl XXXV Task Force. It was his first professional sporting event. After earning a master’s degree in business from the University of Florida in May 2003, Sigmon returned to the sporting scene as vice president of operations for the Super Bowl XXXIX Host Committee in Jacksonville, Fla., where he focused on transportation, parking and visitor movement—and learned how to deal with contingencies. Severe fog delayed for hours the arrival of three cruise ships, chartered to provide rooms for thousands of Super Bowl guests—all but stranded in a temporary boat terminal. Sigmon had planned ahead. The tented structure housed a food store and (perhaps more importantly) a bar—which kept the guests busy and fed until the cruise liners arrived mid-afternoon. It wouldn’t be the only challenge that year. The committee kept track of more than 100 public and private events, all related to the Super Bowl. After the February 2005 event, Sigmon accepted a position with the Cleveland Browns NFL team as director of stadium development and event operations. But it wasn’t long before he was back in Florida, planning the big game. This time it’s Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa Bay, and Sigmon holds the committee’s lead post: executive director, handling day-to-day operations, staffing and budget. After the game on Feb. 1, who knows where he will land? Certainly not Sigmon, who has eyes for one day only. But odds are he’ll be back. —JESSIE STATES 01.09 pp 26 Focus On 0109 Rev2.indd 26 12/17/08 5:51:50 PM 0109_027.indd 27 12/9/08 11:25:00 AM Spotlight Jodi Doughty has been named director of sales and marketing for Houston’s 244-room Hotel Sorella, slated to debut in July 2009. Doughty previously served as director of sales and marketing for Hotel ICON in Houston and for the JW Marriott Jakarta and The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta in Indonesia. Her first position in Jakarta was executive director for the American Chamber of Commerce of Indonesia. Benchmark Hospitality International has promoted Alex Cabañas to the position of vice president of development and strategy. In his previous role as vice president of capital markets, Cabañas developed a strategy for potential co-investment opportunities and supported strategic planning initiatives. He also oversaw the launch of Benchmark Japan, the company’s Asian subsidiary. Prior to joining Benchmark, Cabañas worked for Dallas-based The Boston Consulting Group. Ashley McCormick of PRA Destination Management Orange County was recently promoted to national sales manager, responsible for sales, account management and marketing efforts for the organization. An Orange County native, McCormick has spent the last three years as senior account manager for PRA Orange County. Wende Blumberg has been named general manager for the Mission Inn Resort & Club on Lake Harris in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. (near Orlando). For the past 10 years, Blumberg has worked with Hilton Hotels Corp., serving most recently as general manager for the Hilton Atlanta Airport Hotel. She also worked as general manager for The Hilton University of Florida Conference Center in Gainesville, which she helped open. Sales firm hinton+grusich has appointed Atlanta-based Michael DiLeone as its regional director of sales for the U.S. Southeast. DiLeone began his 20-year sales career representing Perry Ellis in the apparel manufacturing industry and moved into the hotel industry about seven years ago. Most recently, he served as associate director of sales for the Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club in Tampa, Fla., and the Wyndham Peachtree Conference Center in Atlanta. Log on to the careers blog at www.mpiweb.org, and tell the meeting community about your recent job change. 28 one+ 01.09 pp 28 Spotlight 0109.indd 28 12/15/08 3:11:48 PM 0109_029.indd 29 12/16/08 9:00:35 AM HOT BUZZ + Roger Dow 30 one+ One Step Ahead The Travel Industry Association (TIA) officially merged with the Travel Business Roundtable on Jan. 1 to form the U.S. Travel Association, which represents leaders from hundreds of travel-related companies, state tourism offices, dozens of CVBs and most of the key U.S. travel associations. Former TIA president and CEO Roger Dow (a past chairman of the MPI Foundation) leads the organization. Dow says the new association intensifies the voice of the US$740 billion travel industry. “Travel supports nearly 18 million U.S. jobs that cannot be outsourced and contributes more than $100 billion in federal, state and local tax revenue,” Dow said. “America’s travel community has created an organization that matches the power and scope of America’s travel economy.” Dow began his career as a summer lifeguard at the sixth Marriott hotel. His tenure with the company spanned 34 years and led to the position of senior vice president of global and field sales, where he oversaw a 10,000-person global sales force. He has received recognition from the Convention Industry Council, MPI and the American Society of Association Executives. 01.09 30-35_Hot Buzz0109.indd 30 12/22/08 4:05:10 PM Registration Required BE FOREWARNED: International travelers to the U.S. from countries in the Visa Waiver Program must apply for entry online as part of the new Electronic System for Travel Authorization, effective Jan. 12. The program does not apply to travelers entering by land from Canada or Mexico. The authorization is valid for two years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. Do note, authorization does not guarantee entry into the U.S.; that decision rests with the immigration official at the port of entry. Visit https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta to apply for entry. The White Lion Project Dead Deal In response to a dramatic increase in Russian tourism to Israel, city of Moscowowned Sun Dream has announced plans to open a US$100 million luxury resort at Ein Bokek, on the southern shores of the Dead Sea, by mid-2009. The hotel will offer 240 guest rooms and suites, two indoor swimming pools, conference rooms, two restaurants and a helipad. Sun Dream will begin construction within the next few months. The resort will increase the number of guest rooms around the Dead Sea to about 4,300. “The first nine months of 2008 saw 230,000 Russian tourists in Israel, an increase of over 100 percent compared to the same period last 30-35_Hot Buzz0109.indd 31 year,” said Ruhama Avraham-Balila, Israel’s minister of tourism. “With Russia being the third-largest source of incoming tourists to Israel, an additional 240 hotel rooms will help accommodate the increase in visitors to the world’s most famous natural spa.” The Israel Hotel Association reported that 763,000 tourists stayed in the country’s hotels in September —a rise of 49 percent compared to the same month last year, and tourist stays between January and September amounted to 7.6 million—a rise of 25 percent compared to the same period in 2007. Israel expected an all-time-high 3 million tourists to arrive in 2008. Sanbona Wildlife Reserve in South Africa’s Western Cape Province has successfully released an integrated lion pride comprised of two adult male and two juvenile female white lions. The reserve is home to 54,000 hectares of undulating mountains and plains, several luxury lodges and conference and incentive services. The release of the pride at Sanbona is the culmination of the years-long White Lion Project sponsored by The Shamwari Dubai World Africa Conservation team. The striking coloration of white lions makes them visible on the savannah and thus vulnerable to predators. The goal of the White Lion Project was to boost their genetic integrity by mating their offspring to the tawny wild lion, thus breeding in survival skills lost through successive generations bred in captivity. Due to poaching and “canned” hunting, the white lion population has dwindled over the years to the brink of extinction. The 300 or so remaining white lions are found in zoos and circuses. Legends about white lions abound, doubtless because of their rarity and spectral appearance. Some believe they are children of the Sun God sent to Earth as gifts. Others say they are messengers of the gods brought to earth on ships of white light. But “messengers” might be translated “angels,” since white lions are also believed to be the bearers of goodness. They were first spotted in the wild 400 years ago, but the next recorded sightings were not until 1928. mpiweb.org 31 12/22/08 4:06:48 PM HOT BUZZ Get Ahead Here’s a fee you may actually want to pay. United Airlines travelers can shell out US$25 for priority access at check-in, security and boarding. That’s right. No lines. Customers can purchase the so-called Premier Line at United.com or at United’s airport kiosks. Other United services include overnight luggage shipment and economyplus seating (with up to five inches of additional legroom). Flight Delay Mobile Boarding American Airlines customers departing from select U.S. airports can now receive their boarding passes electronically on their mobile phones, saving the time it takes to print and present a paper boarding pass at the airport. Mobile boarding passes use a two-dimensional barcode and are available at O’Hare International Airport (Chicago), Los Angeles International Airport and John Wayne Airport (Santa Ana, Calif.). If successful in trial cities, it could be extended to additional U.S. airports in coming months. + BOARDING PASS American Airplines Terminal 1 Depart Denver 9:31 am Gate 21 Arrive New York 12:47 am Gate 4 20017620155-2 Just Look Up CREDIT LINE Delegates at the Las Vegas Convention Center can now get real-time flight data on six 40-inch displays that feature upcoming departure times. The center is currently the only off-airport facility to feature flight information screens, allowing conventioneers to attend to all of their business needs on the show floor and still plan their arrival times at the airport. The convention center also features SpeedCheck Advance kiosks for checking in and printing boarding passes and Airport SpeedCheck Advance, which allows travelers to check their luggage for a US$20 fee. 32 one+ 01.09 30-35_Hot Buzz0109.indd 32 By 2030, climate change and a lack of airport capacity will mean that one flight in two will risk delays or cancellation at highly congested airports, according to a study by the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (EUROCONTROL). The analysis shows that—even taking the economic downturn into account—demand for flights in Europe will rise from 10 million today to 20.4 million in 2030. Accounting for all expansion plans currently in place, airports will only be able to handle 18.1 million of those flights, leaving 2.3 million flights a year (or 6,300 flights a day) unaccommodated. As a result, airport congestion is set to rise substantially; + by 2030, about 20 of the continent’s largest airports will be saturated (or operating at full capacity for eight hours or more a day). About half of all European flights will pass through one of these saturated airports. Weather-related delays will likely be more common as well. According to EUROCONTROL, bouts of extreme weather may occur more frequently due to climate change and will probably be more severe, bringing further disruption to already saturated airports. Higher temperatures in Europe will change holiday patterns. Airlines will be able to change their routes to cope with this, but airports, which require substantial infrastructure, are not as flexible. Atta Baby Southwest Airlines celebrated its 30th year in Amarillo, Texas, with a first-born baby contest. The family of the first baby born in the city on Dec. 12 was awarded four roundtrip tickets to any of the airline’s scheduled destinations. Southwest also celebrated with gate decorations and complimentary adult beverages for travelers wearing yellow or “amarillo.” The airline started service in Amarillo in 1978 with five nonstop flights. It now operates 12 nonstops, carries 64 percent of Amarillo air traffic and has 51 local employees. + 12/22/08 4:13:22 PM The Taj Mahal Palace and Tower reopened its doors at 7 p.m. Dec. 21, following the devastating and unprecedented terrorist attack on the hotel and several other locations in South Mumbai. These Boots Were Made for Walking The Venetian Hotelkeepers Association offered a “Venice and the High Water” special following weeks of severe flooding this winter. The €190 package included one room night at any of seven area hotels and free use of rubber boots to walk through high water (as well as a map of alternative pedestrian routes). Venetian hoteliers and Mayor Massimo Cacciari reassure tourists who want to come to Venice: “Don’t worry, there is no danger; high water is a phenomenon that will quickly disappear.” mpiweb.org 30-35_Hot Buzz0109.indd 33 33 12/22/08 4:15:22 PM HOT BUZZ Global Professionals Feel Affects of Asia Crises Fifteen percent of industry professionals had travelers or local employees directly affected by the terror attacks in Mumbai this past November, according to a report by the National Business Travel Association (NBTA). The survey examined the affects of two recent security incidents in Asia: the terrorist attacks in Mumbai and the airport closures due to protests in Bangkok. Mumbai • 29 percent of respondents had travelers or employees on location who were not directly affected by the attacks • Nearly nine in 10 of those respondents were able to utilize traveler-tracking systems to locate affected employees and were able to contact them after the crisis • 42 percent of respondents expect a decline in their companies’ travel volumes to Mumbai, and 39 percent see a reduction to the rest of India Bangkok • 32 percent of respondents indicated that they had travelers flying to, from or connecting in Bangkok during the days when the two international airports in the city were closed by protesters • 85 percent of those were able to locate and contact travelers affected in Bangkok utilizing traveler-tracking systems and make alternative arrangements for them • 34 percent of those surveyed expect a decline in their companies’ travel to Bangkok and Thailand EIBTM Breaks Attendance Records This year’s EIBTM in Barcelona shattered its 2007 performance, registering a 12 percent increase in hosted buyers and 11,000 more pre-scheduled meetings. Total attendance exceeded 8,000—up 6 percent over last year. “The record figures show not only how resilient the meetings market is in challenging times, but the reputation EIBTM has as the place to do business,” said Paul Kennedy, MBE, group exhibition director for Reed Travel Exhibitions Meetings and Incentive Events (which organizes the event). “It certainly seemed that more actual business was being transacted on the show floor than ever before.” 34 one+ Meanwhile, joint research by The Right Solution and EIBTM revealed that the market’s mood was optimistic and upbeat, despite a challenging year ahead. Sixty-four percent of respondents said the economic climate and pressure to reduce costs are key factors of influence for next year. However, 25 percent of respondents were set to organize more international events in 2009. “The mood is one of optimism despite concerns,” Kennedy said. “It will be vital for events to offer a valuable and worthwhile use of time for all those attending, which is also enjoyable and stimulating, yet perceived as neither extravagant nor too exclusive in its appeal. It will require careful consideration of all options for destinations, travel methods, venues, content and speakers to achieve an appropriate balance.” Reed Travel also announced a major global partnership with MPI that will further consolidate their longstanding relationship. According to the agreement, all of Reed Travel’s events—EIBTM, GIBTM in Abu Dhabi, CIBTM in Beijing and AIBTM in Baltimore—will become platforms to focus on the development of certificated training and professional development through MPI’s newly launched Global Knowledge Plan. 01.09 30-35_Hot Buzz0109.indd 34 12/22/08 4:16:21 PM Helping e Hand In an effort to help its members through current and future hard times, the U.N. World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has launched SOS.travel to assist with natural and man-made crises response, and the new UNWTO Resilience Committee will provide short-term analysis to help the sector better assess the impact of the global financial crisis on tourism performance. Nose Dive The International Air Transport Association (IATA) forecasts an industry loss of US$2.5 billion in 2009. All regions, except the U.S., are expected to report larger losses in 2009 than in 2008, giving the industry its worst prospects in 50 years. The IATA predicts that industry revenues will decline to $501 billion next year, a fall of $35 billion from 2008 projections. Granola Crunchy Tysons Corner Marriott near Washington, D.C., is putting a healthy, ecofriendly spin on the traditional pillow-top snack. In mid-November, the hotel began giving guests a special turndown treat of wholesome, house-made granola with oats, almonds and dried fruit packaged in cups made of 100 percent corn plastic that are fully compostable within 45 to 60 days. Nordic Green The Finland Convention Bureau has initiated a pilot project to draw up guidelines for environmentally responsible meeting services. The city of Hämeenlinna, approximately 100 kilometers north of Helsinki, will serve as model for the project. The convention bureau has commissioned Finnish consulting company Travelcon Oy, which supplies sustainable development solutions to the travel industry, to implement the project. Minus a Mentor North American managers are less likely than those in other regions to believe coaching actually improves the bottom line, according to a study by global consultant BlessingWhite. Only 65 percent of managers in the U.S. and Canada believe that coaching leads to greater business results compared to 71 percent in continental Europe and 74 percent in Asia. The U.K. and Ireland trail with 63 percent. RevPAR Shrink U.S. hotels have entered the initial stages of one of the deepest and longest recessions in the history of the domestic lodging industry, according to a report by PKF Hospitality Research (PKF-HR). A forecasted 7.8 percent drop in RevPAR for 2009 will be the fifth-largest annual decline since 1930. And PKF-HR predicts that U.S. hotels will not experience a year-over-year quarterly increase in RevPAR until the second quarter of 2010. mpiweb.org 30-35_Hot Buzz0109.indd 35 35 12/22/08 4:31:08 PM ART of Travel Sleeve Keeps Bottles Safe, Clothes Dry During Flights Protect your bottles from the rigors of travel with WineSkin. An interior layer of bubble wrap provides protective padding, and two sticky seals prevent wine from leaking into your suitcase (just in case rough handling leads to breakage). (Ma gellans.com, 2 for US$9.85) Cushion Feet, Keep Comfy with Rollable Travel Shoes Flexible, packable and feather-light, these pocket slippers are ideal for padding about the plane or après-swim at the beach or pool. Zinetic Pocket Slippers roll up and secure with a Velcro strap (included) and can be carried together in their nylon pouch or individually in separate pockets. (Travelsmith.com, US$24.95) Keep Your Laptops Safe with Special Combo Lock More than 600,000 notebook computers are stolen each year. Protect your laptop— and the sensitive data on it—with a ComboSaver notebook lock. Three cable thicknesses suit any environment: one travels in a bag or backpack, the other two provide maximum