Posted by Terri Hardin under Current AffairsResponses (0)

Tomorrow, March 29, people around the world will celebrate Earth Hour by turning off unnecessary lights and appliances. Last year, the first Earth Hour was held in Sydney, Australia, and the participation of nearly 2.3 million residents resulted in a 10.2-percent reduction in Sydney's energy consumption, which is the equivalent of taking 48,000 cars off the road for a year. This year, 30 million people are expected to participate, and there will be fund-raising events everywhere, with proceeds going to the World Wildlife Fund.

Since this year’s participation will occur in all time zones, 8PM is the designated Earth Hour, wherever you happen to be.

In North America this comprises Canada, Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix, San Francisco, Denver, Honolulu, and more. The following is a selection of activities; meeting planners should take note, both for eco-tips and for theme ideas:

Continue reading "Turn Off that Light!"

Posted by Terri Hardin under Current AffairsResponses (0)

This year, President’s Day came to mean more than a reason to sell cars. Between Super Tuesday, the reopening of the Lincoln’s DC cottage (and the upcoming Lincoln bicentennial), and the ongoing struggle of the 2008 candidates, this has been the most president-centric month in decades.

In Washington DC, the White House Visitors Center held a “President for a Day” on February 18. Visitors were able to “chat” with Abraham Lincoln about his decision to preserve the Union during the Civil War (or what it was like to live in a log cabin); “meet” First Lady Dolley Madison; have their pictures taken with Presidents Lincoln, Kennedy and Ford; and test their own knowledge of White House history in a game of “Who Wants to be a President?”

Perhaps it’s a good time to ponder what the role of leader means to us. And to help in that pondering, Quirk Books offers its Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents: Trivia Card Game. Based on Cormac O’Brien’s  Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents, this game settles all kinds of presidential hash, such as

Which president walked his pet raccoon on a leash? Which president slept for (literally) half of the day? Who worked as a cover model for Cosmopolitan magazine? Which one blamed air pollution on trees?

The Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents: Trivia Card Game was brought to my attention at a luncheon hosted by the Washington DC CVA, which recently brought its hotel and venue partners to New York City on a media mission. The snow that fell in the Sculpture Garden of the Modern Museum of Art (seen from our private dining room at The Modern restaurant) was a subtle reminder of cherry blossoms, which each CVA member invoked. We Big Apple journalists also got our memories restoked on that truly unique destination that is DC, from the refurbished Library of Congress building and website, to the ongoing renovations throughout DC’s hotel inventory. Most importantly, with the properties' lighthearted digs at DC’s rampant partisanship (at the Madison, for example, you can have your waffles with Blue State blueberries or Red State strawberries), we got new insight into how hospitality can be the cure for inhospitality.

Who wants to be a president? Well, I can think of at least four people. But who thinks it’s a game? None of them, I hope.

 

Posted by Will Ng under Current AffairsResponses (5)

You may have heard or read about the big flap over Golfweek magazine's recent "Caught in a Noose" cover. I gotta wonder what Dave Seanor, now ex-editor, was thinking, putting a noose on the cover. And he was "surprised by the negative reaction"?

Continue reading "Two Wrongs Don't Make a 'Write'"

Posted by Terri Hardin under Current AffairsResponses (0)

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

I was 10 years old at the time, growing up poor in New York City. My mother was single and working, so after school, I attended the Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, where poor kids were able to participate in sports and activities for a nominal fee - or even no fee at all.

But on the day after the Dr. King was killed, our after-school counselors sat us down and talked about his life and his significance; and we agreed to do something for this man who had been so vital, not only to the civil rights movement, but to the Poor People’s Campaign. Our little band of pre-teens, armed with petitions, then went door-to-door, canvassing for a “Martin Luther King Day.”

How things have changed since that time. For one thing, I think we’re more protective of our children; they are barely allowed to treat or treat or sell Girl Scout Cookies by themselves, let alone knock on strangers’ doors in Manhattan’s high-rises and walk-ups with petitions!

And, I think, we are only dimly aware of others’ sacrifices on our behalf. “Support Our Troops” ribbons are everywhere, but does that mean soldiers have gear to keep them safe, that they receive benefits if they are injured, or that their families are financially secure?

But even as things change, many things stay the same. As planners, you know how much a part of the human condition it is to come together, to get things done as a community. As Dr. King brought people together to right social wrongs, and our little Neighbor House gang came together to express our grief.

This year, voters are coming together, asking questions of the candidates and making their voices heard.

Forty years ago, the world lost a charismatic leader who did everything he could to make the world a better place. Forty years later, will we find such another in the 2008 presidential season?

 

 

 

Posted by Terri Hardin under Current AffairsResponses (1)

Last night, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) and former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR) won the Iowa Caucus.

