There will not be a third annual METCON, the Meetings & Exhibition Technology Conference. Co-sponsored by the American Society of Association Executives and the Professional Convention Management Association, METCON has been canceled because of low registration. Based on pre-registration figures, organizers estimated about 300 attendees would show up at the late April meeting--while the last two years drew more than 400.
In an interview in TM's premiere issue last July, Gary A. LaBranche, CAE, vice president, professional development, ASAE, said that METCON, was especially expensive to produce because of the costs of equipment. But METCON's price-tag had nothing to do with its demise, LaBranche stresses. It was never financially profitable, he notes; ASAE and PCMA committed to it because they felt it was so crucial to offer technology education for the association community.
* Wired @ Home: Of the 101.7 million U.S. households, 37 percent are equipped for Internet access. However, some communities claim a much higher proportion of wired homes.
Here are the top ten.
72% San Francisco
67% Miami
65% Houston
65% Seattle/Tacoma
64% Washington, D.C.
64% San Diego
62% Cleveland/Akron
61% Atlanta
60% Dallas
60% Philadelphia
Source: Inteco Corp., a Norwalk, CT-based market research firm, surveyed 16,500 U.S. households in December 1998.
During a site visit to a city, the CVB sales rep not only treats you to a lovely dinner, but she also presents you with two Waterford goblets.
T-shirts and mugs are one thing, but is it ethical to accept such a pricey gift when you haven't committed to meeting in the city? That was one of the dilemmas raised on the Meeting Matters MIMList, a new listserv launched in mid-March for conference organizers, sponsored by the Meetings Industry Mall and Cardinal Communications.
Designed to give planners a forum to network, solve problems, and discuss hot industry topics, the listserv attracted more than 100 subscribers during its first week, says Rodman Marymor, CMP, managing partner, Cardinal Commu-nications, Berkeley, Calif. In addition to the gift dilemma, early e-mail flurries addressed basics, such as where to get information on the CMP (Certified Meeting Planner) program, and how best to organize one's workload.
Industry icon Joan Eisenstodt is the listserv's moderator, or as she calls herself, "provocateur." Eisenstodt initiates and responds to discussions, and also monitors the listserv, so that it will remain a professional forum. Members are not allowed to use it to promote their services, take personal jabs at planners they don't like, or name names when describing the behavior of ethically-challenged industry colleagues.
To sign up, visit www.mim.com/ mimlist. You have the option to receive the e-mails as they are sent, or as a daily digest of listserv activity.