security for notebooks locked down in the office. (Kensing ton.com, US$24.99) 36 one+ 01.09 pp 36 Art of Travel 0109.indd 36 12/17/08 1:36:25 PM 0109_037.indd 37 12/16/08 9:07:55 AM Your Community MPI Launches its Community Knowledge Plan as Professionals Earn Global Certification In response to demand for the GCMO I certification and other global knowledge programming in the Gulf Region, MPI has opened a Middle East office in Doha, Qatar, in partnership with the Qatar MICE Development Institute and the Qatar Foundation. tively impacted their careers. Respondents also indicated high interest in additional MPI training opportunities. All 50 students said that they would recommend the program to colleagues. The boon follows the overwhelming success of MPI’s fall Certification in Meeting Management program, where all 55 students stated that the course was a worthwhile investment in their career development. The two programs are part of the re-imagined knowledge plan, which caters directly to all career levels of MPI members around the globe. Sponsors for the Middle East program included Qatar Airways, Gulf Adventures and the Qatar National Convention Centre. To cater to the waiting list of people wishing to attend the course, a second workshop has been planned for early 2009. For additional education in the region, MPI will present its Gulf Meetings and Events Conference, March 28-29 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. MPI Welcomes New COO MPI has hired the former senior vice president of development for Jamba Juice Co. as its new chief operating officer. Trey Feiler—who started on Dec. 3—now leads the knowledge and events, marketing and communications and member care teams. Prior to Jamba Juice, Feiler held key positions in real estate, finance and development for Brinker International and Yum! Brands Inc. “MPI is at a pivotal point of its growth. Globalization, and the necessity to connect across geography and cultures is essential for organizational success today,” Feiler said. “With such high growth in emerging economies such as China and India, the chance to build and enhance the foundation of training, networking and professional growth for meeting professionals worldwide is a great opportunity, and I am very excited to play a part.” 38 one+ MPI is offering a series of Webinars for members looking to advance their careers online. To register, visit www. mpiweb.org, click on education, online learning and the Harvard & Kiplinger Webinar Series. Jan. 14 Straight Talk for Underperformers in Your Workplace Jan. 15 The Right Moves: How to Build Success in a New Leadership Role Jan. 27 How to Contend with Unacceptable Behaviors in the Workplace Jan. 29 Today’s Marketing Mess and How to Fix It Feb. 11 Secrets of the CEO Coach: Building a Success Plan for You and Your Team ▲ MPI garnered significant praise from industry professionals who attended the inaugural Global Certificate in Meeting Operations I (GCMO I) funded by the MPI Foundation. The course was held this fall in Doha, Qatar, as part of the organization’s new Global Knowledge Plan. Each of the 50 inaugural participants passed at least 10 of the 12 course exams and earned the GCMO I certification. “GCMO I was launched in Qatar to the same high standards and content integrity for which MPI is respected globally,” said Joyce Dogniez, CMM, director of EMEA operations for MPI. “We look forward to running more educational and knowledge transfer programs with our partner, the Qatar MICE Development Institute.” One hundred percent of respondents were satisfied with the educational content, and equal numbers said the program posi- 01.09 pp 38-41 Community Foundation 0109.indd 38 12/19/08 2:10:35 PM Executive Council Ponders Industry’s Future MPI Supports Students in Transition When Marlene Blas graduated from George Washington University, she worried about maintaining her MPI membership as she transitioned into the meeting industry. There was no need for anxiety. MPI’s Student-inTransition plan ensures that graduating student members experience an easy transition into the full membership rate over three years. The new plan helps students as they become full members of the industry and search for their first jobs in a tumultuous market, during a time when industry connections are essential. The first year out of college, student members pay only US$75, gradually paying more until reaching the full membership rate by year four. “MPI has always been supportive of my educational endeavors, and I’m sincerely grateful to know that I continue to have the support of the organization while I’m in transition,” Blas said. “MPI is committed to its student community and student membership has grown 90 percent in the 12 months ending Oct. 31 to 1,649 members,” said Junior Tauvaa, MPI vice president of member care and chapter business management. “Graduating students represent the connection MPI has to the future of the meeting and events industry Student Faculty Advisory Council, a major stumbling block for retaining and converting student members to regular members was that, upon graduation, students only had a one-year grace period before dues “MPI has always been supportive of my educational endeavors, and I’m sincerely grateful to know that I continue to have the support of the organization while I’m in transition.” and represent an integral part of the community as it moves forward.” Students also provide a talent pool for MPI partner companies to satisfy their increasing human capital needs. MPI embraces the role of nurturing and developing new talent as students prepare to enter the industry’s labor market. The Studentin-Transition program is a testament to the organization’s commitment to the industry’s future. According to Charles Massey, who formerly chaired the MPI jumped to that of a regular member. “We found that we were losing many potential members who couldn’t get company support from their new employers who reserved MPI memberships for more senior employees,” Massey said. “By offering the Student-in-Transition pricing structure, MPI made a financial commitment to support the future talent and leaders in the meeting and events industry.” MPI has appointed an exclusive group of global industry leaders to its inaugural Executive Advisory Council, which will provide an executive’s perspective on the growing industry and advise MPI management on the development of new strategic initiatives. The group will also share perspectives for success with MPI’s 24,000-member global community. Angie Pfeifer, CMM, Chairwoman Craig Ardis, CMM Christine Duffy Ann Godi, CMP (MPI chairwoman-elect) Joann Kerns Patricia Kerr, CMP Julie Lindsey Bruce MacMillan, CA (MPI president and CEO) Margaret Moynihan, CMP Carol Muldoon, CMM Camille Paluscio, CMP Susan Paschal David Rich Brigit Roeterdink, CMM Jim Sharpton Jeff Singsaas Panos Tzivanidis Marcia Willett, CMP The European Meetings and Events Conference: Connect to Passion MPI welcomes to the city with a passion for food, fashion, architecture and cinema the professionals with a passion for meetings and events. Turin, Italy, plays host to the annual European Meetings and Events Conference March 1-3, delivering groundbreaking education and a forum to network and dialogue about current challenges facing the industry. Attendees will connect with the people in meetings and events that matter most and keep abreast of industry topics relevant both today and in the future. Educational sessions will include “Tough Times: How Global Markets Impact You” with Daniel Thorniley of the Economist Group, “Leading Tomorrow’s Workforce in Today’s World” with Leadership Methodologist Paul Bridle, “New Technology Trends Transforming the Industry” with Corbin Ball of Corbin Ball Associates and “The Best Way to Beat a Recession is to Sell Your Way Out of It” with Mike Southon, a business guru, author and journalist. Last year in London, The European Meetings and Events Conference became the first-ever event to achieve the BS 8901 Sustainable Event Standard. In that spirit, the 2009 Turin conference will continue to set the pace for sustainability efforts for the industry throughout Europe. MPI’s goal is to minimize any negative social and environmental impacts of the European event while meeting objectives and maintaining a high-quality experience. In today’s world, it’s imperative to be smarter about conducting business. Don’t miss the chance to connect this March as the community that shapes our industry gathers once again. Visit www. mpiweb.org/emec to register. mpiweb.org pp 38-41 Community Foundation 0109.indd 39 39 12/22/08 12:11:58 PM 0109_040.indd 40 12/9/08 11:34:03 AM Foundation Rock ‘n’ Roll The MPI Foundation pulls out all the stops in planning its 2009 MeetDifferent fundraising events. Silent Auction Blackjack Tournament Rendezvous Atlanta MPI Global Village 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 7-9 World of Coca-Cola 9 p.m. to midnight on Feb. 7 InterContinental Hotel Buckhead 9 p.m. to midnight on Feb. 8 The Silent Auction has long proven to be one of the MPI Foundation’s most valuable and successful onsite fundraisers. And it’s not just the winners who triumph at auction end. Donors receive recognition in the Silent Auction program, at MPIWeb.org and on signage throughout MeetDifferent. There really isn’t any way to lose. Silent auction items include packages to Universal Orlando, the Gran Melia Puerto Rico and the House of Blues. Or bid on a signed photo of Michael Phelps. “Contributing to the MPI Foundation Silent Auction is something we felt as a company was a great step in not only supporting the meeting and events community, but also in increasing our branding opportunities in front of a very valuable audience,” said Vince LaRuffa, vice president of resort sales and marketing for Universal Orlando Resort. “What better way to champion our industry than to make a donation to the MPI Foundation via the Silent Auction at MeetDifferent 2009?” Enjoy a Coke-tini while playing the tables at the MPI Foundation Blackjack Tournament at the World of Coca-Cola museum. Purchasing a table may not throw good fortune your way, but it is the perfect opportunity to score quality time with six of your key clients. Don’t settle for an early evening, take the party across the street after the MeetDifferent Welcome Reception and enjoy access to the world-class museum and premier networking opportunities. “The MPI Foundation is renowned for its glamorous blackjack evenings,” said Amanda Gourgue, CMP, chief meeting revolutionist for Meeting Revolution. “Not only is it the perfect occasion to visit with clients—and meet future ones—it’s also a wonderful night to support the industry. The MPI Foundation uses these events to raise funds for student scholarships and valuable industry research. It’s the perfect time to give back to the meeting industry that has already given so much to us.” The name itself invokes a certain…je ne sais quoi. Rendezvous Atlanta will pulse with the sounds of The Maxx, a product of the fertile local music scene that has thrilled more than 1 million people across the globe. Choreography, horns, costumes and mixed vocals make The Maxx a delicious recipe for success. But the band is about more than music, having established its own nonprofit organization, Musical Youth Of America, designed to inspire elementary and middle school children to learn to play a musical instrument. “Choosing The Maxx as the mainstay for the Rendezvous event, MPI once again shows its support for the industry and the host cities of its meetings,” said Carvie Gillikin, sales and marketing director for Fourth Wall Events. “The Maxx has been a huge part of the Atlanta music scene since the early 1980s, but, not only that, the band has also proved its commitment to the community through charitable work and donations. When two great organizations work together, only good things can happen.” FOCUS ON FOUNDATION November 2008 Contributors The MPI Foundation thanks the following organizations and individuals for their generous support. U.S. CORPORATE Platinum-Legacy Donor AT&T Park Carlson Hotels Dallas CVB Detroit Metro CVB Fairmont Hotels Hilton Hotels Hyatt Hotels IHG Las Vegas CVA Loews Hotels Marriott Hotels & Resorts Omni Hotels Starwood Hotels & Resorts The Venetian Wyndham Hotels Gold Donor AV Concepts Bloomington CVB Maritz MGM Mirage ProActive Silver-Partner Aimbridge Hospitality Anaheim CVB Aramark Atlanta CVB The Broadmoor The Greenbrier hinton+grusich LA Inc. LXR Meet Minneapolis Millennium Hotels Park Place Entertainment Pier 94 PRA PSAV Puerto Rico CVB St. Louis CVB Weil & Associates Bronze-Friend Donors Associated Luxury Hotels Benchmark Hospitality Destination Hotels & Resorts Dolce Experient Fort Worth CVB Gaylord Opryland Global Events Partners HelmsBriscoe PC Nametag Philadelphia CVB SearchWide Seattle CVB Walt Disney Swan and Dolphin Wynn Small Business Donors 4th Wall Events Best Meetings Concepts Worldwide Creative Meetings and Events Dianne B. Devitt InnFluent, LLC Kinsley & Associates The Laureli Group Meetingjobs Meeting Revolution Meeting Site Resource Spets SYNAXIS Meetings & Events Inc. Special Donors Blumberg Marketing Boca Resorts Carol Krugman CVent Dave Scypinski David DuBois David Gabri George P. Johnson Jonathan T. Howe, Esq. Katie Callahan-Giobbi Ken Sanders Little Rock CVB Mark Sirangelo One Smooth Stone Pasadena CVB Production Plus Inc. SAS Institute Visit Raleigh Friends of MPI 7th Wave Communication Balance Design Beverly W. Kinkade C. James Trombino Gaylord Palms Gaylord Texan Hattie Hill Enterprises Helen Van Dongen Jerry Wayne Joe Nishi Interactive Visuals Ivan Carlson Leadership Synergies Linda Swago Marianne Demko-Lange Melvin Tennant Michael Beardsley Mitchell Beer National Speakers Bureau Vito Curalli William Gilchrist CANADA CORPORATE Leader’s Club Fairmont Hotels and Resorts Heritage Club Starwood Hotels & Resorts Diamond Club Caesars Windsor Convention Centres of Canada Delta Hotels PSAV Platinum Level AV-Canada AVW-Telav Calgary Telus Convention Centre Cascadia Motivation Coast Hotels & Resorts Evolution Hilton Canada IHG Marriott Hotels & Resorts Canada Ottawa Tourisim Stronco Tourism Calgary Tourism Toronto Tourisme Quebec VIA Rail Canada Gold Level The Conference Publishers D.E. Systems Ltd. Destination Halifax Direct Energy Centre IncentiveWorks Tourism British Columbia Tourism Vancouver Tourisme Montreal Silver & Bronze Levels Accucom Corporate Communications Inc. ADMAR Promotions Calgary Exhibition & Stampede Cantrav dmc Centre Mont-Royal Destination Winnipeg Exposoft Solutions Inc. Fletcher Wright Associates Gelber Conference Centre Group Germain Hotels The Great West Life Company Investors Group Mendelssohn Livingston Naylor Publishers The Planner EUROPE CORPORATE Heritage Club EIBTM IMEX Diamond Club MCI Platinum Key Donors BTC International Starwood Hotels & Resorts Gold Key Donors Fairmont Hotels & Resorts Malaga CVB The Rezidor Hotel Group Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre VisitDenmark Silver Partner Donors ExpoForce RefTech Bronze Friend Donors Amsterdam RAI Hotels van Oranje Ince&Tive Visit London CHAPTER DONORS Arizona Sunbelt Atlantic Canada British Columbia Carolinas Chicago Area Georgia Greater Edmonton Greater New York Gulf States Heartland Houston Area Japan Kentucky Bluegrass Indiana Manitoba Minnesota New Jersey Northern California Ohio Oklahoma Orange County Oregon Ottawa Philadelphia Area Potomac Rocky Mountain Southern California Tennessee Texas Hill Country Toronto Virginia Washington State WestField INDIVIDUAL DONORS Diamond Dave Johnson Four Star Michael Deitemeyer Vince La Ruffa Fellow Devon Binder, CMP, CMM Stephen Revetria mpiweb.org pp 38-41 Community Foundation 0109.indd 41 41 12/18/08 8:17:46 AM WHO: Connections Ramón Álvarez, G.S.A.R. Marketing Planner + Supplier Success Story Maria de Los Angeles Barraza Gomez, Tourism Cartagena In many countries the use of historic landmarks as event venues is strictly verboten, or, at the very least, harshly restricted. In Colombia, anything is possible. Seventeenth-century marvel Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas hovers stone-heavy over the colorful city of Cartagena, its gray-scuffed walls marking the remains of Spain’s greatest colonial fortress. It is not an inviting place for an event. But on Nov. 24, the castle’s rough-hewn outer ward played host to an enchanting closing gala for 230 MITM Americas trade show attendees. Under dark and threatening skies, partygoers clad in Caribbean white linen climbed the steep walk to the venue and discovered a castle transformed by light. Tables sported fine white cloth. Delicious Colombian melodies drifted slowly from the bandstand, hastened by natural stone acoustics. It was a remarkable evening of decadent Caribbean food, exceptional dance performance and live and local beats. Only Maria de Los Angeles Barraza Gomez of Tourism Cartagena was not surprised. She stood alone and to the side against the fortress wall, feeling the cold stone edge against her skin and the light sprinkle of rain as her final guests disperse. She smiled. This city never fails her. “In other countries, using a fortress for an event is nearly impossible,” Barraza said in practiced English at a trade show press conference for media representing more than 10 countries. “The city permits us to use our as- 42 one+ EVENT: MITM Americas Cartagena, Colombia Nov. 23-24, 2008 sets and our history to showcase who we were and who we are.” She bowed her head slightly, yielding the floor to Ramón Álvarez of G.S.A.R. Marketing, which organizes MITM annually in Latin America. The two have worked together since they met at the 2007 MITM in Salvador, Brazil, to ensure the success of the 2008 trade show. Needless to say, their efforts exceeded expectations. Álvarez estimated 2,400 scheduled meetings between buyers and sellers and approximately US$10 million in future business transactions from the November event, which welcomed attendees from 19 different countries. He told those assembled that the destination itself lured attention from hosted buyers across the globe including 14 European nations. “In the MICE business, a huge part of a great incentive program is an exciting destination—that’s something clients are looking for,” Álvarez asserted. “We don’t look to London, Paris and Rome; buyers already know these destinations. You have IMEX in Frankfurt and the Motivation Show in Chicago. Cartagena? Cartagena is something different and new and attractive.” But the city won’t be South America’s wellkept Caribbean secret much longer. Barraza 01.09 pp 42-43 Connections 0109.indd 42 12/20/08 2:01:12 PM Ramón Álvarez and his G.S.A.R. staff carefully cull hundreds of hosted-buyer applications each year, accepting less than 100 candidates to invite to the MITM Americas show. Each must prove to be booking business in the region. JESSIE STATES (4) cited increasing interest in her historic seaport both regionally and internationally. Cartagena ranks first among cities for first-time travelers to Colombia, according to Proexport, the nation’s tourism promotion agency. And on Dec. 8, the city gained status as an intermediate boarding port for Royal Caribbean’s southern cruise circuit. As Barraza put it, the time to visit Cartagena is now as the city’s inherent charm continues to attract more and more visitors. Specifically, Barraza pointed to an insurgence of boutique hotels in the city’s Old Town led by LaHeroica.com, an association of small hotels, apartments and homes for let. Cartagena’s historic center alone boasts dozens of converted properties with stunning New World patios, vibrant colors, rooftop pools and faultless views of city and sea. “In speaking to the buyers here at MITM, they are interested in something exquisite and new. We have the history, the culture and the Caribbean—but we also have excellent service and infrastructure,” Barraza said. But she isn’t referring to roads and transportation systems. For MITM’s opening night, Barraza hired a new-is-old pirate ship and sailed her buyers to Cartagena’s Club de Pesca on the Caribbean shore. The restaurant is embedded in an old fortress wall, facing the sea, at once rustic and elegant, with delicate table drapings and overhanging foliage. Álvarez cannot be more impressed with the show, especially considering that Barraza and Tourism Cartagena hired a coordinator specifically to handle the MITM event. “It is wonderful to work with such professional people,” he said. Quite an endorsement for a city that has yet to realize its potential as an incentive and events destination. —JESSIE STATES mpiweb.org pp 42-43 Connections 0109.indd 43 43 12/22/08 4:45:37 PM IRRELEVANT Get Them Nothing What better present for the person who has everything than a poignant reminder that they want for nothing? This lovingly crafted vial of emptiness is filled to the brim with unfettered nothingness. Free from the burden of possessions and the weight of responsibility, Nothing is as idiotic as it is brilliant. It’s a statement—an empty gesture if you will—a nod at the futility of ownership. And yet despite Nothing being nothing, it is packed with millions of protons, neutrons and what-have-you, which is pretty good for Nothing. Suitable for ages 14 years+. (Iwantoneof those.com, £3.49) 44 one+ 01.09 pp 44 Irrelevant 0109.indd 44 12/22/08 11:46:41 AM 0109_045.indd 45 12/9/08 11:38:54 AM Borbala Csillag Global View Defining Experiences THERE WAS A TIME WHEN THIS LOOKED LIKE IT MIGHT BECOME ONE OF THOSE “I MOVED ABROAD FOR A FEW MONTHS AND HAVE BEEN HERE 20 YEARS” STORIES. After graduating college, I moved to Budapest for a 12-month management training program at a hotel. Two-anda-half years—as well as five rotations in various hotel departments, three computer programs, two MPI European Meetings and Events conferences, four weddings and three funerals—later, on the brink of a move back to Toronto, came the greatest lesson from abroad so far. A senior colleague stopped me to share and drive home the point that the sense of peace and fulfillment in life, if one is fortunate enough to find it, comes 90 percent from the inside and 10 percent from outside. Rich and defining experiences are not only had in faraway places after extensive travel. If we are open to meaningful experiences, they can happen anywhere. 