For some, the caucus, which began at 7PM CST for the Democrats and 7:30PM for the Republicans, was preceded by so much media hoopla, it threatened to derail the holidays (as in “Hey, what did your husband give you for the Iowa Caucus?”). For others, the caucus demonstrated the greatness of our system.

But the success of Obama and Huckabee also yields lessons for today’s association recruitment. These candidates

Continue reading "The All-Nighter"

Posted by Kinley Levack under Current AffairsResponses (0)

I had another blog topic all picked out for today, but I just stumbled on a site that I have to share. You may have heard about Brad Pitt’s Pink Project to build homes in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward with an emphasis on sustainability—well now there is a way for companies, organizations, and individuals to contribute in a really special way.

Continue reading "Adding a Touch of Pink to the Holidays "

Posted by Terri Hardin under Current AffairsResponses (4)

Everyone wants to be green these days, but why turn blue with the effort? There are many ways that are simple and bone lazy. Here’s a few; try ’em, you’ll like ’em!

1. Use revolving doors. Using them in public buildings conserves the energy lost by opening—and holding open—doors.
2. Get “slow” cash. Tom Kostigen, author of The Green Book: The Everyday Guide to Saving the Planet One Simple Step at a Time, suggests that, when getting cash from an ATM, you refuse the receipt whenever possible. However, when you use the “fast cash” option at the ATM, it prints out a receipt without asking you. Go slow and refuse the receipt.
3. Hold onto your cell phone, if you can. Sure you can trade in your old cell phone for a newer model, but is it necessary? Currently, 100 million cell phones are trashed each year—all of which are as poisonous as batteries or motor oil when simply tossed away.
4. Go to a water fountain when you’re thirsty. Think of all the half-empty bottles you’ll save!
5. Re-gift. After all, ’tis the season. Think of things taking up space in your life that others would better appreciate. Empty your closets, and stuff those stockings!

Of course, it doesn’t have to end here. Send in your own bone-lazy tips. Let’s make this world a better place—without trying too hard!

 

Posted by Vincent Alonzo under Current AffairsResponses (1)

Eight members of the Nordic chapter of Hells Angels Motorcycle Club were deported from Iceland last weekend on grounds of being a threat to public safety. The group was in Iceland to attend the 11th anniversary party of the Reykjavik based motorcycle club, Fafner. “We have enough criminals in Iceland already and we do not need to spice up the situation with Hells Angels,” said police spokesman Asgeir Karlsson when asked by local reporters on the scene.

Continue reading "Hells Angels on Ice"

Posted by Vincent Alonzo under Current AffairsResponses (3)

A recent survey of more than 1,000 business travelers by Carlson Hotels Worldwide found the majority of respondents (24 percent) would like Oprah Winfrey as a seat mate on an airplane, followed by Bill Gates (23 percent), Angelina Jolie (22 percent), Hillary Clinton (14 percent) and George W. Bush (13 percent). Other "dream" companions included The Pope, The Dali Lama, and Barack Obama.

Continue reading "Seat Assignments"

Posted by Suzie Amer under Current AffairsResponses (0)

I was just pointed toward the following update from the San Diego Convention Center corporation and thought I'd post some of it here for those of you following the California wildfires and their impact.

San Diego County Fires-Update October 25th –A.M

The following information was compiled by the San Diego Convention Center Corporation and will be updated and posted online at www.visitsandiego.com twice daily in an effort to keep attendees, exhibitors, meeting planners, and members of the media update on important news related to the fires in San Diego County.                   

Fire Update: There are NO active fires in the City of San Diego. San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders has announced this morning that all San Diego neighborhoods will be re-opened for evacuees by the end of the day. Qualcomm Stadium, the site of the largest shelter, has less than 2500 individuals and is “winding down” according to Mayor Sanders. The improved situation has alleviated hotel room supply concerns in the downtown area where most attendees participating in Convention Center events are housed. Business, hotels, shops, and restaurants are open. Updates on the fires can be accessed at http://www.sdcountyemergency.com/.                  

Events at the Convention Center: The Convention Center is open and fully active. Approximately 6000 attendees of the American Society of Human Genetics (www.ashg.org) are fully engaged in events planned as part of their annual meeting at the Convention Center.                  

While one large local event for Sharp Healthcare has been postponed due to the fires, no other major events have been cancelled or are expected to be impacted by the regional fires. Two smaller events, a local job fair and dance, have been cancelled as attendance is drawn from the local area impacted by the fires. No other cancellations are expected. The fires are not expected to impact any future events currently scheduled for the next several weeks. A list of upcoming events at the Convention Center can be found on the main page of the website at www.visitsandiego.com.

To read the rest of this update, click here.

More information on San Diego's status is available here.

Posted by Vincent Alonzo under Current AffairsResponses (2)

With all the headlines and focus on sustainability and the carbon footprint it's so easy to feel helpless about the troubling impact we humans are having on our planet; you want to do something both personally and corporately, but it's confusing on where to begin? The issue can be overwhelming.

Continue reading "Measure Your Carbon Footprint"

Posted by Terri Hardin under Current AffairsResponses (2)

The meetings industry—and others—should take note of 1957, the year that brought us the Little Rock Nine, Sputnik, and Bubble Wrap. Why?

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Little Rock Nine—Ernest Green, Elizabeth Eckford, Jefferson Thomas, Dr. Terrence Roberts, Carlotta Walls Lanier, Minnijean Brown Trickey, Gloria Ray Karlmark, and Thelma Mothershed-Wair—who, as African-American teenagers, braved riots, censure, and bullying in order to integrate Little Rock Central High in 1957. At the invitation of the Peabody Little Rock, I attended nearly a week of events, including a gala and a commemoration (with Bill Clinton giving both keynotes).

Continue reading "Happy Anniversary Little Rock Nine, Sputnik, Bubble Wrap"

Posted by Vincent Alonzo under Current AffairsResponses (0)

I was with a group of planners on a site inspection tour of Brussels last week and at one point, one of the planners, a New Yorker like me, mentioned that the anniversary of the attacks on September 11 was just a week away. “We should never forget,” she said to me. I didn’t say anything. I just gave what could be generously described as a benign nod.

Continue reading "A Memory from September 11 "

Posted by Mariana Lemann under Current AffairsResponses (1)

Summer is just around the corner, but before Europe slows down and takes holiday, up to 9,000 delegates and 11,000 visitors from over 75 countries have started flocking to the French Riviera, where the 54th Cannes International Advertising Festival kicked off.

These folks meet at the Festival to absorb and learn from the best in international advertising and marketing communications, attend cutting-edge seminars, and network. The annual event spans a week, with workshops and award shows where more than 25,000 ads in film, press, outdoor, interactive, radio, media, direct marketing, and sales promotions are considered. Winners take home the coveted bronze, silver, and gold Lions.

Beyond the cache that the festival carries, it is big business. Each attendee pays as much as $3,000 and agencies submitting work pay between $200 and $1,000. According to trade publication Advertising Age, since Emap, a U.K.-based publishing and exhibitions company, took over the festival in 2004, it has reached a nearly 60 percent profit margin.

This year, reports Suzanne Vranica for The Wall Street Journal, technology companies are a prominent presence at the Cannes International Advertising Festival. Quoting the event’s chief executive, Phil Thomas, Vranica writes that Microsoft will have one of the biggest contingents attending the festival – 175 executives and 325 invited clients. Last year, the company took just 20 people to the festival.

Posted by Terri Hardin under Current AffairsResponses (0)

You’ll soon see your F&B costs rise (if you haven’t already), thanks to the growing demand for corn as a base for fuel.

In one of my April blogs, I referenced a column by George Monbiot of UK’s Guardian (“If we want to save the planet, we need a five-year freeze on biofuels”) which outlined how the current plan for biodiesel production placed food production at risk. Today, as staff-writer Greg Edwards reports in the Richmond Dispatch:

Congress jumped too hard into the subsidization of ethanol for fuel blending, said Jim Pease, an agricultural economist at Virginia Tech. Companies that blend ethanol with gasoline get a subsidy of 51 cents per gallon of ethanol regardless of how much ethanol is produced and how much petroleum costs, he noted.

U.S. ethanol production was 5.6 billion gallons last year, and with the plants now being built could reach 12 billion gallons in a couple of years, Pease said. By next year, ethanol producers could be consuming a third of the nation's corn production, he said.

With regular-old, garden variety gas is expected to pass $3.50/gallon this summer, I’m wondering: Is there’s any good news left?

Posted by Vincent Alonzo under Current AffairsResponses (0)

File this under getting the most bang possible out of a speaker. Officials at tiny Knox College laughed all the way to the bank last year when its graduation speaker, Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert, helped spike admissions to the school. Knox received a record number of applicants in the wake of Colbert's commencement address. The school received 2,500 applications for 340 possible spots, a 20 percent increase from the year before. 

Continue reading "Colbert Slams Clinton"

Posted by Terri Hardin under Current AffairsResponses (0)

I remember the first time I heard that the republics of Ireland and Northern Ireland would be marketing themselves together as Tourism Ireland. My first reaction was: I must have misheard. Surely these two combatants, whose troubles I’d followed since learning to read, could never get along?

But last week, I  interviewed Andrew Coppel, chairman of Tourism Ireland and a native of Belfast. Mr. Coppel had been a founding member of Tourism Ireland, the tourism entity originating out of the 1998 Belfast Accord.

And today, I listened to President Mary McAleese of Ireland (pictured), at the New York Palace luncheon given in her honor, as she thanked the consular representative from Northern Ireland for being present, and described the two Irelands as “good neighbors, focused on the future.”

With peace has come prosperity, to which a tourism industry certainly makes a healthy contribution.