46 one+ 01.09 pp 46 Global View 0109.indd 46 BIO I wanted to write this column as a professional piece and realized that the greatest impact of my global experience has been its effect on my life. I can’t separate my being from my professional self. “Global competency does not mean that you are always working overseas,” wrote Carol Krugman in her October Global View column. Although I have been living abroad, I have experienced much more than immersion in Hungarian culture. Within the hotel—operating with a North-Americandeveloped corporate culture—I had the good fortune of working with people from very different backgrounds. Some Hungarian born and bred, some Western expatriates and numerous colleagues from countries near and far. Socially, I was also introduced to a diverse group of (mostly U.S.) expatriates, some of whom were only here transiently and many of whom have become close friends. Never during frequent childhood visits to my homeland Hungary had I imagined that so many expats would come together in Budapest. We talk about transformation, about changing the world, about making a difference, about dialogue that has meaning. We talk about innovation and creativity, about leadership and about connections. Rich and defining experiences are not only had in faraway places after extensive travel. If we are open to meaningful experiences, they can happen anywhere. What matters is the journey, not the destination. This resonates all the more in times as uncertain as the ones we are facing. It should resonate whether we define ourselves as members of the meeting profession or not. I, however, consider myself lucky and proud to be a part of our community. BORI (BORBALA) CSILLAG is a catering/conference services coordinator at Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest. Contact her at b_csillag@ yahoo.ca. 12/16/08 11:23:36 AM 0109_047.indd 47 12/16/08 9:11:35 AM Tony Carey Across the Bow Flight Fright I’M OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER a time 48 one+ 01.09 pp 48-49 Across The Bow 0109.indd 48 BIO when only air crews told flying stories. It seemed a job perk that they should hold us spellbound in the pub with their understated tales of coolness in the face of bird strike, engine failure and acute vomiting at 18,000 feet. We owed it to them to be impressed—it was the least we could do— many of them had flown against Hitler. But things have changed. Flying stories have been hijacked (not a word I normally use in connection with air travel—at least, not within 500 meters of an airport) by the passengers. If you overhear a flying anecdote these days, it is probably the pub bore boasting to his friends about turbulence at 28,000 feet from the perspective of seat 37E. Of course, this is partly because there are fewer people on the flight deck (and they’re only employed to keep the automatic pilot amused and to reassure us with avuncular announcements). But it’s also because flying today is more exciting in the cabin than up front. I speak only about coach class; first and business offer little to stimulate the senses except a certain smugness. In the average coach section of the average long-haul flight, you will find drama and romance, comedy and pathos. All human life is there—united (although they would never admit it) by a healthy fear of the unexpected. I have watched love awaken between strangers, spats develop between lovers and frequently wondered about the relationship between the couple in the front row. The only way to survive the discomfort of air travel is by studying one’s fellow passengers. (I am always amazed at how few of them I want to spend several hours adjacent to—although that’s probably more a reflection on me than on them.) There’s something about air travel that brings out the caged beast in us all. We are apprehensive, but it isn’t cool to show it. Men, in particular, go to great lengths to appear air-wise and nonchalant, concealing sweaty palms, round cans of things or (when the wherewithal was free) overindulging in adult beverages. Each flight is a journey into the unknown—only the pilot really knows where we’re headed, or we hope he does. (Have you ever felt a twinge of unease when the captain announces: “Good evening everyone, welcome aboard this flight to.....er.....er...um......?”) Admit it, however many blasé air miles you have clocked, there is still a pulsequickening sense of anticipation as you go to check in—or there should be, because every flight is a new experience with fresh challenges: me vs. system. Was it Row 14 or Row 41 that had the legroom in a 757? Will my grovelling request for an upgrade be successful? How can I avoid that line at security? Please God, don’t let that obnoxious child be seated within 10 rows of me. Who will I find myself seated next to? Recently I have started compiling a list TONY CAREY, CMP, CMM, is an award-winning writer and past member of MPI’s International Board of Directors. He can be reached at tonycarey@psilink.co.je. 12/17/08 1:38:29 PM There’s something about air travel that brings out the caged beast in all of us. We are apprehensive, but it isn’t cool to show it. of those whom I don’t wish to sit next to on a long-haul journey. It is based, not on prejudice, but on experience; each of the following has been closer than I would like at 30,000 feet. People who overlap. If I’m not permitted to carry on a bag of pocketbook proportions because it won’t fit into the overhead bin, shouldn’t someone who won’t fit into a seat travel in the hold? People with extra extremities. I swear that the woman who sat next to me on a recent flight to Ottawa had five, specially sharpened, elbows. People who talk too much. Talking is all very well in a casual and desultory manner, but there should be a lapel badge with an international symbol for: “If you must talk incessantly, please do it to someone else!” Messy bastards. There are those who can’t open packets of pretzels without spraying them everywhere and who knock over their wine bottles while trying to open packets of pretzels. But who is on YOUR list? I’d be interested to hear. (Unless, of course, you only ever travel business class, in which case most of the foregoing was probably lost on you.) My list is growing longer with every flight I take, but at least I’ve got some stories for the regulars down at the pub. Agree? Disagree? Share you thoughts with other readers at www.mpioneplus.org. mpiweb.org pp 48-49 Across The Bow 0109.indd 49 49 12/17/08 4:11:52 PM Annalee Newitz Open-Source Everything How Virtual Can a Meeting Get? 50 one+ 01.09 pp 50 Open-Source 0109.indd 50 BIO Nearly everyone has attended a meeting that is at least partially virtual. Perhaps some of your colleagues dialed in via speaker phone or participated through webcam. Maybe you’ve even been in a conference room with a “virtual wall” that lets you see and speak with life-size people in a remote office across the world. One of my jobs is running a science fiction blog called io9.com where all of my employees work remotely. So every week at our editorial meetings, we convene about five to eight staff members over the Internet. All our meetings are virtual. Nobody meets face-to-face. Using a conferencing program called Campfire, the staff can talk in a private chat room together, as well as share images and documents easily. I say “easily,” but it’s not always easy to run a virtual meeting—even a partly virtual one. Most of us think of meetings as places where we talk aloud, often engaging in rapid-fire question/answer exchanges, trading ideas quickly. These quick exchanges are what make meetings helpful. But is there a point at which virtual meetings lose so much of the original meaning of “meeting” that they are no longer useful? You can run the risk of going too virtual in a meeting when the technology you use for the meeting gets in the way of quick, informal interactions. This is an idea that’s understood by some of the world’s finest idea-making institutions. Several years ago, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) ordered an enormous new building that would house several departments, including artificial intelligence, linguistics and architecture. William Mitchell, the school’s architectural adviser, says the single most important organizing principle of the building should be making possible “collisions of people by accident.” Celebrated architect Frank Gehry, who designed the Ray and Maria Stata Center at MIT, says he designed a non-linear building to encourage chance encounters and casual conversations between colleagues. The Stata Center is like a good piece of meeting technology. Its structure is designed to encourage quick, chance exchanges between colleagues as well as more formal meetings. The question to ask yourself when you’re using a piece of meeting technology is this: Is it built so people can have casual cross-talk as well as formal presentations? One of the reasons I like Campfire and free alternatives such as IRC is that the chat room structure can be formal or informal. I would contrast it with virtual meeting places such as telephone conference calls, where cross-talk quickly gets chaotic and difficult to hear. Of course, if all you need to do is make announcements, a teleconference would be just fine. So when you pick a technology for your virtual meetings, the question you should ask is whether your virtual space is versatile enough to support the kinds of casual conversation that can lead to breakthroughs and good ideas. ANNALEE NEWITZ is the editor in chief of io9.com, a blog about science fiction and science. She contributes to Popular Science, New Scientist and Wired magazines and is the co-editor of She’s Such a Geek, a book of essays about women who work in traditionally male fields. E-mail her at annalee@techsploitation.com. 12/20/08 2:12:48 PM 0109_051.indd 51 12/9/08 11:45:44 AM Tim Sanders Transform the World or happiness. Reflecting on Mark’s talk, I made a New Year’s resolution that I’d convert my have-to’s into get-to’s. By the end of January, my attitude turned around and my performance improved dramatically. Now, I savor every opportunity to write or speak— and I’ve never been happier with my career. You can do this, too. IN FALL 2007, I ATTENDED A TALK BY If you’re feeling burned out and swimMARK SCHULMAN, SUPERSTAR DRUMming in have-to’s, rescue yourself from your MER AND CANCER SURVIVOR. I had met him a few years previously when I moved to attitude. If you’ve come down with a case of Los Angeles. He and I became friends, and I the mutters—and after 2008’s crazy ride, it wouldn’t surprise me—make this your New became a fan of his infectious attitude. Year’s resolution, too! In his talk, he told a story about his Here’s the idea: Reframe your tasks wife—who also battled cancer—and how her health crisis reframed her attitude about into opportunities. Author and markether roles and obligations. Every day was pre- ing expert Seth Godin also advocates this mental approach to daily “chores.” He once cious to her, and a day she could do things quipped that he doesn’t have to blog every was a good day. Her language changed. day, he gets to blog every day. And it shows She converted tasks into privileges, or as in the quality of his content (and the amount Mark put it, “She turned her have-to’s into of traffic he’s built up over the years). get-to’s.” On days she had the energy to get By reframing, you can find more joy in out of bed, she’d say, “Today I get to go to your day-to-day responsibilities. If you think work, create things and hang out with my about it, most of our obligations are really friends.” Mark learned from her example, opportunities that we’ve lost our gratitude adopted it too and emerged with a winning for. We think of work as something we view on life. “have to” do, but when we first got the job, In January 2008, I realized that I had we thanked our lucky stars that we “got to” let too many of my get-to’s become havehave this career opportunity. to’s. For example, when it was time to put Here’s an exercise to shake up your outthe finishing touches on my new book, I’d look on the daily grind: Pick out three big mutter, “Today, I have to slog through tasks you “have to” do this week hundreds of pages of research and respond and pretend that you’ve been fired to dozens of editorial notes.” When I’d leave for Europe for a speaking engagement from them. Imagine you no longer get to manage your team at work. I’d grouse, “Today, I have to fly halfway You no longer get to drive your around the world.” son to baseball games and sit in the That was not a prescription for success 52 one+ 01.09 pp 52-53 Transform World 0109 Rev1.indd 52 BIO Attitude Adjustment TIM SANDERS is the author of Saving the World at Work: What Companies and Individuals Can Do to Go Beyond Making a Profit to Making a Difference (Doubleday, September 2008). Check out his Web site at www.savingtheworld.net. 12/17/08 4:45:33 PM bleachers cheering for his team. You no longer get to attend creative meetings to hash out details on the new product. Think about it. Doesn’t that make you feel a little silly for complaining about these types of “duties?” Finally, police your language, and watch out for any negative talk about your work life that signals a breakdown in gratitude. The next time you are marching into that dreaded sales and marketing meeting, tell someone, “Today I get to meet with some of my favorite people, solve problems and find ways to be successful in our roles!” You’ll be surprised what a difference it makes. How important is attitude? Let me close with a relevant story about the importance of perspective. Christopher Wren was a philosopher, astronomer and architect, commissioned to rebuild St. Paul’s Cathedral after the Great Fire of 1666 that leveled London. To be more fire resistant, the church was to be rebuilt with brick, which is labor intensive and would require more than 50 years of backbreaking work to finish. One day in 1671, Wren observed three of his bricklayers working on a scaffold. He approached the first one, who had a listless expression on his face, and asked him, “What are you doing?” The first bricklayer, If you think about it, most of our obligations are really opportunities that we’ve lost our gratitude for. without even looking up, replied, “I’m making a wage.” Wren approached the second bricklayer on the scaffold and asked him the same question, “What are you doing?” The second bricklayer looked back at him slowly with a blank expression and muttered, “I’m building a straight wall,” then turned back to his work. The third bricklayer on the scaffold seemed much more excited to be there than the first two, whistling as he worked, accomplishing more than the other two combined. Wren then asked him, “And what are you doing?” This bricklayer stood up straight and with a gleam in his eye proclaimed, “I’m building a cathedral for the Almighty.” For decades after, Wren challenged titans of industry to transform their businesses into something with purpose, like building a cathedral. His story is still told today to illustrate how perspective makes work a joy, not just a way to make a living. Have you witnessed something that will transform the world? Tell us about it at www.mpiweb.org. mpiweb.org pp 52-53 Transform World 0109 Rev1.indd 53 53 12/17/08 4:47:15 PM + What’s New in Scottsdale Down to a Science BY JASON HENSEL “SHOW US YOUR WHOLE CITY, NOT JUST THE HOTELS,” said Stacy J. Weber, CMP, event and meeting manager for Moss Adams LLP, about what CVBs can do to spruce up FAM trips. Such sage advice has always been followed by the Scottsdale (Ariz.) CVB. With a FAM trip that has happened annually for 20 years, the CVB sets the bar for how familiarization tours should be conducted and used for business. “In the late 1980s, Scottsdale saw a huge growth in resort product, especially with the addition of several resorts with meeting space,” said Rachel Sacco, Scottsdale CVB president and CEO. “We were looking for a way to expose meeting planners to this new product in the destination. We’d had a lot of success in the past with FAMs for travel agents, so we decided to try a meetings FAM as well. Our first meetings FAM was in spring 1988 and incorporated a golf tournament. It’s since morphed into an annual event that’s grown to be a destination-wide partnership with our members. We continue to receive rave reviews from both members and clients.” Twice a year, the Scottsdale CVB plays host to approximately 25 meeting planners that have a definite interest in bringing their groups to the city. “The Scottsdale CVB invites our database of meeting planners to qualify for the FAM by sending in a qualified RFP considering Scottsdale as one of the top three destinations,” said Renee Angeles, Scottsdale CVB director of sales and services. “RFPs are