And now, just nine years later—next Tuesday, May 8, in fact—two true combatants, protestant political leader Ian Paisley and Sinn Fein deputy leader Martin McGuinness, are expected to form a coalition government in Northern Ireland.

President McAleese also referred to “a spirit of yes-ness” pervading the collaboration. These days, with conflicts abounding throughout the world, I hope we can catch some of that spirit.

Posted by Mariana Lemann under Current AffairsResponses (0)

Last week, New York City was the stage for a meeting of highly regarded wordsmiths. The third annual PEN Word Voices: The New York Festival of International Literature assembled 3,400 writers, editors, and translators from around the world to discuss national identity, migration, exile, and other movement of peoples.

The festival, with its subtitle of  "Home and Away," comprised a whopping 67 panels with writers from 45 countries, and took place in 29 locations throughout the city, including venues such as New York University, the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, Town Hall, Instituto Cervantes, and Bowery Ballroom.

Founded three years ago, the festival, chaired by famed author Salman Rushdie, aims to address the U.S. cultural isolation, which is a daunting task, at least if regarded through the lens of translated books circulating within the country--less than 3 percent of the books published here are translations from other languages.

I was personally able to attend two sessions of this unique literary festival. At the first, war reporters Carolin Emcke, a German who writes for Der Spiegel, and Mark Danner, a regular contributor to The New York Review of Books, talked to a small audience on April 28 at the Bowery Ballroom about reporting from combat zones, and specifically about their work in Iraq in the past four years. The other session was with acclaimed novelists and screenwriters Paul Auster and Guillermo Arriaga, who spoke about how they became writers, the craft of writing novels, and the transition into screenwriting.

From the outside, I can only imagine the challenges of planning and executing Pen World Voices, which took place at the same time as the Tribeca Film Festival. I wonder if they had much budget to hire event management professionals to be involved in designing the program, choosing speakers, selecting and negotiating with venues, and putting together the schedule of events. Besides, with heightened scrutiny on travelers due to security concerns and the restricted access to visas, bringing writers from places such as Sierra Leone, Sudan, Iran ,and Russia added another layer of complication.

From a personal perspective, I found that the event made me more worldly, and that's a wonderful thing to get from any event.

Posted by Kinley Levack under Current AffairsResponses (0)

Over the weekend, as New York temperatures hovered around 80 degrees, I sat in the park reading magazines and came across some information about a t-shirt and tote that Lauren Bush (model, activist, and niece of George W.) designed to raise money for the U.N.’s World Food Program (WFP). See what it looks like here.

Not only would the tote make a great carryall or re-usable grocery sack, but what a neat idea as a give-away that actually means something. It’s the best of both worlds — a contribution to a charity and something that attendees can actually take home with them and use.

The shirt and bag were specifically designed to benefit the WFP’s school feeding program, which offers free meals to students to encourage both attendance at school and overall health and nutrition. According to WFP, research shows that free lunches can increase school attendance by 100% and improve academic performance; girls who attend school are more likely to marry later and have fewer children.

The proceeds from each bag can feed one child for one school year — the bag costs $59.95 and of that cost, $34 goes to the WFP. The t-shirt costs $34.95 — including a donation of $19, which feeds 100 children for a day.

Something to think about over lunch today.

Posted by Terri Hardin under Current AffairsResponses (0)

As we all start greening up for Earth Day (April 22, 2007), it’s interesting to note the growing enthusiasm for biodiesel vehicles and other alternative resources.

I myself was tempted last year to rent a bio-diesel-powered car at LAX, but Shaun at Bio-Beetle forgot to disclose whether his fuel, made from vegetable oil reclaimed from restaurants, would smell like French fries. (I still don’t know.)

So it was with great interest that I read George Monbiot’s OpEd piece in the Guardian (Tuesday March 27, 2007)  about the unexpected downside of biofuel. Here’s a snippet:

“Since the beginning of last year, the price of maize has doubled. The price of wheat has also reached a 10-year high, while global stockpiles of both grains have reached 25-year lows. Already there have been food riots in Mexico and reports that the poor are feeling the strain all over the world. The US department of agriculture warns that "if we have a drought or a very poor harvest, we could see the sort of volatility we saw in the 1970s, and if it does not happen this year, we are also forecasting lower stockpiles next year". According to the UN food and agriculture organisation, the main reason is the demand for ethanol: the alcohol used for motor fuel, which can be made from maize and wheat.“

I know from my old days as an active, conscientious environmentalist (I was a founding director of the Brooklyn-based, grassroots organization, One Earth) that environmental policy is incredibly complicated and filled with all sorts of unexpected hazards. For example, one could advocate eating organic, humanely killed beef, but others would argue that the amount of grain needed to fatten up a steer could be better deployed to feed dozens of people. But does everyone want to be a vegetarian? Nope; from a cultural perspective, it’s just not feasible.

But now, the image of the grain-guzzling Angus beef is being replaced with that of the grain-guzzling SUV. Now, I wonder: Wouldn’t it better to use grain to feed the world than to put it in my gastank and drive to the drycleaners?

 

 

Posted by Terri Hardin under Current AffairsResponses (0)

The first time I went to Las Vegas, I fell in love with the way night time transformed it into a neon fantasy. And of all the signs along the Strip, I thought the most beautiful belonged to the Dunes and the Stardust casinos.

It’s been years since the Dune’s giant palm went to the Neon Museum; yesterday, the Stardust sign joined it, as the legendary casino was imploded to make way for the future Echelon Place.

However it might be a sad day for Vegas nostalgists like me, it’s just another reminder of how Vegas stays on top by constantly reinventing itself. If you want to know how true this is, check out Vegas Today and Tomorrow.

Stardust, we salute you. Hasta la vista, baby.

Posted by Terri Hardin under Current AffairsResponses (1)

The recent revelations about conditions at Walter Reed Hospital, where wounded soldiers and veterans receive health care, have shocked and saddened the nation.

Sadder still, it was only one among several examples of how soldiers and their families are shortchanged for their sacrifices. Last year, for example, USA Today reported on predatory lendors who target military families in desperation.

Recently, I read an article from Canada that urged the Tim Horton donut chain to open a outlet in Kandahar, Afghanistan, so that Canadian soldiers could have a taste of home. It got me wondering: What are we, as an industry, doing to support the troops?

This was still on my mind when I met with Ed Hubennette, Vice President of Marriott International for Japan, Hawaii and South Pacific, early this week. As we shook hands, I noticed a couple of colorful bracelets on his wrist, which he told me were hero bracelets. "€œEach has the name of a soldier who has served in Iraq," he said. "The profits go to help wounded soldiers."€ He then wrote the name of the website, herobracelets.org, down for me.

Here is the herobracelets.org story:

We believe, that as Americans, we should all show our respect and honor those who have lost their lives in service to their country. This isn't about politics. Whatever one's political convictions or views on the Iraq war, respecting those who are in the fight should come first.

and

We saw how little most of these families got, as little as $12,000 in death benefit. We decided that there must be a way to both honor these men and women and help get more money to their families.

The HeroBracelets.org website was launched in 2004. Bracelets sell for up to $16, with $2 going to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund with each sale, as well as all remaining profits, after taxes.

Planners who seek to include charitable donations in their programs might want to consider making hero bracelets available to their attendees, or finding another way to raise awareness about soldiers and their families. After all, how can situations like Walter Reed happen, if we truly care about our troops and give them the gratitude they deserve?

By the way, Kandahar now has its own Tim Horton'€™s.

 

 

Posted by Sara Welch under Current AffairsResponses (1)

Would-be muggers, beware: If the Bad-Ass Senior Citizens Brigade is holding a meeting in your town, think twice about trying to rob them.

A trio of assailants learned that the hard way last week when they tried to hold up a tour bus group of a dozen retired Americans who were ashore from a cruise ship docked in Limon, Costa Rica. One of the seniors, a 70-year-old former Marine, pounced on the ringleader—who had a gun—and put him in a headlock, breaking his collarbone. The rest of the pensioners rose up against the other two men, who fled the scene. The geriatric group then drove the gunman to a local Red Cross, where he was declared dead, apparently of asphyxiation. 

The seniors departed shortly thereafter on their Carnival cruise ship. Limon’s chief of police said authorities would not press charges, as the group was acting in self-defense.

Continue reading "AARP Meeting, With a Twist"

Posted by Sara Welch under Current AffairsResponses (2)

Last week, France became the latest nation to institute a broad ban on smoking in public, joining its neighbors Italy, Spain, Belgium, Britain, and Ireland. The country that was once practically synonymous with cigarettes now forbids its 15 million smokers from puffing away in airports, schools, hospitals, railway stations, offices, and other enclosed spaces.

By the end of the year, the ban will extend to restaurants, bars, and cafes, forever changing our image of the country that once nurtured chain smokers like Albert Camus, Serge Gainsbourg, and Jean-Paul Belmondo (pictured).

What's even more unexpected is that 70 percent of the French support the ban -- including the owner of legendary cafe Les Deux Magots (where Jean-Paul Sartre famously spent his evenings wreathed in Gauloise smoke), who told the BBC it was better for her employees.

Posted by Terri Hardin under Current AffairsResponses (2)

Proof that Hollywood is not as liberal as you think: The Golden Globe Awards were held on Martin Luther King’s Birthday, with nary a mention of Dr. King during all the hours of red-carpet antics and gushing speeches. Famous liberals like George Clooney and iconoclasts like Jamie Foxx delivered patter, and some issues, like Darfur, were emblazoned on the backs of garments, but not one word about Martin Luther King Jr.

First, why hold a frilly, lighthearted award show on a day that commemorates a fallen leader?