sent to our properties with the CVB collecting responses from our resorts and reviewing to ensure we narrow down our list to the planners who are the best fit for our destination. On average, we receive about 160 responses per FAM and have to narrow the selection down to a list of only 25 planners.” Finding these planners, though, that have a sincere interest in bringing business to Scottsdale benefits all involved in that site visits are relevant and activities are educational. “Over the years, our FAM itineraries have become more focused to ensure planners are learning the most they can about our destination in only a few short days,” Angeles said. “We also are more strategic with what we The InterContinental Montelucia Resort & Spa opened in November and features 27,000 square feet of indoor meeting space, the 31,000-square-foot Joya Spa and a private wedding chapel with cathedral ceilings and wooden beams. Guests can enjoy activities such as wine tastings, star gazing and cigar rolling, in addition to several property restaurants. In October, Marcus Hotels and Resorts relaunched Resort Suites Scottsdale as the new Xona Resort Suites after a comprehensive, multimillion-dollar renovation of the property. The hotel boasts a new lobby and porte cochere, re-designed and updated guest suites, the new Asada Desert Grille restaurant specializing in regional cuisine, the new Orange Iguana indoor/outdoor lounge and renovated pool areas. The W Scottsdale Hotel & Residences opened in September offering approximately 10,000 square feet of meeting space complete with audiovisual equipment, high-speed and wireless Internet and plasma screens. A meeting planner reviews supplier information at a recent Scottsdale FAM trade show. SCOTTSDALE CVB 54 one+ 01.09 pp 54-58 Destination - Scottsdale.indd 54 12/17/08 5:56:10 PM 0109_055.indd 55 12/9/08 11:50:24 AM + Scottsdale Transportation Tips Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport serves Scottsdale and offers air service from 20 airlines such as Air Canada, American, British Airways, Delta, Southwest and United. Driving time from the airport to Scottsdale is approximately 30 minutes. The Scottsdale Trolley is free and moves riders between many of downtown’s attractions including Scottsdale Fashion Square, the Fifth Avenue Shopping District, the Scottsdale Arts District and Old Town. The trolleys make stops at these and other downtown spots every 10 minutes, seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 56 one+ + showcase to ensure we are meeting the needs of our clients and helping them experience activities and amenities that will assist them in creating a memorable meeting for their group.” And it’s this focus that pleases planners the most. “The CVB team is completely focused on customer service and creating partnerships with both their planner and supplier clients,” Weber said. “You could tell that the CVB team personally knew the individuals. I needed to see a couple of additional hotels after the FAM—the CVB set up those appointments for me and even accompanied me for two days on those sites, including two or three that they don’t represent but were of interest to me. The FAM also gave me a chance to understand what all a CVB can offer besides just sending out a lead. They are a tremendous resource both when considering a destination and after selection.” What’s New in Scottsdale The historic Camelback Inn, A JW Marriott Resort & Spa added new amenities while retaining its Southwestern appeal with its US$50 million revitalization that was completed in September. New features include 20,000 square feet of meeting space equipped with keyless security, 24-foot ceilings and wireless connectivity. To add a historical atmosphere, private meeting spaces are available at Camelback Inn’s Old West Town, which features a saloon, a livery stable and mock storefronts. 01.09 pp 54-58 Destination - Scottsdale.indd 56 12/17/08 4:37:01 PM 0109_057.indd 57 12/17/08 1:21:17 PM + The Downtown Scottsdale Arts District offers more than 125 galleries with art in all styles and mediums for serious collectors and casual admirers alike. Scottsdale Fun Facts Weber says the FAM really gave her a feel Scottsdale only gets approximately for the entire area, not just hotels A, B and C. “The FAM had 15 hotels in three days— seven inches of rain a year. that’s a lot, but it’s why we’re there and we The Sonoran Desert—where Scottsdale weren’t rushed,” Weber said. “Various hotel is located—is the hottest desert in partners were invited to the meals at other North America. It is 120,000 square hotels—this gave us a chance to chat outmiles in size, and the country of England side of the hotel tour and get to know each would fit in that space twice. other. It also gave the hoteliers a chance to meet. The best part of the FAM was the trade show. It was at one of the resorts and was SCOTTSDALE CVB very casual, but informative since many vendors besides hotels were present. It was also a good size group of planners—too few and you’re ‘stuck’ with everyone, too many and you don’t feel you get to know people.” Managing a FAM with such detailed, scheduled visits and activities can prove to be tricky; however, the Scottsdale CVB has it down to a science. “We begin planning three months in advance,” Angeles said. “For each FAM, we assign two sales managers, a project manager and a sales coordinator who work together on the program.” Angeles says the best advice she can give is to set realistic goals for the FAM and be clear about expectations. “From there, you can build your itinerary and secure your clients and members for participation,” Angeles said. From a planner’s perspective, Weber suggests that CVBs planning FAMs include other vendors—especially restaurants and DMCs. “While we are driving from one place to another, tell us about what we are seeing so we can understand the destination as a whole,” Weber said. “Be sure to give the vendors a chance to interact with us and each other in a social setting.” By keeping goals in mind throughout the process, Angeles says, the program will be valuable for everyone involved. “The FAM is a big investment, but the right clients paired with the right members equates to a great return on investment,” Angeles said. JASON HENSEL is an associate editor for One+. 58 one+ 01.09 pp 54-58 Destination - Scottsdale.indd 58 12/17/08 4:37:11 PM Go ahead. Sit back and savor the sunshine. After all, it’s making this rare, free moment seem even brighter. So soak it all up – you deserve GREATER PHOENIX it after such a successful day. MEETPHX.COM CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU 877-MEET-PHX 0109_059.indd 59 12/9/08 1:49:08 PM + What’s New in Alberta BY ALLAN LYNCH AS PRETTY AS BANFF IS, YOU WON’T SEE MANY FLOWERS. THE ELK EAT THEM FOR BREAKFAST. Encircled by snow-capped mountains and dissected by a clear, glacierfed river, Banff is the gateway community to a linked chain of four national parks—Banff, Jasper, Yoho and Kootenay—which rise from the Alberta foothills into the Canadian Rockies. Protected by Parks Canada for a century, these pristine parks have earned UNESCO World Heritage Site designations. Elk have the right-of-way. And they are everywhere, strolling the golf course, lingering on lawns outside the Banff Springs Hotel and dining on every flower in sight. Given the natural beauty, the modern delights of high-end shopping and fine dining and the wealth of wilderness experiences, it’s no surprise Banff is a popular holiday, conference and incentive destination. But playing host to a group that deals with blind and visually impaired students here is an audacious move. And that’s exactly what the organizing committee for the biannual Canadian Vision Teachers Conference is doing by booking The Banff Centre for its October 2009 conference. “This conference has never been held in Western Canada before, and when the committee decided to take this on we first considered Calgary,” said Pam Rannelli, committee co-chairwoman and provincial coordinator for students with vision loss for the Alberta government. “There’s a lot of hotel space in Calgary, but if you’re going to come to Calgary, why not go to Banff [which is a 90-minute drive from the Calgary International Airport]?” It’s too early to tell if the delegate count will surpass the event’s 250-person high. “We’ve had a lot of good buzz about 60 one+ 01.09 pp 60-63 Destination Banff_B.indd 60 it,” Rannelli said. “People are excited it’s in Banff.” Traditionally, this conference has been held in schools for the blind or city-center hotels. This year, the conference will be held at The Banff Centre, a 43-acre, heavily treed, 21-building mountainside campus. And just to pump up the obstacles, the center is in the midst of constructing a new, 21,000-squarefoot innovation center. Therein lies part of the challenge: how to make this geography accessible to the 10 percent of delegates who are blind or vision impaired. “[The hillside campus] does present some other challenges compared to staying in a hotel or typical convention space, but we have on our committee several trained orientation and mobility specialists,” Rannelli said. “Their job is to look at an environment, assess the risks for a person who is blind and develop training protocol both for the person with the impairment and those who serve them.” To ensure that happens, Rannelli says the organizers are working with Jodi Burke, conference services manager at the Banff Centre, to do some training for her staff. Northlands—an exhibition, conference and trade facility in What’s New Edmonton—completes in the fiAlberta nal phase later this year of an expansion that increases the venue’s size to 500,000 square feet of integrated, contiguous trade and consumer show space. Calgary’s Stampede Park opened a casino in 2008 and is planning to add 50,000 square feet of space in an expansion of the 375,000-square-foot Roundup Centre. Calgary’s 185-room designer boutique property, the Hotel Arts, expanded its ballroom to 9,300 square feet of fully dividable space in fall 2008 and plans to add 66,000 square feet of retail and office space. DIAMOND AND SCHMITT A Can Do Attitude Conceptual drawing of the Kinnear Centre for Creativity and Innovation. 12/17/08 4:50:06 PM 0109_061.indd 61 12/9/08 12:01:47 PM THE BANFF CENTRE The Banff Centre’s Dining Centre, home of the Vistas Dining Room and the Three Ravens Restaurant and Wine Bar. + Alberta Transportation Tips Delegates can fly direct to Calgary International Airport or Edmonton International Airport from Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Frankfurt, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco and Seattle, as well as all major Canadian cities. Groups going to Jasper have the extra choice of arriving by VIA Rail or the luxury of the Rocky Mountaineer train, which travels between Vancouver and Calgary. Banff operates the country’s only green transit system, Roam, using an all-hybrid electric transit fleet. Fare boxes accept smartcards and U.S. currency. A GPS system tells riders at bus stops when the next bus is coming. 62 one+ “Just basic tips and tricks on how you guide a person who is blind, what things you should look out for, how to make the space a bit more user friendly, that sort of thing,” Rannelli said. “We plan to do a workshop with the managers about vision issues, because it’s almost impossible to do the whole staff because the staff changes frequently.” Burke admits to never playing host to a group that has this number of sight-impaired people. “In terms of disabilities, we have had people here in wheelchairs or with physical mobility problems, but not to the extent that there’s a whole bunch all at once,” Burke said. The center has surprisingly little retrofitting to do. According to Burke, the organizing committee will provide Braille signs for the elevators and campus wide “you are here” maps and will also send tactile maps to delegates before they arrive in Banff. “Our director of customer services, Jim Olver, also stands outside every morning at the end of the pathways where people come from the bedrooms to direct people to either the dining facility or meeting rooms, or he’ll help organize the bellmen to take them around the pathways to the other side of the building if that is going to be easier,” Burke said. Delegates will not have to deal with a huge amount of issues in relation to construction, Burke says. “They will have to deal with gravel on the pathways and a few potholes caused from trucks going in and out,” Burke said. “From our end, we’re going to be [telling] our staff that there will be vision-impaired people on site, and if they see someone they should ask if they need directions or The Banff Centre + SCOTT ROWED Alberta Fun Facts Banff has a population of 8,000 and welcomes 30,000 visitors a day. It has 130 bars, pubs and restaurants. Development in Banff and the national parks is tightly controlled by Parks Canada. People need to prove “a reason to reside” (i.e., work there) to live within the park boundaries. This policy protects against over development and land speculation. The three ski resorts in Banff/Lake Louise have great skiing on 120 miles of trails spread over 7,748 acres. 01.09 pp 60-63 Destination Banff_B.indd 62 12/17/08 4:52:35 PM + A Planner’s Checklist Here’s a quick checklist for planners and properties playing host to an event for people with vision or physical impairments. 1. Ahead of the event, ask delegates for special needs regarding information retrieval. Do they require Braille or specialized electronic formats to access information? 2. Conduct an environmental scan, and consider engaging the services of a specialist in universal design or accessibility issues for people with disabilities. assistance getting around.” As it gets closer to the conference date, the center will remind the contractor to advise his work crew to be aware of potential hazards for vision-impaired and blind delegates. There is also some tweaking for the dining room. “We’re working with Jodi in the dining room to put more visual indicators on the tables people are going to be using,” Rannelli said. “Right now they post a regular white paper with the name on it. We’ll use a kind of color code and make it brighter so people will be able to head to the right table.” The challenges in serving this group also cross over to content presentation and access to information. “Because of the clients we have, and our philosophy, we have to discern which format best serves them,” Rannelli said. “Before they send in their registration, we request that they let us know if they are large print or Braille users, so for handouts and presentations we have the appropriate format for 3. Is there Braille signage in elevators, along corridors, property maps and on door numbers? Are there talking elevators? 4. If the property is outfitted for wheelchairs, can it handle motorized scooters? More people are converting to these, and they require deeper elevators as well as wider turns on ramps. 5. Consider color—is your signage red? Many vision-impaired people see red as black. Check with specialists to see what colors show best for visually challenged delegates. them to have access to the information. We ask presenters to have their PowerPoints on a USB drive so people can access that, and we ask delegates ahead of time if they require alternate format materials. Think about how often we, as print users, go into a presentation and are given a handout. For someone who’s blind or a Braille user, how often do they have that luxury? Not very often.” If there is anything properties, planners and society need to consider when dealing with groups who have challenges, it is attitude, Rannelli says. “I think society, when it thinks of someone who’s blind, thinks first of what they can’t do, before considering what these people can do,” Rannelli said. “We need to change that attitude. We want to make sure everybody knows people who are blind or visually impaired are people first and visually impaired second. They are just the same as you and I, but they might require accommodation in terms of their vision.” ALLAN LYNCH is a freelance writer based in Nova Scotia, Canada. mpiweb.org pp 60-63 Destination Banff_B.indd 63 63 12/18/08 8:08:55 AM BY JESSIE STATES CHESTER KAHAPEA SPEAKS SOFTLY FROM HIS LIVING ROOM, SURROUNDED BY PHOTOS OF HIS FAMILY, HIS COPPER SKIN CREASING AS HE GRINS INTO A STUDIO CAMERA. “I was 12 years old when Hawai’i became a state,” he says in his thick Hawai’ian lilt. “In 1959, I was at St. Patrick’s [church]. My mom was working for the Star-Bulletin. A picture was to be taken of me giving the first paper to the mayor at that time, [Neal Shaw] Blaisdell.” A photo was taken that day at St. Patrick’s, a photo that would make Kahapea an icon, but it wasn’t with Blaisdell. Instead, it shows a young boy hawking newspapers on a street corner, each emblazoned with a U.S. flag and a massive, one-word Fun Facts Hawai‘i Opera Theatre will present three celebrated operas during its 2009 Winter Grand Opera Season: Giacomo Puccini’s Manon Lescaut on Jan. 30, Feb. 1 and Feb. 3; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Abduction from the Seraglio on Feb. 13, 15 and 17; and Georges Bizet’s Carmen on Feb. 27, March 1 and March 3. The largest outdoor shopping mall in the U.S., the Ala Moana Center, will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year along with the state of Hawai’i. The mall offers nearly 300 stores, including 70 dining options, one of the world’s largest collections of luxury retailers and several only-in-Hawai‘i merchants featuring locally made products. Honolulu’s Chinatown presents its First Friday art walk monthly (on first Fridays), offering a diverse sampling of Hawai’i’s burgeoning art scene as galleries open their doors with exhibits, free entertainment and light refreshments. 64 one+ + headline: STATEHOOD! It was March 13, 1959, and the U.S. Congress had ratified a bill to make Hawai’i a state. A half-century later, Kahapea speaks to the people of Hawai’i on the eve of the state’s 50th birthday (Aug. 21) for one in a series of weekly television vignettes recorded by students at Wai‘anae High School in Honolulu. The 50 Voices of Statehood sequence is one of several programs planned to commemorate the golden anniversary and remind the people of Hawai’i what has been made possible by the advent of statehood. Leading the 50th Anniversary of Statehood Commission are Chairman Kippen de Alba Chu, executive director of the ‘Iolani Palace (former residence to Hawai’i’s last two monarchs) and Vice Chairman Lenny Klompus, senior communications advisor to Gov. Linda Lingle. The two are winning a battle against the souring national economy to create and execute a year-long series of events and activities worthy of the state’s 50 years. “We want an event that doesn’t just sound good and look good. We want an event that touches the people, and we’re giving everyone a chance to be a part of it,” Klompus said. In addition to three key events in Honolulu and the 50 voices project, the state’s birthday celebration will be branded on more than 40 individual events throughout the islands, each enhanced by a special statehood component. It’s not the events at issue, though. It’s the financing. With national and international economies in flux, de Alba Chu says regional and local companies have hunkered down for a hard winter and shut off donation channels. The state has appropriated What’s New on O’ahu The Outrigger Reef on the Beach has opened its new Pacific Tower, marking the beginning of the final phase of the hotel’s US$110 million transformation project. The Pacific Tower includes 403 guest rooms and 33 suites with full-sized tubs and made-in-Hawai‘i bath amenities in every room. The Outrigger Reef also recently completed its porte cochere and driveway that includes a century-old canoe. MURRAY BEFELER/PHOTO HAWAI’I Hawai’i Five-Oh Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa completed a $28 million guest room renovation project to its oceanfront Kealohilani Tower. Featuring “beach house” inspired interiors that reflect a stylish and fresh Hawai‘i residential feel and look, the 605 guest rooms and suites include granite tops and birchwood furnishings, as well as splashes of vibrant color accents, prints and textures. 01.09 pp 64-65 Hawaii Turns 50.indd 64 12/20/08 1:38:34 PM HAWAI’I TOURISM AUTHORITY/JOE SOLEM Scenes from Hawai’i. The Royal Hawaiian is scheduled to reopen this month after an extensive upgrade. The restored hotel will highlight O‘ahu’s culture and history with new guest programs, refined service and an elevated ambiance. The hotel’s private pool cabanas, Hawaiian cultural programs and historical and tropical garden tours will continue. Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort has opened its Moana Lani Spa. The 16,000-square-foot oceanfront spa features two couples treatment suites with private oceanfront lanais and whirlpool tubs, eight custom massage therapy rooms, two body treatment rooms, a Vichy shower water therapy room, three custom facial rooms and a fitness center with 24hour access. US$600,000 for the celebration, with the caveat that the 25-member commission find $250,000 in private donations. “The economy right now is our biggest challenge,” de Alba Chu asserted. “We’re competing with other nonprofits for funding. We see it everywhere. Even here at the museum we are laying people off. It is hard to find funds in a situation like this.” Luckily, Klompus has a background as a planner—and avid fundraiser. Before joining the governor’s office, Klompus organized the Aloha State Games as well as Hawai’i’s college football Aloha Bowl. He knows the challenges of finding money in shaky times. “Getting private support isn’t as easy as it was six months ago,” he admitted. “How do you overcome that? You work a little harder. We’re tailoring partnerships with corporations and individuals, offering to let them sponsor certain events—a dinner, a concert, a festival. A banner at an event is not going to get us the money we need.” Meanwhile, the show goes on. The 50 Voices began running in August, featuring well-known politicians and Hawaiian celebrities as well as teachers and school children. In November, the commission held its kickoff event on downtown Honolulu’s Bishop Square. The fest commemorated the introduction of the Hawaiian quarter— and children in attendance received one for free. In March, a festival celebrating the passage of the Hawaii Admission Act will follow a joint session of the legislature in the rotunda at the state capitol, featuring speeches from lawmakers, entertainment and food booths. Festivities will culminate on Aug. 21 with a one-day event at the Transportation Tips Blue Hawaiian Helicopters recently began operations on O‘ahu and offers three tours that cover the island’s must-see sights. Take a 15-minute, romantic night excursion to Waikiki and Diamond Head; a 30-minute excursion of Waikiki Beach, Kaneohe and Nu‘uanu Pali; or a 45-minute circuit of O‘ahu’s rainforests, beaches, reefs and lush valleys as well as Sacred Falls, the Dole Plantation and Pearl Harbor. Atlantis Submarines celebrates its 20th anniversary in Hawai‘i this year, marking two decades of underwater tours and marine conservation. In celebration of this event, it is offering special tour packages with Atlantis Cruises’ scenic sunset dinner cruise along O‘ahu’s south shore. Star of Honolulu Cruises & Events will offer its daily Premier Whale Watch Cruise through April 30. The Star of Honolulu offers panoramic walkways, a 60-foothigh observation sun deck, educational activities with a crew of certified naturalists and Hawaiian cultural programs. The company also offers a two-hour Wild Whale Watch Cruise aboard the Starlet. Hawai’i Convention Center with keynote speakers and breakout sessions. The event’s tone will at once be celebratory and solemn as Hawai’ians discuss their past, their present and their future. “We gained a lot by being a state with federal contributions and helping people get jobs,” Kahapea reflects on screen. “Everybody celebrated. Everybody was happy to be part of the United States. I think statehood was a great thing.” JESSIE STATES is assistant editor for One+. mpiweb.org pp 64-65 Hawaii Turns 50.indd 65 65 12/20/08 2:39:48 PM BY JOSEPH DOBRIAN How CVBs and Hotels Bounce Back A A Hong Kong MICE Tourism event at the Taj Hotel & Palace on Tuesday and a farewell dinner for the director of Singapore Tourism at the Oberoi-Trident twin properties on Thursday—that was the original plan for yet another busy schedule in southern Mumbai for Sushil Wadhwa. Suffering from a cold, however, Wadhwa would be unable to attend either function, but did make it out briefly for a friend’s birthday party near his home. “We heard the news about a bomb blast and firing,” said Wadhwa, founder of MICE company Platinum. “At the party, we started shutting off the lights on the terrace and turned off the music, as the fear was that terrorists had hijacked a police vehicle and were firing indiscriminately, so we didn’t want to take a chance and get some unwelcome guests.” Late Wednesday, the Taj and the OberoiTrident were attacked…taken hostage… shot, detonated, set ablaze…staff, guests and bystanders killed and injured. The attacks in Mumbai in late November serve as a potent reminder of the ongoing threat the global meeting and events industry faces, and the danger in which meeting professionals may be at any time, anywhere. And many of these dangers are of the natural variety, such as the devastating 66 one+ After hurricane that struck New Orleans a few emergency plan was already in place, and it was one of the best in the country. It provided years ago. for relocation of our key people to several other cities all over the country, so that even A fast and efficient response to Hurricane if the whole city lost power we could mainKatrina established the New Orleans Metro tain communications. We also had backup CVB (NOMCVB) as the source for desti- posting capabilities to our Web site on both nation management organization disaster coasts—and for a week that backup was our management best practices. Since that trag- main method of getting information to the edy in 2005, NOMCVB procedures have mainstream media. We reached all our cusbeen adopted successfully by organizations tomers immediately with updates and full information.” worldwide. Almost as quickly, CVB representatives If a community has well-prepared contingency plans in place, damage and inconve- started appearing on national TV programs nience can be minimized at the outset. If lines to inform the public of how New Orleans of communication stay open during the disas- was recovering from the devastation. Perry ter and in the weeks following, the recovery alone appeared on nearly 75 news spots, he will go much faster. And if specific plans are estimates, in the month following Katrina’s in place to educate the meetings and tourism landfall. “There was a lot of emotion and rumor communities about that recovery, visitors will going around,” he said. “My job was to return all the quicker. According to Stephen Perry, NOMCVB counter the initial hysteria by talking about president and CEO, evacuations, rescues and our tourism infrastructure.” New Orleans recovered swiftly. Six salvage operations were not part of the CVB’s mission—but salvaging the city’s reputation months later, the city had a fully functional was. If that mission was successful—as it Mardi Gras; the convention center re-opened appears to have been—it was because of hon- four months later in June. Perry suggests that the CVB’s fast reaction may have saved the est, timely and intensive public outreach. “Because of the level of damage, it was city billions of dollars. “We did not tell our clients that everything important for us not to be a spin machine for the city, but a trusted source of informa- was fine,” Perry said. “We gave them very tion for our customers,” Perry said. “Our clear status reports and timetables that they A Disaster Bellwether 01.09 After Disaster Feature_B.indd 66 12/19/08 1:38:13 PM Disaster could rely on. Finally, in June 2006, we told our clients, ‘You can now stake your professional reputations on our ability to meet your requirements.’ It’s as simple as that. You set realistic targets for recovery, and meet them. The worst strategy is to over-promise and under-deliver.” One critical CVB function, Perry says, was to develop videos of the city coming back to life. The major news channels—for months after the storm—continued to run file footage of the destruction and flooding, even though the floodwaters had cleared out in three weeks. “We had to counter that and show that the French and Spanish quarters and the Arts District were all on high ground and in great shape,” Perry said. “Our job was to communicate that we were in better shape than the mainstream media were suggesting.” In fact, Perry discovered that most promotional photographs in the CVB’s database were obsolete, once Katrina left town, so one big task was to re-shoot the whole city—still photos and videos—to show a recovered New Orleans. “We got testimonials from incoming meetings; we stressed that New Orleans had more restaurants than before Katrina and that our hotels were in better shape than ever,” he said. “And we had to document all this. We also hired Weber Shandwick, a huge global I public relations firm. We went to the federal and state governments for advertising and marketing funding. Then we created a whole new ad campaign.” What did New Orleans learn from Katrina? Quite a lot, Perry says. “One thing we didn’t know then, that we know now, is what it’s like to be completely without power, without phones, without cell phones, without an Internet,” he said. “If we’d not had a multi-city strategy in place, we’d have been completely blinded. We had all the emergency numbers in the world, but none of them worked. Satellite cards got us onto the Web. We had car adapters that let us recharge our laptops in our cars.” Another important lesson learned, Perry says, is the importance of coordinating the CVB’s message with that of the local government. Post-Katrina, some city officials were accused of making matters worse with inflammatory remarks. “Some of the city’s messaging got off target a little,” Perry said. “We would have preferred a more unified strategy. We’ve learned from this that our industry will have to be quicker to partner with government leaders to craft effective messages.” As a result of its post-Katrina success, the NOMCVB is now often consulted by cities and countries around the world that have suffered natural disasters or other blows to prestige. “Aruba approached us, because that country had a ‘branding issue,’” Perry said, alluding to the disappearance of a U.S. teenager there a couple of years ago. “Following the earthquake in Sichuan Province, the Chinese government asked us to help them create a new brand.” Hotel Side Undoubtedly, behavior during a crisis often leads to swift (or more swift) recovery after it. The India Hotels Co., parent company of Taj hotels, maintained a communication pipeline in late November via the hotel’s Web site resulting in a hub of official information to limit confusion. More than 130 guests from the Taj were relocated to India Hotels’ other properties in the city, but Indian Hotels Vice Chairman R.K. Krishna Kumar reiterated that the company is “not just determined, but completely committed, to rebuilding the institution. We will restore it to its fullest glory.” An initial renewal and redevelopment plan has already been assembled by the company. According to media reports, structural engineers have suggested it may take a year and US$100 million to bring the Taj back to its former glory, however the hotel did partially re-open late last month. On Dec. 1, Oberoi Group officials said mpiweb.org After Disaster Feature_B.indd 67 67 12/20/08 1:53:01 PM WHAT TO TELL ATTENDEES they expected the Mumbai Trident property to be finished with repairs and re-opened Dec. 21, since it received the least amount of damage among seized hotels. The Oberoi, Mumbai, will take months of work before it can be re-opened, complete with enhanced security. There has been an immediate security response to help protect the MICE infrastructure in Mumbai—and Wadhwa says the citizens of India are very angry, demanding improvements in security infrastructure in general. “There is already increased security in place, the likes of which has never been seen here before,” Wadhwa said. “Most five-star hotels are not allowing cars inside their gates, and valet parking is being offered from the road itself, only after thorough checking of cars and passengers. Most people who would just go to a five-star hotel for a coffee or a meeting in the lobby will now not be able to do so for a while. Only guests with room or restaurant reservations are being allowed in the hotel premises.” Evacuation and Return For natural disasters that offer a small amount of warning, evacuation planning and preparedness are critical. Gil Zanchi, area general manager for the New Orleans Marriott, manages 15 hotels in the city and reports that the recent evacuation in advance of Hurricane Gustav “went like clockwork.” Are some of your attendees nervous about going to a destination that has recently suffered from a natural disaster or a severe public relations crisis? Here’s how you can calm their worries. • Work with the destination. The local CVB will be as eager as you are to let people know that the city and its meeting facilities are back in good working order. Use the CVB’s videos, photos, press releases and Web site to spread the word. • Explain that many natural disasters—particularly hurricanes—happen at certain times of the year. Most of the time, there’s no danger—if a hurricane threatens, you’ll usually have several days in which to complete your business and leave the area. • Emphasize that other, more sudden disasters— such as tornados and earthquakes—while less predictable are also rare. San Francisco, for example, is famous for suffering two serious earthquakes—but they happened almost 100 years apart. • If a destination has recently had bad press because of a high-profile crime or civil disturbance, remind attendees that these incidents almost always take place well away from primary meeting venues, in neighborhoods where visitors are unlikely to go. O “The key, before, during and after a [disaster], is communication—with employees, guests and the local government,” Zanchi said, reinforcing the method of information dissemination that Taj officials have taken in. “We kept our guests thoroughly updated in terms of instructions for the evacuation process. In the 48 hours before Gustav hit, we sent four letters to our guest rooms updating people—on the fourth letter was, ‘You have to evacuate.’ We got the whole hotel emptied in time; there were no issues. We brought in an independent firm to secure the hotel during the hurricane. We had buses located across the street from the hotel to drive people to the airport. And 57 percent of our clientele is drive-in business—so they just drove out.” Meanwhile, Zanchi had moved the hotel’s sales and human resources teams to Atlanta, to lessen the likelihood of a communications breakdown. As for remedying the situation after the storm, Zanchi says it’s a matter of welcoming your employees back and assuring them that they’re wanted—and then doing the same for visitors. “The first thing we did, post-Katrina, was make sure all our employees came back,” Zanchi said. “We let some of them stay at our hotels, and took advantage of the situation to do renovations that we’d wanted to do anyway. Then we focused on group sales, bringing a lot of people to New Orleans on FAM trips.” Still, it’s been a slow road back for New Orleans. “Our business was down 40 percent citywide in 2006, compared to pre-Katrina levels, 35 percent off pre-Katrina figures in 2007, down 25 percent in 2008 and will probably still be 15 percent below that level in 2009,” Zanchi admitted. “People are more cautious about visiting, especially during hurricane season.” The Mumbai attacks did immediate damage to India’s international tourism industry, the Hindustan Times reported. The major tourism destination of Agra—home to the original Taj Mahal (among other UNESCO World Heritage Sites) and more than 650 miles from Mumbai—reported a 40 percent cancellation in hotel bookings with other guests postponing their visits. Wadhwa says that business had already slowed down in November due to the global economic situation. “Now with the terrorist attacks, the immediate impact on the MICE business for December is that the majority of local events, conferences and weddings have been cancelled or postponed,” Wadhwa said. “As a result of this, business has been hit for most hotels, event venues and companies like ours. Due to a threat of attack on one of the airports, travel-related conferences are, too, being moved back. I expect the MICE business to only start picking up around March or April 2009.” Subhash Goyal, chairman of Delhibased STIC Travel Group, was quoted in the Hindustan Times as saying the attacks C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 9 0 68 one+ 01.09 After Disaster Feature_B.indd 68 12/20/08 3:37:15 PM 0109_069.indd 69 12/22/08 11:19:50 AM SARBANESOXLEY 2.0 Keeping Tabs on SOX 70 one+ THE KAFKA-ESQUE ACCOUNTABILITY DEMANDS OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT (SOX) AND ITS INTERNATIONAL COUNTERPARTS HAVE BEEN IN FLUX—AND DECREASINGLY IN THE NEWS—SINCE THEIR INCEPTIONS. EVEN WITH THE BULK OF THIS LEGISLATION INTACT, SOME SLIMMED-DOWN ELEMENTS PROVIDE RELIEF FOR MEETING PROFESSIONALS. B Y K AT H L E E N N A C O Z Y As the global economy suffers, SOX is increasingly criticized. Pundits are harsh when it comes to the act. After all, investor confidence has reached low depths— something SOX was supposed to raise. There have been calls for further reform of SOX, from very knowledgeable people. “By rushing SOX into law,” wrote UCLA Law Professor and SOX expert Stephen M. Bainbridge in his book, The Complete Guide to Sarbanes-Oxley, “Congress and President Bush sacrificed the American economy at the altar of short-term political gain. It’s time for them to go back and grant the SEC clear authority to provide carefully crafted regulatory relief, especially for the small firms that have disproportionately suffered from the unanticipated costs of complying with SOX.” In an article for The Wall Street Journal dated Nov. 4, 2008, billionaire investor and businessman Stephen Schwarzman wrote, “Until the current crisis, the American financial services industry had been the envy of the world for its creativity and nimbleness. We must not create a new system of regulation that throttles innovation through the ever-increasing complexity of its rules. Sarbanes-Oxley has made a fetish of compliance with complex regulations as a substitute for good judgment. This has not made American corporations any more stable or profitable, but it has damaged our competitiveness and weakened our domestic financial markets.” There are, of course, advocates of SOX who think its overall influence is positive. “There was a call in a lot of circles for the whole thing to also apply to nonprofits and associations,” said Joshua Grimes, a Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.