Insiders tell me it might have been a scheduling conflict with all the other awards held in SoCal around this time.

Hmmmm. OK, if you’re going to do something seemingly insensitive, why not try to ameliorate the situation by mentioning it AT LEAST ONCE during the program?

The cast and production crew of Ugly Betty might have been able to do that nicely—after all, they were all about overcoming adversity, weren’t they?

Granted, we buy cars on Lincoln’s Birthday. Has so much time passed since King’s assassination—April 4, 1968—that we can afford to look so flippant about it?

I ask you, Golden Globes on Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday—poor taste, or “get off your soapbox, Terri”?

Posted by Vincent Alonzo under Current AffairsResponses (0)

It had to happen eventually. Ticket scalpers are selling conference passes on eBay.

A secondary market has emerged for passes to the sold out Affiliate Summit 2007 West, a three day conference starting on January 21 in Las Vegas, on eBay.com.

And believe it our not, the tickets are among the hottest going right now, rivaling even the Super Bowl. The three-day affiliate marketing conference is sold out, and Internet marketers are clamoring to get into the event.

Continue reading "Scalpers Hawk Conference Tickets"

Posted by Rob Carey under Current AffairsResponses (2)

I am in a bad, bad mood today. Sometimes our country does its best to do things the worst way possible. Here's what I mean:

Continue reading "Immigration Debate Full of Nonsense"

Posted by Vincent Alonzo under Current AffairsResponses (0)

One of the great things about covering the meetings industry around the holidays is the number of parties the hospitality community throws to spread cheer throughout the industry. This year was no different as there was rarely a day in December when at least one editor from Successful Meetings or MeetingNews wasn’t attending a lunch or an evening reception or a dinner.

But the one holiday party that left the biggest impression on me this past season was an event that I wasn’t even invited to. I was on my way to the Canadian Tourism holiday party, held in a heated tent overlooking the ice skating rink in Bryant Park in New York City, when I got side tracked by a party inside the nearby Bryant Park Grill. As I passed by the window of the restaurant I heard someone shouting at people to shut up. I looked through the window and saw a CEO (at least I assume he was the head of this company) with a microphone in his hand having a complete meltdown in front of his employees because they wouldn’t stop talking while he was trying to wish them happy holidays.

Continue reading "Happy !@#$%^& Holidays!"

Posted by Sara Welch under Current AffairsResponses (1)

I was hoping to write about something more uplifting on the last day before the holiday, but I saw some disturbing news about my favorite city,

Continue reading "Yemanja Weeps"

Posted by Sara Welch under Current AffairsResponses (1)

I read a news article this week about apparent spending abuses at meetings of the Legal Services Corp., the government's legal aid program for the poor. Lawmakers were irate to discover that the society was holding meetings at upscale hotels, spending $70 on lunches, $12 on bagel breaks, etc. Now, they've cracked down.

Continue reading "Meetings: They Ain't Cheap"

Posted by Terri Hardin under Current AffairsResponses (0)

This week, I found myself driving to work at some unconscionable hour. To keep awake, I did something I would never do under any other circumstance: I turned on drive-time radio. Which is how I heard an interview with Joan Claybrook, president of the national consumer group Public Citizen, on the subject of “hot fuel.”

When fuel is stored in gas station tanks, the standard temperature should be 60 degrees. But most gas stations don’t monitor the temperature, which means as the day goes on and gets warmer, the fuel’s temperature rises, making it less dense.

In other words, you’re getting less fuel.

Continue reading "Right Under Our Noses: The Hot Fuel Scam"

Posted by Terri Hardin under Current AffairsResponses (0)

This week, one news item stands above the explosive reactions to the Iraq War Study Group’s findings and concern about Britney Spears’ wild ways. Even the discovery of a new hairy-legged crustacean (“Jurassic crab”) couldn’t dispel the train-wreck-like fascination of the “Review of the Holocaust: Global Vision,” a two-day international conference that convened in Tehran, Iran on Monday.

The conference was hosted by the Institute for Political and International Studies, which encourages the study and research of issues relevant to the Islamic Republic of Iran’s foreign policy. Its objective: to examine the “myth” of the Holocaust. Its keynote speaker: David Duke, former U.S. presidential candidate, better known as the former Imperial Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.

Continue reading "The Scariest Meeting You’ll Ever Read About"

Posted by Terri Hardin under Current AffairsResponses (0)

People always ask me, what are the current destination trends?  At the moment, I tell them: space tourism and environmentalism.

This week, two amazing news items have proved me right.

In the past year, great strides have been taken in space tourism, what with the announcement of Virgin Galactic and other suborbital travel incentives. But yesterday, NASA has announced it will build a permanent base on the moon, to be operational by 2024. The base is ultimately expected to serve as a relay point for trips to Mars and other planets.

"This is not your father's Apollo," remarked John Logsdon, director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University, differentiating the former “giant steps for mankind” of the '60s from this new foothold into space colonization.

Yes, times have changed. Back in the '60s, your father and mine probably drove a 25-foot-long American land yacht, which they powered with 30 cent-a-gallon gas. Nowadays,

Continue reading "Not Your Father’s NASA (nor His Green Earth, Either)"

Posted by Suzie Amer under Current AffairsResponses (0)

I read an article this week in Crain’s New York about corporate holiday parties. According to the article, more corporations—in New York, at least—are adding a little extravagance to their holiday festivities this year. At general manager of New York’s legendary ‘21 Club’ says in the article that his clients are less concerned this year about costs. Tavern on the Green, another perennial favorite, reports that the number of guests per party is on the rise. The owner of Seppi’s says he’s selling more expensive bottles of wine than last year at this time. And finally, the article reports that 94 percent of all firms nationwide are expected to throw some sort of holiday party this year—a rise of seven points, according to executive recruitment firm Battalia Winston International. Do these stats reflect what you’re seeing this holiday season? Respond below!

Posted by Rob Carey under Current AffairsResponses (1)

Bo Schembechler, head coach of Universty of Michigan's football program from 1969 to 1989 and one of the most well-known, respected, and successful coaches in college football history, died today at age 77. His passing comes on the eve of the biggest college football game in several years: Michigan versus Ohio State, currently the two best teams in the nation.

Here's what Bo's peers had to say about his impact on the sport, and the nearly one thousand boys he sent into the world as men as a result of his tutelage and mentoring. Business managers could learn a thing or two from these comments: 

Continue reading "A Master Motivator Makes His Last Move"

Posted by Rob Carey under Current AffairsResponses (1)

This week, the police chief in Winter Haven, FL, lost his job because he sent out a memo to his officers asking them to stay in shape, which "offended" some (presumably pudgy) officers. That's like an accounting executive getting fired for asking his subordinates to count correctly.

With China and India sprinting to replace us as the big dog in the global marketplace, this is the stuff that the American workforce is focused on? If so, then heaven help us.

 

Continue reading "Too Many Americans Are Getting Too Comfortable"

Posted by Suzie Amer under Current AffairsResponses (0)

Happy Halloween! Here in New York, we're preparing for the city's Village Halloween Parade, an annual tradition since 1973. It's the largest  public Halloween celebration in the U.S., and it draws 60,000 marchers and up to two million spectators, according to Sara J. Welch's profile of the ghoulish extravaganza in the current (November) issue of Successful Meetings.

Although I've lived here for six years, I've never actually seen the parade; I've always been out of town or simply not up to the challenge of negotiating my way through throngs of costumed revelers. But this year, I hope to see as much as I can of the parade itself as well as the show that I'm certain the audience will provide.

Hope you all have a happy and safe Halloween!

Posted by Kinley Levack under Current AffairsResponses (1)

Last week, a City Council committee approved a living wage ordinance that would require hotels on the Century Boulevard Corridor near the Los Angeles Airport to pay employees more—a lot more.

Continue reading "LAX Hotel Workers to get Major Raise? "

Posted by Rob Carey under Current AffairsResponses (0)

Should the world try to lessen its negative impact on people and the planet by conserving fuel, creating cleaner fuels, and not mining and using dangerous materials that cause almost irreversible pollution? Yes.

Should there be people in America who act as environmental watchdogs, either for pay or for simple concern for the future of the planet and of mankind? Yes. And they are persistently loud about how big bad America is ruining the planet.

Fine. But why am I not hearing a bloody peep from American environmentalists about the damage China is laying down not only on the planet, but on people too?

Continue reading "Care about the environment? Then read this"

Posted by April Torrisi under Current AffairsResponses (0)

Today I attended a Virgin Atlantic press conference at the Soho House in NYC that addressed Richard Branson’s vision to fight global warming by reducing fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. Branson stated that the airline industry is responsible for two percent of the world’s CO2 emissions. Hence, he calls upon the global aviation industry to develop a shared solution to the growing issue of climate change.

Continue reading "Sustainable Aviation?"

Posted by Kinley Levack under Current AffairsResponses (0)

A swarm of locusts descends, decimating crops and distressing townspeople. That's not just a Biblical passage, but a true desciption of what parts of Cancun are currently wrangling with.

Continue reading "In Other News, the World is Ending"

Posted by Rob Carey under Current AffairsResponses (0)

Because I am always looking in the general business media for connections between meetings and business success, I often find articles that mention--though only in passing--the fact that it was a meeting that produced the great idea, the killer negotiation, or the strategic brilliance that the article is focused on. But on Monday, Sept. 11, I stumbled upon a rarity that positively warmed my heart:

Continue reading "Meetings That Make the Front Page"

Posted by Terri Hardin under Current AffairsResponses (0)

. . . for being the first nation to take a stand on a serious health issue with global implications. I’m referring to this year’s Madrid International Fashion Week (which actually runs from September 2 to 22), where models that do not have a healthy Body Mass Index (BMI) will be banned from the runway shows, expected to begin the 18th.