-based attorney who is considered an authority on SOX and its meeting and events industry impact. Perhaps SOX would be more effective if its application was broader and its guidelines stricter. Yet, SOX was scaled back, which begs the question, is the SEC 01.09 FEATURE - SOX_alt.indd 70 12/20/08 1:41:14 PM taking SOX in the wrong direction? “In sum, Sarbanes-Oxley has done much to improve corporate governance, but the costs have been high,” Bainbridge wrote in the last chapter of his book. SOX has done some good and some bad. Some people like it, some people don’t. This is the give and take that is Sarbanes-Oxley. You don’t have to love it, but you have to learn to live with it and in the current climate it is even more important to stay abreast of its evolution (or devolution). WHERE IT’S AT Business professionals working for public companies are directly affected by SOX, and those who work for themselves or for private companies are indirectly affected, whether they realize it or not. Passed in 2002, in the aftermath of the Enron, WorldCom and Tyco scandals, SOX—officially titled the Public Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act—primarily regulates accounting and auditing procedures and only applies to public companies; it tells companies how financial information offered to the public must be compiled. Yet, despite auspicious beginnings, SOX has always been controversial. Most everyone seems to agree that SOX has burdened businesses more than expected, leading lawmakers to acknowledge the burdens and, in subsequent years, alter the act. “The business community, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and even Congress are waking up to a basic fact: SOX is costing us a lot more than anybody anticipated,” Bainbridge wrote. “Having legislated in haste, Congress is now repenting at leisure.” Lame Proposals To alleviate the burdens of SOX, the SEC has since scaled back the legislation. The changes that are the most significant, and the most relevant to meeting professionals, were to Section 404, the most dreaded requirement of SOX. To comply with this section, company managers and external auditors must assess the company’s internal control over financial reporting. This requires more than just disclosure. Managers and auditors need to thoroughly examine the company’s procedures each year to make this disclosure, resulting in a significant expense for businesses. In fact, Bainbridge wrote of a 2003 USA Today article in which two CEOs estimated “that their companies would spend 20,000 staff hours to comply with Section 404, which is the equivalent of 10 people working full-time for a year.” Section 404 has since undergone several transformations, with the present version taking shape in 2006. In May 2006, the SEC proposed several modest changes to SOX. One change would extend the compliance deadline for small companies (market values under US$75 million) to fiscal years beginning on or after Dec. 16, 2006. Another change would amend the auditing standards to provide new guidance to Section 404. Bainbridge called these changes “surprisingly lame” and wrote that the SEC took a narrow and trivial approach to the problem. In August 2006, three months after proposing these small steps in SOX reform, the SEC proposed bigger strides in the form of two changes, both of which it adopted in December 2006. The first change gave small companies a longer extension to become SOX compliant, until fiscal years ending on or after Dec. 15, 2008. (In June 2008, the SEC extended this deadline for the fifth time, to Dec. 15, 2009.) The second change exempted newly public companies from SOX until they file a second annual report with the SEC. In December 2006, in addition to these two changes, the SEC issued the guidelines to Section 404 that it promised in May. The guidelines gave company managers more discretion, telling them to use a “reasonable basis” for their annual assessments. Instead of examining every transaction for financial fraud, managers could conduct a risk assessment first and then target audits in high-risk areas. The new guidelines were arguably useless. “Terms like ‘reasonable’ and ‘material’ are standards, which by their very nature fail to offer brightlines between lawful and unlawful consequence,” Bain- “I DON’T THINK THERE’S BEEN A LOT OF ENFORCEMENT OF SOX IN THE MEETING AND EVENTS INDUSTRY. IT’S MORE THE THREAT OF ENFORCEMENT.” bridge wrote. “The company and its management cannot be certain that they’ve fully complied with Section 404 until the SEC or a court decides that they’ve done so. It therefore seems doubtful whether the new guidelines will actually result in significant cost savings.” On the other hand, Grimes thinks “reasonable” is a great standard for meeting professionals. He said the question is whether a decision is reasonable under the particular circumstances. “For instance, if you’re doing a sales trip and you want to mpiweb.org FEATURE - SOX_alt.indd 71 71 12/18/08 2:01:49 PM attract customers, you probably need to do it with a certain level of amenities,” he explained. “If you’re having an internal corporate meeting—where people have to show up—you probably need something a little less.” Actual Change In July 2007, the SEC issued better guidance to Section 404, Auditing Standard No. 5, and, like Chanel perfume, No. 5 seemed to stick. SEC Chairman Christopher Cox called No. 5 “an exception- “PEOPLE THINK IT’S A PAIN IN THE NECK IF THEY’RE THE ONES WHO HAVE TO COMPLY WITH ALL THESE RULES.” ally positive step for both investors and for America’s capital markets.” Auditing Standard No. 5 is less than half the length of the previous SOX auditing standard and is easier to read. It is also far more lenient than original SOX legislation and incorporates ideas from the SEC and the committee’s previous proposals. The SEC outlined four major ways that No. 5 improves the SOX auditing process. No. 5 makes the auditing process scalable to fit the size and complexity of any company. For example, the auditor can reduce the amount of internal control testing for audits of smaller and less complex companies. No. 5 tells auditors to focus on high-risk areas. It also allows auditors to use data from previous 72 one+ disadvantage compared to independent planners and those who worked for companies not within SOX. In its new auditing requirements, the SEC has partially resolved this inequity imposed on the meeting and events industry. SOX mostly affects meeting professionals indirectly, and these effects remain. Yet, it has also raised business standards in the meeting and events industry—Grimes says SOX standards have become best practices. Contracts have become longer; every aspect of a business deal is documented more as people protect themselves from liability. “I don’t think there’s been a lot of enforcement of SOX in the meeting and events industry,” Grimes said. “It’s more the threat of enforcement. ‘This is what we have to do because of SOX,’ and most companies say, ‘we’re not going to take any chances. We don’t want to be put in a position where we’re going to hire someone who’s not qualified because they’re related to somebody, or we’re going to spend too much money on this contract without getting bids.’ It’s just not worth it to companies anymore.” The influence of SOX in the meeting and events industry, which is in part a forced paranoia to avoid Enronesque scandals, will not disappear with the new SOX standards. It is likely that over time, the scaling back of SOX will pulse relaxed standards through the industry. That is not to say that relaxed standards are preferred. “People think it’s a pain in the neck if they’re the ones Changes in Practice who have to comply with all these rules,” Grimes said. Even with most of the 2002 SOX “But from the outside, I think it’s a good thing because it legislation still unchanged, the really makes the process and operations of these companew, leaner Section 404 does nies much more transparent.” relieve the burden for some meeting professionals. By relaxing the INTERNATIONAL SOX auditing standards, the SEC less- SOX is a significant component of an entire legislative ened a SOX handicap placed on movement towards transparency in internal organizameeting professionals who work tional controls. A look at four of the most significant SOX for public companies. equivalents—and their current legal standing—brings this Before the changes, public movement into focus. companies’ in-house planners and procurement officers had to South Africa’s King II get multiple bids to justify spend- South Africans were at the forefront of the Sarbanesing. To comply with Section 404, Oxley movement. In 1994, a committee led by South public companies had to set up Africa Supreme Court Judge Mervyn King published the a third-party auditing system to King Report on Corporate Governance (King I). verify spending and a plan for Groundbreaking in 1994, King I lost its relevancy in corporate managers to monitor 2002 when King II was born from corporate failures of spending at all times. U.S. and South African companies. SOX and King II have This extra work ate up in- the same purpose, but their means are quite different. house planners’ time and projKing II deviates from a singular focus on shareholders’ ect budgets, putting them at a C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 9 4 years’ audits to reduce testing. This eliminates unnecessary procedures from the audit. No. 5 is less prescriptive. The mandatory requirements (i.e., the “shoulds”) have been greatly reduced so the auditor can focus on testing the areas deemed necessary. No. 5 allows auditors to use professional judgment to incorporate the work of others. Previously, the act required internal auditors to conduct the entire process themselves. Despite the SEC’s touting of Auditing Standard No. 5, there were immediate criticisms by the outside business community. Before the SEC even voted to approve it, NASDAQ Stock Market Inc. released a statement saying the standard, “has not provided the needed clarity or the tools to alleviate the root cause of unnecessarily onerous and costly auditing processes.” 01.09 FEATURE - SOX_alt.indd 72 12/20/08 2:50:41 PM 0109_073.indd 73 12/9/08 12:05:26 PM T e b t i t Le N U F ppiness a h d n a t s r e d n a search to u n o t u o t e s in b Ru g the way. n lo a fe li r e Why Gretchen h t learned abou e h s t a h w d n a SCHNUER BY JENNA 74 one+ 01.09 FEATURE - Rubin Profile.indd 74 12/20/08 2:52:30 PM sary. Actually, it’s overkill. With two daughters, 3 and 9, it would be understandable—and, even, expected—for author Gretchen Rubin’s living room to be littered with plastic ponies and school backpacks. Instead, the coffee table is out of place. That’s pretty much the extent of the mess. And, on this traditionally frenetic day before the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, Rubin, who has just returned to her apartment in time for the interview, looks more put together than most people do on their best mornings. The apology is the first sign that Rubin, 43, has a bit of a perfectionist streak, that she considers everything. But it also becomes clear that the apology is as much a clue to Rubin’s warmth and generosity. Of ideas. Of discussion. Of making sure that a guest in her home feels welcome and comfortable. Considering Rubin’s current book project is about happiness, it’s all rather perfect. Spending time with her is really a great joy. Rubin latched onto happiness while riding the M79 bus across Manhattan. “I have these moments of epiphany which, I realize, makes me sound like I’m very dramatic but I’m not,” Rubin says. “It was raining, and I was looking out the window. And I thought, ‘What do I need from life anyway?’ I was thinking, ‘What do I want?’ I want to be happy. I realized I never think about happiness even though I say it’s my big priority. I never think about what would make me happy or how I could be happier or even what it means to be happy. I thought I should have a happiness project.” Within minutes her analytical nature pushed the idea forward. N FEATURE - Rubin Profile.indd 75 “I’m very planned out and plotted out,” she says. “And then I thought I could write a book about the happiness project. I could see the whole thing and how it would all come together.” She continued to shape the idea while finishing her fourth book, Forty Ways to Look at JFK: “I went through many evolutions of my thinking.” In the past, Rubin immersed herself in her book topics by reading anything and everything she could dredge up on the subject. Much of the wall space in her living room is devoted to built-in bookshelves that are neatly—though tightly—packed. But, for the book she’s working on now, Rubin has turned to an additional source of material: her own life. For The Happiness Project, due out in late 2009 by HarperCollins, Rubin spent a year “test-driving every principle, tip, theory and scientific study” she could find about the quest for happiness. Over the last three years, Rubin’s work on the project and her life have become completely intertwined. And that’s a good thing. Even if she learned nothing else along the way—but how much she’s learned!—Rubin makes it clear that 19th-century British WHY HAPPY WORKS AT WORK T The apology for the mess is by no means neces- Every office has at least one griper. But have you ever noticed that the griping tends to spread? “There’s something called emotional contagion where people catch emotions from one another,” Gretchen Rubin says. “The thing that’s too bad is that negative emotions are more catching than positive emotions.” It’s better to steer clear of work complaints as much as possible. By working to stay on the positive side of the equation at work, there’s a good chance you’ll reap big benefits on three fronts. 1) “Happier people tend to be more helpful,” Rubin says. “They’re more cooperative. They’re more eager to share information. As a consequence, people are more eager to help them because of reciprocity.” 2) Happier people tend to come across as more energetic. One study showed that high-energy types get better marks on performance reviews because they’re “going to be perceived to be more efficient and more capable.” 3) It’s a common misperception that people tend to act out on the way they’re feeling. Rubin says the reality is that “you often feel [a certain way] because of the way you act so if you’re acting irritated or you talk trash about somebody it will tend to intensify your feelings.” mpiweb.org 75 12/18/08 3:00:18 PM HAPPINESS DEFINED? Though Gretchen Rubin spends more time than most thinking about this happiness thing, she says there’s no reason for her to set a definition of it in stone (or in her book or on her blog). “There are, at last count, 14 different academic terms for happiness,” Rubin says. “You can get yourself all tangled. I spent a semester in law school talking about ‘what is a contract?’ I knew that was the highway to hell. What I decided was that it’s not important to arrive at an exact definition of it for my purposes. Your happiness might be different from my happiness but it’s about having more of it in your life.” HAPPINESS DURING TOUGH TIMES If concerns over the current economic climate make the quest for happiness sound like an unnecessary luxury (or just flat-out impossible), consider a new approach. Between reading up on the science of happiness and her own experiments, author Gretchen Rubin is a firm believer that “one of the best ways to make yourself happy is to make other people happy.” And you don’t have to spend a dime to do it. “If you can’t give money give time,” she says. “If you give, you remind yourself that you’re not so in need. [Ask yourself,] ‘What can I do within my own nature?’ Trying to be generous in whatever form it would take is a way to comfort yourself when you feel that things have been taken from you.” 76 one+ philosopher John Stuart Mill’s statement, “Ask yourself whether you are happy, and you cease to be so,” is as far from the truth of happiness as you can get. With every sentence she offers up about the ways the happiness project has expanded and enriched her life, the author glows just a bit brighter. Breaking Away Rubin credits that rainy day cross-town bus ride as the birth date for The Happiness Project, but it really started much earlier. A 1994 graduate of Yale Law School (where she was editorin-chief of the Yale Law Journal), it would have been a safe bet to count on Rubin having a long and high-powered career in law. Her father was a successful and happy lawyer back in Kansas City, Mo., and, well, Rubin’s first post-degree job was as a clerk for former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. Not a shabby start. It was the next step that tripped her up. She realized she just wasn’t sure what she wanted to do, “which is kind of a bad sign.” She could have played it safe and stayed with law but, as she has learned, success can be a trap. “People can be good at things that aren’t really the highest and best use of their time,” she says. Around that time, Rubin visited a friend who was in graduate school for education. “She was reading all these dry books about education. I said something very dismissively like, ‘Is this what you have to read for your program?’ She said, ‘Yeah, but that’s the kind of stuff I read anyway.’” Cue the light bulb. “That’s when I realized I was surrounded by all these people who loved law. They talked about law on their lunch hours. They read law journals for fun. They were totally into it,” she says. “I [spent just what time] I needed to do to do my job well and not one minute more.” While her friends were soaking up the law journals, Rubin spent her spare time writing a book exploring power, money, fame and sex. “I was doing it as a hobby,” she says. Rubin ended up taking one more law-related job, at the Federal Communications Commission, before she and her husband (whom she met in law school) decided to leave their legal careers behind and move to his hometown, New York City. After the move she bought a book about how to sell a book proposal “and switched to being a full-time writer.” She published Power Money Fame Sex: A User’s Guide in 2001. So, years before she took that bus ride, she had already practiced one of the essential elements of happiness: stay true to your nature. Nowadays, she sums it up in the first of the 12 commandments she has developed for her own happiness: Be Gretchen. Get in on the Project No, there isn’t a precise recipe for happiness. Instead, Rubin offers up a basic framework of four elements essential for a happy life: 1) Make sure you have “enough feeling good” in your life, 2) know what makes you feel bad, 3) know that you are living the life that feels right for you, 4) develop an atmosphere of growth. “You need positive change,” she says. Think of it as though you’re choosing a location for a regular client’s annual event. You’ll need a place that fits the needs of the group. You don’t want a room that’s too cramped or loud for the “One of the findings of the science of happiness is that novelty and challenge bring happiness.” meeting. You choose a location that fits the personality of the group. And, to really make the event shine, you find a place that excites and inspires the participants. “One of the findings of the science of happiness—and it’s certainly buttressed by the philosophers of happiness from the past—is that novelty and challenge bring happiness,” Rubin says. “Part of it is that you get the feeling of mastery and part of it is that when your brain is forced to do something new you have a more intense emotional experience.” Trying something new is also one of the best tools around to stop life from just speeding on by. “When something new happens, time slows down,” Rubin says. “You think that time is C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 9 8 01.09 FEATURE - Rubin Profile.indd 76 12/20/08 2:52:53 PM 0109_077.indd 77 12/9/08 12:08:31 PM MeetDifferent ® in the New Economy 78 one+ 01.09 FEATURE - MeetDifferent.indd 78 12/22/08 8:04:34 AM Innovative Strategies to Facilitate Professional Success BY DALIA FAHMY It’s not pretty out there. As the economy grinds to a crawl and companies slash more meetings, planners are fighting aggressively for every shred of business. Yet, David DuBois, CMP, CAE, is optimistic. The head of the Forth Worth CVB recently launched an initiative that he hopes will boost revenue this year by US$2 million. The “Meal Deal,” as it’s known, offers clients who sign up for a meeting in 2009 an entire food and beverage function free of charge. “It’s a buyer’s market,” said DuBois, explaining how the CVB will foot the bill for a breakfast, coffee break, lunch or dinner, depending on how many room nights the client books. “If we go up against our good friends in Austin for a piece of business and the rates are pretty close, the ‘Meal Deal’ program could make the difference between us getting the business instead of Austin.” With the global economy sunk in a massive recession, meeting planners are bracing for the toughest financial downturn of their careers. In times like these, innovative business strategies are especially important, and they can help with everything from attracting profitable business to growing contact networks. “The people who will come out of this glowing are the ones who can find opportunity amid the adversity,” said Brooke Bode, MPI’s director of knowledge management. “As an industry we need to band together and figure out how we can come out of this not just surviving but thriving.” And at MPI’s MeetDifferent conference in Atlanta, Feb. 7-10, the economic crisis is being targeted head-on, offering attendees cutting-edge strategies to help grow their businesses and advance their careers. The result is a complete four-day tutorial on how to get through this economic storm, not just intact, but with a stack of deals in hand. How to Thrive in Tough Times “It’s easy to become a victim, but you have to find ways to affect what’s happening around you,” said Bonnie Wallsh, CMP, CMM, founder of meeting planning firm mpiweb.org FEATURE - MeetDifferent.indd 79 79 12/22/08 3:37:10 PM Now Playing at “Speed Networking: Expand Your Connections,” presented by Eli Gorin Your ROI: Develop new clients and contacts immediately at a single session… and share the story of your role in the global meeting and events industry. “Strategic Tips for Increasing Profitable Business in a Tumultuous Environment,” presented by David DuBois, CMP, CAE, and Bonnie Wallsh, CMP, CMM Your ROI: Learn how to fulfill the needs of even the most challenging clients and transform enhanced professional relationships into profitable business practices. “Mastering Your Mingle-Ability: How to Improve Your Community Networking Skills,” presented by Jacqueline Whitmore Your ROI: Hone your in-person networking skills to identify the people you need to meet and those that may just be wasting your time. “Free & Low-Cost Tools for a Tight Economy,” presented by Cris Canning, CMP Your ROI: Learn how to apply next-generation marketing tools, such as blogs, e-zines and social networking sites, to boost the reputation of your business. “Using LinkedIn/Facebook for Business Networking and Career Development” and “Social Networking Open Lab,” presented by Patrick O’Malley Your ROI: Get hands-on experience and practical tips on how to best utilize online social media. “Crossing the Generational Divide: Making the Four Generations in Your Workplace An Economic Advantage” and “Gen Y and Your Meeting: How to Attract, Engage and Maintain Gen Y Participation at Your Meetings—Even in a Tight Economy,” presented by Jason Ryan Dorsey Your ROI: Learn to identify the key needs and best methods to communicate with all of the generations currently working in the global meeting and events industry. MeetDifferent will also see the release of valuable industry-specific research. The MPI Foundation and George P. Johnson will announce the North American study results for EventView 2009. Funded by the MPI Foundation, EventView is the longest-running research series specifically serving senior marketing executives, providing the data and context necessary to anticipate event trends and capitalize on where the marketing world is headed. And FutureWatch 2009, the annual industry survey produced by MPI in partnership with American Express, will also be released at MeetDifferent and published with One+. Bonnie Wallsh Associates. No. 1 on the agenda is increasing profitable business. Because when the need for every meeting is being questioned by potential hosts, attendees and sometimes even the media, it’s more important than ever to make sure the business that comes in counts. Financial incentives, such as the “Meal Deal,” work well. And DuBois and Wallsh are among the speakers scheduled to present at MeetDifferent on the wide variety of topics that can help attendees compete more effectively for profitable business. 80 one+ Another tactic to enhance professional success is to offer more value for the money, experts say. Gail Bower, a meeting planner and consultant who helped plan former U.S. President Bill Clinton’s inauguration and regularly works on the Newport (R.I.) Folk Festival, points out three often neglected areas: sponsorship deals, exhibitor packages and VIP services. By customizing offerings in these three areas, meeting planners not only distinguish themselves from the competition and help justify the value of their meetings, but they also create the opportunity for up-selling. “One size does not fit all,” Bower said. “If an event has a high-value corporate sponsorship program that offers its corporate partners a significant return on investment, corporate sponsors are still going to purchase because it’s a marketing vehicle.” Instead of asking sponsors to fill out generic forms, she recommends building a close relationship with them, figuring out their marketing needs for the year and tailoring a deal that helps them meet these objectives. “Exhibitors have varying degrees of capabilities, interests and budgets,” Bower said. “Why not offer different packages so exhibitors can purchase at the level they’re interested in?” The draw of customized packages also applies to attendees. Bower, who has helped organize the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival for over a decade, says VIP packages help to boost revenue. Last year, the festival sold out its limited supply of Big Chief VIP Experience tickets offering an air-conditioned lounge, snacks and soft drinks, full-service restrooms and private viewing areas. The added comforts—priced at a hefty $750 per weekend compared to the standard tag of $120—even helped attract visitors who might otherwise shy from a hot and crowded New Orleans race track, says Bower. Of course, none of these strategies work if you don’t draw attention to them. Effective marketing is crucial in this economy, and if you think you don’t have enough money for marketing, think again. “There may not be room in the budget for more traditional, costly things like printed fancy four-color brochures,” said Cris Canning, CMP, head instigator for Hospitality Ink and director of sales and marketing for The Venues at NTC Promenade. “But there are marketing tools on the Internet that are low-cost or free.” Starting a blog, for example, not only boosts your online presence by creating a public platform on which to present ideas and services, but also lifts your search engine ranking, she points out. Social networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn let you mingle virtually with clients and colleagues, meet new people who might be interested in your services and obtain recommendations from those who already know you. 01.09 FEATURE - MeetDifferent.indd 80 12/22/08 3:39:29 PM 0109_081.indd 81 12/17/08 1:19:42 PM “A lot of people are resisting some of the social media, thinking it’s all kids,” she said. “Well, it’s not.” In fact, sites such as Facebook have become perfectly acceptable business tools. Canning raises a point that often comes up in discussions about doing business these days: Different age groups do their work in very different ways. This is the first time in history that four generations have found themselves in the same workforce. Usually, these generational gaps are seen as a liability, or at best, a drag to deal with. However, a growing number of business experts, such as MeetDifferent Presenter Jason Ryan Dorsey—the self-proclaimed “Gen Y Guy”—believe a multi-generational workforce can be turned into an economic advantage if it’s managed right. “When you bridge generations, you will see specific outcomes,” Dorsey said. “You should see higher retention, higher productivity and better teamwork and innovation.” He points out that offering customized incentives to staff members from different generations, for example, will help motivate employees better than a generic corporate gift. Consultants such as Dorsey say meeting planners have plenty to learn about generational issues, and add that with some understanding, you can use your age diversity to your advantage. For starters, make sure your project teams are generationally diverse, says Lynne Lancaster, co-founder of consulting firm BridgeWorks and co-author of When Generations Collide. “If you have a big client, you might say ‘let’s put all our top Baby Boomers on this account because they have been around the longest.’ But that’s not the way to look at it. You get more perspective by having a multigenerational team,” Lancaster said. Plus, your client is likely to have several generations on his workforce, and they will relate better to you if they can identify with your representatives. Perhaps more importantly, having several generations planning one meeting will help you incorporate elements into the event that appeal to people of different ages. Instead of PowerPoint presentations, your younger staff members might help you introduce more interactive screens or even hand-held voting devices. And seeking input from your Baby Boomers about food and beverages might help you avoid menus that are too experimental for many taste buds. “By bridging the generations you’re going to be able to do more with fewer resources,” Dorsey said. “Bridging the generations actually saves you money.” With such impactful bottom-line and savings issues of increasing importance, MeetDifferent will provide actionable solutions to attendees to help ensure a healthy global meeting and events industry. DALIA FAHMY is a freelance business and financial writer based in New York. 82 one+ 01.09 FEATURE - MeetDifferent.indd 82 12/22/08 4:56:27 PM 0109_083.indd 83 12/9/08 12:13:40 PM PENNY PINCHING PLANNING TIPS Steal these ideas to save big bucks on your next event. BY GWEN MORAN 84 one+ MEETING AND EVENT planners, like almost any business people, are carefully watching spending, and we all know the same old tips. Negotiate. Hold events in inexpensive cities and at off-peak times. Look for deals on everything. However, it’s still not enough. Before budget cuts leave you swiping paper towels from the bathroom to use as dinner napkins, we’ve scouted out some fresh ideas for saving money on your next event. Of course, depending on your client or company, your location, the type of event, the type of facility and other factors, not every tip will be appropriate for every situation. (And you should check with your facility manager before you do something like bring in workers who might violate your agreement.) However, a savvy planner knows that a penny saved is…well, it’s a penny. But when you start saving hundreds or thousands of dollars, you’ve got a happy company or client on your hands. When you’re looking for savings opportunities at your next meeting or event, be creative. Map out every step and brainstorm with your team. Ask yourselves: How can it be done less expensively? How can costs be cut without sacrificing quality? “It can be tough to save,” said Derek Jenks, director of operations for Meetings Management Group in McLean, Va. “You have to distinguish between what’s cookie cutter and what’s cutting edge.” Almost every meeting has places where it can economize—the key is to search out the savings and be bold in making changes. 01.09 FEATURE - Cost Saving Methods_C.indd 84 12/17/08 2:02:15 PM SPACE SAVERS GO GREEN REPURPOSING Some employees might threaten to quit if sent out in search of discarded items. But when Sarah Brand, principal of Seattlebased meeting planning firm SKB Solutions, sent her assistant on a real-life scavenger hunt, it was a day at the beach. Brand’s employee went oceanside to find shells and driftwood the company could use as centerpieces and other decorations for a corporate barbeque. The found items were free and saved her client hundreds of dollars on expensive table decor, Brand says. Brand also scours thrift stores for couches (typically about US$15) that she carts in to empty-space venues to create lounge areas, saving on furniture rental costs. Mismatched plates are also a favorite of hers, and she’s been known to bring in her flea market and thrift shop tableware finds to create pretty settings that aren’t all “matchy-matchy,” saving the cost of renting china, glassware and flatware. The green movement offers timely and significant opportunities to save money, Brand says. First, forego favors, or brand the glassware your attendees use and use that as a favor. “Use a simple card or announcement to let people know that you are reducing the carbon footprint of the event and making better use of resources by not giving them small trinkets or swag bags full of unneeded products,” Brand said. “This buys goodwill and saves money.” Also, ditch the bottled water in favor of tap in pitchers or coolers, reducing plastic waste and cost. ou can also Brand says you ation costs by cut transportation arranging for shuttles to determined depart at predetermined times instead of arrangual ing for individual n— transportation— me also in the name n. of being green. Depending on the type of event, you may want to make “cheap” part of the theme, Brand suggests. If they’re in good condition, vacant warehouses and office buildings can make industrial chic meeting and event locations. Instead of spending money on carpeting and wall draping, she recommends using projectors to flash fun or themed images on the walls or floors, saving hundreds or more depending on the size of the space. If it’s allowed, painting the floor or adding removable decals can also be a fun and inexpensive way to spruce up the space underfoot. Event Coordinator Jill Garner of Toronto’s Gatherings Event Planning suggests looking for bargains with municipally owned properties. “Municipal offices in downtown Toronto offer free spaces,” Garner said. “There are also open spaces, like parks, that have really low-cost or free options. Depending on the type of meeting you’re holding, you can really save a lot of money.” Garner planned an event for 30 people in a space many wouldn’t think of: a local condo association’s community room. The room was pretty, and she saved her client US$1,500 by not going to a restaurant. Look for savings opportunities on site at traditional venues. Research the events that will be there immediately before you and see if they will leave carpeting and draping for your event. You’ll still incur a charge, but it could be a fraction of what you would pay if you were ordering it for yourself, especially if you’re working in a facility where unionized labor is required, Jenks says. He also suggests coordinating delivery times— audiovisual equipment, decor, etc.—in union facilities, especially if they have two-person and four-hour minimums. Using that strat stratlabo egy to maximize labor h costs saved one of his clients $50,000 on a $500,000 conventi convention. mpiweb.org FEATURE - Cost Saving Methods_C.indd 85 85 12/17/08 5:53:10 PM BYO The more you can do in-house the he more you can save, typically. Jenks recommends printing small quantities of badges, table cards and the like in-house. For larger jobs that will take up too much valuable employee time, use local printers, who can often deliver more n quickly and less expensively than even Internet printing companies that need to charge for shipping. Another great area of bring-your-own savings is to use your own sound system, he says. mium “Many venues charge a premium for patching into house sound,” Jenks said said. “This can become necessary if you have video, music or any other items that require amplification. Often a small speaker system or a sound box will suffice and be cheaper than patching into house sound and paying for a board and board operator.” That could mean hundreds or thousands in savings, even if you have to rent house microphones. 86 one+ BACK TO SCHOOL CHOW DOWN Saving money on food can be tricky. Chips and salsa probably aren’t going to cut it. To make less food look like more, Garner likes using Japanese Bento boxes, which can be used for more than just raw fish and rice. “They’re smaller and pretty and when you put food in them, it looks amazing and looks like more than it would on a plate,” Garner said. Getting away with smaller portions can save on your catering bill—as can boxed lunches, which can cost as much as US$25 per head less than catered food. One of Garner’s favorite inexpensive snacks is popcorn, which she says smells great, “makes people happy and gets them talking.” If you do need to shell out for expensive grub, practice portion control and put the food in a place you want to draw traffic, Jenks says. He also advises checking with the food and beverage staff, audiovisual provider and other vendors to see if you can piggyback on events held at the same time as yours. Ordering the same menu choices or using similar facilities, supplies or services may let you cash in on volume savings. Students are one of the best-kept secrets of meeting savings. Brand recently hired a local college’s choral club to entertain at a corporate holiday party. “Many college music departments are very good and very professional,” Brand said. While she was looking at a cost of between US$1,500 and $2,500 for a professional choral group, the students received $500 and a good meal. She has also hired local college communications departments to handle audiovisual. The only caveat is making sure the students are responsible and show up when scheduled, she says, even though she’s not yet encountered that problem. Brand also suggests turning to local culinary schools for gourmet food on a shoestring. While they may be trade schools or part of local colleges or universities, they have one thing in common: The students need experience serving large groups, and booking a meal from the culinary school can be significantly less expensive than a professional caterer. At a charity fundraiser, Brand turned the culinary school contributions into a revenue stream by having the students create an extravagant dessert (sufficient sweets for 10 people) for each table. The group at each table then bid on the desserts. The money the cakes raised took a bite out of the cost of the event. Schools often have facilities that can be rented inexpensively, not to mention a proliferation of students who need cappuccino money and who can be hired for everything from staffing registration tables to serving hors d’oeuvres, depending on the event venue. 