Thirty percent of the models are expected to be too thin to pass the BMI minimum of 18 set by the show.

Said Leonor Perez Pita, director of the show (also known as the Pasarela Cibeles), "The restrictions could be quite a shock to the fashion world at the beginning, but I'm sure it’s important as far as health is concerned."

Kudos - it’s a perfect time to send a message, and using a high-profile trade show is the perfect vehicle. For years, photos of Halloween skeletons made out of privileged young women have been a source of ghoulish delight for tabloid readers, even as dress sizes dipped to the incredible 00.

Continue reading "Thank You, Spain . . ."

Posted by Terri Hardin under Current AffairsResponses (0)

This week, the world mourns the loss of Steve Irwin, a.k.a. “the Crocodile Hunter.” Irwin, a cheerful extrovert who frequently took risks with animals, was killed in a freak accident, having startled a hidden stingray (which responded by piercing Irwin’s heart with its stinger).

The pain felt at his passing moved Peter Beattie, Prime Minister of Queensland, Australia, to offer a state funeral, which the Irwin family respectfully declined.

If there is a lesson to be learned from Irwin’s death, it is that risks can come to us without warning and without having to be looked for. What’s important is how you live your life and how you inspire the people around you.

Steve will be missed.

 

 

Posted by Terri Hardin under Current AffairsResponses (0)

Forget about the hotels disclosing attendee information, forget about malefactors picking up your personal information via insecure WiFi and RFID badges—what about the perils of a simple Google search?

Finding information on the ubiquitous search engine has been popular enough to turn the company’s name into a verb. In fact, I sometimes wonder about the quantity of information I’m able to amass at the click of a few buttons.

On Google Maps, for example, I’m able to check by satellite how well I parked my car (not so good). I’ve eavesdropped on random thoughts in Google Groups, and, thanks to Google Zeitgeist, I’ve picked up miscellaneous data on Kate Hudson like so much lint.

Continue reading "Search and Annoy"

Posted by Terri Hardin under Current AffairsResponses (3)

As we sit, arguing about who is going to pay for the convention centers, headquarters hotels, sports stadiums, and other civic building projects proposed throughout the land, it might help to remember that people have been arguing over these things for a long time. In fact, I came across this quote the other day:

. . . cities should not indulge in public buildings unnecessarily numerous or large, nor waste their resources on expenditures for a large number and variety of public games, lest they exhaust themselves in futile exertions and be led by unreasonable rivalries to quarrel among themselves.

Continue reading "Who Said That?"

Posted by Terri Hardin under Current AffairsResponses (0)

I just got a letter from Steve Richer at the Mississippi Gulf Coast CVB, along with a sheet of talking points about Mississippi Gulf Coast recovery. Tomorrow, the Coast begins a calendar of events leading up to August 29—the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. A highlight of the program will be the relaunch of the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, following an $800-million renovation.

Also among the highlights is a film, Hurricane Katrina Diary, by an area resident, J. Justin Pearce, who also took the photo above. Please take a look at his film trailer and at the website, www.mississippibeyondkatrina.com

Posted by Sara Welch under Current AffairsResponses (0)

Beth Cooper-Zobott posted this to MiForum today, and we thought it was so informative we asked her permission to repost it here. Thanks for being a misoapbox guest blogger, Beth!

Beth writes: "I had a group of approximately 75 people in Sunny Isles Beach (north Miami). Our conference ended yesterday. I turned on the news at 6:15 AM and heard of the events. The first thing I did was go to the TSA website..."

Continue reading ""How the Terror Plot Affected My Meeting""

Posted by Vincent Alonzo under Current AffairsResponses (0)

According to Dr. Robert Johnson, a retired transplant and vascular surgeon from the Manchester Royal Infirmary in England, Cuban Dictator, Fidel Castro may have suffered a duodenal ulcer. “If the sustained bleeding was from the upper intestinal tract that could cause catastrophic hemorrhage and require emergency and sometimes quite complicated surgery. That is one possibility and it is the simplest and most obvious possibility,” Johnson said in an interview.

Castro's illness last week, and his subsequent handing of power to his brother, brought many emotions and hopes for the future of Cuba to the surface. If this is the beginning of the end of Castro’s regime, Cuba as a destination for meetings might soon be in the market for U.S. groups.

Continue reading "The End for Fidel?"

Posted by Terri Hardin under Current AffairsResponses (4)

You may have noticed: It’s hot outside. In fact, it’s hot all over; 37 states are reporting the extreme heat and concern about the toll it will take on their power grids.

With 74 percent of the country affected by extreme heat, many might consider this a national emergency. But not, apparently, the Federal Emergency Manag