01.09 FEATURE - Cost Saving Methods_C.indd 86 12/17/08 2:05:15 PM 0109_087.indd 87 12/9/08 12:18:08 PM BACKYARD SAVINGS Look for savings in your own backyard by hiring local entertainment and keynote speakers, says Sharon Reinhart of the Gatlinburg (Tenn.) Department of Tourism and Convention Center. That saves on travel and per diem costs for out-of-town talent. Speaker Kare Anderson of Say It Better in Sausalito, Calif., adds that you can have speakers do double- or triple-duty by having them deliver the keynote, speak in a workshop or on a panel and provide a door prize or giveaway, such as a signed book or an hour of consulting time. Anderson also suggests polling attendees on their favorite books. If your event has more than 100 attendees, contact the publishers for free copies of the top five to promote at the event. Give them away as prizes. You may also ask local participants to commute instead of putting them up at the hotel, and offer them a lower-cost perk in exchange for the inconvenience. (Although most would probably prefer to sleep in their own beds anyway.) GWEN MORAN is a freelance writer based in New NET SAVINGS Several online tools can help you and your clients save money. Here are a few that can help you find additional cash. FreeMeetingPlanner. com. A free meeting planning Web site that tracks responses and meeting details. The catch (there always is a catch) is that it’s a product sales site. You order customized promotional products, which they fulfill and ship, guaranteeing delivery at your event. However, product orders are not required in order to use the site. Yapta.com. Lets travelers find flights, track airfare prices and receive e-mail alerts when their flight prices drop. The site continues to track the price of flights even after you’ve purchased tickets. If the price continues to drop, you may be eligible for or able to negotiate a travel voucher from your airline. Since the launch of Yapta in May 2007, the free site has reportedly saved subscribers more than US$77 million. One wedding planner saved her party $2,500 in airfare. Zilok.com. An online rental marketplace where businesses and individuals offer temporary use of everything from meeting venues to furniture to catering. If you have meetings-related equipment, you can also rent it out through Zilok to get a little rental ROI. Your business can create a listing or search for items needed for your next event. Jersey. 88 one+ 01.09 FEATURE - Cost Saving Methods_C.indd 88 12/17/08 2:07:15 PM C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 6 8 Hensley, CHA, director of sales and marketing, notes that when a tornado ripped through Atlanta during a college basketball game last March, the town was obliged to take care of thousands of visitors while simultaneously trying to make alternative arrangements for a major volleyball tournament that was scheduled to take place a few days later. “We were fortunate that our hotel was one of the few downtown that suffered no damage,” he said. “We took people in from other hotels, gave back a rebate on the rooms by way of a check we wrote to the Atlanta CVB and asked our construction team if they At the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Keith could speed up the renovations that we’d been have “sounded a death knell for the industry,” which is already suffering from a 20 percent decrease in international visitors. He predicted Mumbai could suffer the greatest, with up to a 40 percent drop in tourist arrivals. In a recent survey conducted by the Association of Corporate Travel Executives, 48 percent of respondents who regularly do business in the region said they were holding off on travel to India until the situation becomes more stable—7 percent were stopping travel to India entirely. Good Neighbors After Disaster Feature_B.indd 90 undergoing before the tornado hit. They completed work on our ballroom six weeks early, and thus we were able to take in a group that had been booked at the Omni Atlanta Hotel, which had been badly damaged. “Over the next few weeks, we accepted some deals that were not to our advantage— but our objective was to help the city get back on its feet and keep people coming in.” It Takes a Nation Sometimes, entire countries are affected by a disaster—particularly in Asia, because of its population density. William Kuipers, managing director of B-Concept Media Entertainment Group Co. Ltd. in Bangkok, relates 12/20/08 1:58:47 PM 0109_091.indd 91 12/9/08 12:21:51 PM how the tsunami of 2004 temporarily halted the meeting and events industry in Thailand. “Bangkok was totally down,” he recalled. “Hotels cancelled all in-house events and some international meetings had to be cancelled or postponed.” But various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) pitched in, Kuipers says, to coordinate rescue, reclamation and cleanup efforts. The various national embassies were centralized at Government House Bangkok, at help desks, for fast communications with their respective nationals. The deceased were quickly taken to various temples for identification. “NGOs also set up a volunteer center that helped with database input, aided people who were looking for family members and conducted other social outreach; this was taken over by the government after a while.” Kuipers says the Thai government’s PR machine was particularly effective in getting the word out that Bangkok was a safe place for future meetings and, in particular, that sophisticated alarm systems had been put in place to provide advanced warning. “The Thai government did an excellent job with PR,” he concluded, “but I hope I never have to take part in rebuilding again.” As New Orleans’ Stephen Perry implied, the Sichuan earthquake in China, which damaged the city of Chengdu this past spring, sent aftershocks throughout the Asian nation’s MICE market as well. Chengdu, a provincial city, is not an especially important destination for international meetings, but the quake was felt as far away as Beijing and Shanghai, and China was concerned with a possible negative impact to its international image. According to Xin Hong, China National Tourist Office spokeswoman, fast reaction by the national government reassured potential visitors of the viability of all Chinese destinations. “Of course, people were concerned following the earthquake, but our office and the national government let people know that there was nothing to worry about, and the meetings industry wasn’t seriously affected,” she said. “Chengdu is not a A gateway for international flights, so its meetings and exhibitions are mainly for domestic organizations.” Still, Perry says that China felt the need to rebrand internationally following the earthquake and through the Travel Industry Association, which is quarterbacking the project, he’s currently assisting the Chinese government. Reflecting on Disasters The 105-year-old Taj now steps into a different role in Mumbai, some are predicting, contributing to “disaster tourism.” Already, self-appointed guides are found in the busy streets around the property offering up their own tales of the events—tantalizingly claiming, “Everything you’ve been told about the attacks was wrong!” And the government cannot agree on how best to handle this new kind of attraction. Currently, it’s bothersome to investigative and redevelopment efforts; in the long run, it will add up to an important chapter in the history of the city and the hotel. In other cases, a disaster can add a sense of fun and adventure to a destination—if you wait long enough after the fact. Anchorage, Alaska, is a city known for its imposing beauty and for its occasional tremors. It was also home to the most powerful recorded earthquake in North America, the Good Friday Earthquake of 1964. But Jeanette Anderson Moores, communications and marketing specialist at the Anchorage CVB, says that although her office maintains a crisis communications plan and works closely with the Municipality of Anchorage’s Emergency Operations Center, the threat of earthquakes is extremely slight and doesn’t harm Anchorage’s convention business at all. “Meeting planners don’t consider Anchorage a high-risk city for any disasters,” she said. “Just recently a group had a small earthquake during their convention here and it was the highlight of the meeting.” JOSEPH DOBRIAN is a freelance writer based in New York. MICHAEL PINCHERA, associate editor of One+, contributed to this article. 92 one+ 01.09 After Disaster Feature_B.indd 92 12/20/08 1:59:21 PM 0109_093.indd 93 12/18/08 8:08:03 AM C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 7 2 profits and focuses on economic, environmental and social issues. This develop- ment makes South Africa’s Johannesburg Securities Exchange unique among the world’s stock exchanges in regard to promoting social responsibility. For instance, whereas SOX requires CEOs to vouch for financial statements, this is not a legal requirement in King II. King II is a principles-based approach more than it is rules-based. Australia’s CLERP 9 Australia was also ahead of the SOX curve—its lawmakers passed the Corporations Act in 2001. The act has since been revised by nine Corporate Law Economic Reform Programs known as the CLERP reforms. The most recent version is CLERP 9, enacted in July 2004. Parts of CLERP 9 mirror SOX. Like SOX, but unlike King II, CLERP 9 requires corporate managers to sign off on the accuracy of their companies’ financial reports. Overall, CLERP 9 is more lenient than SOX and some scholars and professionals want CLERP 9 to toughen up. Lawmakers have revised CLERP 9, but not significantly, and not enough to justifiably make it “CLERP 10.” The changes are similar to revisions of SOX and mostly scale back procedural requirements. A criticism of CLERP 9 is something that is praised about King II—that CLERP 9 is so merciful that it relies heavily on an ethical culture and personal integrity that people will do the right thing. Canada’s Bill 198 In response to the U.S. corporate turmoil in 2001 and 2002, Canadians legislated to secure their markets. In December 2002, they passed the Keeping the Promise for a Strong Economy Act, simply called Bill 198. Bill 198 is dubbed the Canadian Sarbanes-Oxley (C-SOX) and is perhaps best known for its correlation 94 one+ 01.09 FEATURE - SOX_alt.indd 94 12/20/08 1:42:55 PM 0109_095.indd 95 12/22/08 3:48:08 PM to SOX. Yet, only a sliver of Bill 198 pertains Instruments and Exchange Law (FIEL) in to SOX issues. The bill is mostly a govern- June 2006. FIEL, like SOX, prescribes a company’s internal controls of financial reporting. ment budget. Where Bill 198 does overlap with SOX, It also monitors companies’ external dealings. SOX evolutions are reflected as Canadian In its role as internal controls director, FIEL is lawmakers took a deliberate “watch and see” referred to as J-SOX. The financial reporting provisions of FIEL approach to improve upon SOX. Most notably, Bill 198 omits the old SOX rule requir- closely resemble those of SOX, but they presing external auditor input, which demanded ent different challenges, due to the profesextraneous work for U.S. companies and was sional culture in Japan. Compared to Japan, abolished. Canadians considered adding the the U.S. has more than 10 times the number requirement but decided against it in 2006 of qualified accountants. This disparity could make FIEL easier to enforce among accounafter public objection. And C-SOX influenced a change in its U.S. tants. However, it also makes it vital to autocounterpart. The Canadian standard for com- mate auditing in Japan. The nation’s shortage pany managers’ assessment of financial reports of auditors increases the necessity for process is “reasonable assurance” of their accuracy. In efficiency in the internal audit process and the U.S., the standard was higher: to reduce software that can support these processes. risk of mistake to a “remote chance.” U.S. lawmakers issued guidance in 2007 to emulate HERE TO STAY? Canada’s “reasonable assurance” standard. All companies can potentially benefit from SOX compliance. Bainbridge encourages voluntary compliance to strengthen oversight Japan’s FIEL The Japanese were retroactive in their SOX- of independent board members, ensure the like reform. After enduring their own cor- accuracy of financial statements and promote porate scandals, they passed the Financial confidence in companies. FEATURE - SOX_alt.indd 96 And Grimes advises meeting professionals to focus on four things to best make nice with SOX. First, consider how your actions appear to an outsider then decide what the best decision is. Second, disclose information relevant to decision-making and oversight duties. Third, make certain that adequate safeguards are in every contract to justify decision-making and to prevent possible issues. Fourth, understand every contractual provision, particularly obligations to comply with laws. Complying with SOX is all about putting things in writing—including conflict of interest, alcohol and travel policies. Whether you like it or not, SOX is here to stay. Six years after its creation, SOX is the established way to do business in the U.S. and has ultimately impacted corporate governance legislation worldwide. KATHLEEN ZACOZY is an attorney and freelance journalist based in Austin, Texas. J. ROBERT BROWN JR., professor of law, University of Denver Sturm College of Law, contributed to this story. 12/20/08 2:14:45 PM 0109_097.indd 97 12/19/08 1:07:43 PM C O N T I N U E D F R O M PA G E 7 6 going to speed up but the first month of a job is like a year. Or the first three months with your baby is like a lifetime. That can be good.” The key to finding positive change— whether through a new hobby or a job challenge—is to figure out “what are you intimidated by but secretly attracted to?” She set out to find her own challenge to test the positive change theory. “I thought, ‘What could I do that would be novel and challenging?’ People said, ‘Well you can try line dancing’ and I thought, ‘Oh, I don’t want to do that.’ Then my agent suggested a blog.” This was in 2006 and, at the time, Rubin was a self-professed luddite. Blogging had started to take off but it was hardly the widespread rage that it is today. “I had no idea how these things worked,” she says. “I didn’t read blogs. But it was reading and writing and creative. It was more the kind of thing that would appeal to me.” Basically, blogging had all the hooks that charged Rubin up—but with a twist. She launched her blog, www.happiness-project. com, in March 2006. It quickly became a favorite activity for the writer. While the book “is much more coherent, woven together and analytical,” the blog gives her a home for all the bits that didn’t fit in. “The book is deeper but it’s not as wide,” she says. Rubin has since become an active member of the blogging community. “It’s interesting to have immediate feedback from an audience—especially on something like happiness where people come at it from different points of view that I couldn’t have generated on my own, so that’s really fascinating,” she says. “And I’ve connected with all these other bloggers who write about it from their own points of view.” 98 one+ The Joy of Barry Manilow Unfortunately, happy people often take a hit. They are often perceived as naïve when held up against crankier counterparts. One study showed that if people read two book reviews, one critical and one positive, the critical reviewer gets higher marks for smarts. “It does bug me because I think it’s very shortsighted,” Rubin says. “I think it takes a lot more energy and self-discipline to be happy.” While reading for the project, Rubin came across a prayer by St. Augustine of Hippo “[that said] something like, ‘dear Jesus, console your sick ones, comfort your dying ones’ and then it says ‘shield your joyous ones.’” At first, she rejected the notion that the joyous ones needed any help as, well, they were already happy. “Then I realized they’re always under attack and being criticized. They do need to be shielded.” Rubin posted a blog entry about it and, soon enough, some self-described joyous ones wrote in to say that they didn’t understand why people were always trying to knock them down. “I think there is this feeling where people kind of pride themselves on their irony and their discernment.” The joy of joy in action (sans the bad vibes) became evident to Rubin at a Barry Manilow concert for a law school friend’s birthday. “I was so impressed by the fact that she could be so wholeheartedly enthusiastic about it,” she says. “There was no irony. It was not campy. She loved it. I got so into it. I thought this is so much better than us all sitting around making snarky comments about Barry Manilow or not even going because we were so busy making fun of it. Let it be fun.” Let it be fun. It’s one of the greatest lessons Rubin has learned. Though a fan of children’s literature, Rubin hid her passion. “It didn’t comport with my idea of myself: that I was very educated, very sophisticated, very grown up,” she says. “That I had these very erudite tastes. Which is true, but then I also had this taste for children’s literature. One of the ways I was living a false life was that when one of the Harry Potter books came out I didn’t even buy it for like two weeks. I hadn’t embraced how much I really loved it.” The Happiness Project gave her the chance to bring Potter (and loads of other kid lit) out into the sun. “I happened to go out to lunch with somebody who is this incredibly beautiful, polished, elegant, dainty, incredibly hardcore, intimidating literary agent,” Rubin says. “We were trying to be friends. You know how when you’re trying to be friends and you haven’t really figured out how exactly to be friends? I said something about Stephen King and I was like ‘ew, maybe she’s too fancy for Stephen King.’” But the response was a great surprise. “She said, ‘Well I love Stephen King but it’s not as good as J.K. Rowling.’ And all we did was talk about Harry Potter the whole time.” Since that lunch meeting, Rubin has started a children’s literature book club with nine other now-very-happy, kid-lit-loving writers, editors and literary agents. “This is the joy of my life,” she says. And, once again, she’s beaming. JENNA SCHNUER is a New York-based freelance writer. 01.09 FEATURE - Rubin Profile.indd 98 12/22/08 11:54:28 AM 0109_099.indd 99 12/9/08 1:17:01 PM Meet Where? JESSIE STATES S UB HEAD ? CONTEST! Correctly identify this venue and its location and you could win a (PRODUCT) RED Special Edition iPod Shuffle. Global Fund’s (PRODUCT) RED initiative directs up to 50 percent of gross profits toward African AIDS programs focusing on the health of women and children. One winner will be randomly selected from all eligible entries. Submit entries to jhensel@mpiweb.org by Feb.1, and find out the answer and winner online at www.mpioneplus.org. 100 one+ 01.09 pp 100 Meet Where 0109.indd 100 12/20/08 1:51:24 PM 0109_C3.indd C3 12/9/08 1:36:53 PM 0109_C4.indd C4 12/9/08 1:42:21 PM