Administration Officials “Tuned In” to Meetings

The meetings industry has gotten the attention of the Obama administration and has a strong supporter in Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, according to a high-ranking official with the U.S. Office of Travel and Tourism Industries, speaking at the Exhibition and Convention Executive Forum in Washington on June 11.

“You are so important to this global economy and this recovery,” said Helen Marano, director, Office of Travel and Tourism Industries, speaking at ECEF, an invitation-only event attended by 218 exhibition executives. Marano, whose office reports to the Department of Commerce, said that government officials have “gotten the message” about the importance of meetings. A particularly strong advocate for meetings is Commerce Secretary Gary Locke. Locke recently met with the OTTI’s Travel and Tourism Advisory Board—which includes hospitality industry leaders—and told them he believes that meetings and events are vital to the economy and that the rhetoric about meetings on both Capitol Hill and in the media needs to be toned down.

Meetings and travel are “in the dialogue” in Washington, much more now than they have been in the past, Marano added. As the head of the OTTI, she feels more positive about the attention travel issues are getting than she has for a long time. She added that commerce and travel officials are open to speaking about travel and meetings in the media and at events.

“They are all very tuned in to it, especially the meetings side,” she said, including President Obama, who met with travel industry leaders in March. Geoff Freeman, senior vice president at U.S. Travel, who also spoke at ECEF, said a big reason for the recognition in Washington is that the industry stood up for itself. “Because we fought back, these issues have gotten attention like never before,” said Freeman. Speaking of the meeting at the White House, Freeman said the conversation with the president was a surprise. They had initially planned to meet with Lawrence Summers, director of the National Economic Council, and Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to the president, but Obama expressed an interest in attending and met with the hospitality leaders for 40 minutes.

RSS Share

Want to use this article? Click here for options!
© 2012 Penton Media Inc.


Acceptable Use Policy
blog comments powered by Disqus

Search 125,000+ Venues

Search Meeting Space

Find Event Venues with Cvent

The Meeting Planning Blog

Face2Face Latest Posts

Sign Up for Our Free E-Newsletters



Meetings Collaborative

Rate your experience with meeting venues and suppliers.

Facility / Hotel

 
Powered by: Meetings Collaborative
Aega Awards

Latest Webinar

Beyond Marketing: What Else Social Media Can Do for Your Meetings
Thursday, May 24 | 2-3 p.m. EST

Most associations know that online social networks can be handy tools to spread the word about their meetings and events. But social media can do so much more than market. Our social media expert will uncover ways you can leverage social media to discover the educational content your members are craving, engage and energize your community, build relationships, and even simplify your meeting processes. Register Now!

VIEW ALL ARCHIVED WEBINARS

Recent Comments

Powered by Disqus

Back to Top

Explore Our Newsletters


Meeting Planner Survival Guide

Whether you're a novice planner or a veteran, this compilation of must-read articles is your meeting planning resource.

Must-See Meeting Files

Visit the MeetingsNet expert-advice site, where we’ve got top meeting pros on camera answering a variety of your questions as well as a collection of educational—and sometimes offbeat—editors’ pick lists — from the top tech tools to the best books for meeting professionals.

Suppliers/
Facilities/CVBs

MeetingsNet makes it easy to find the CVBs, tourist boards, and facilities you need for your next meeting.

Deal Finder

Special offers brought to you by MeetingsNet.

Find A Job

Targeted to all aspects of the hospitality and special events industry.

SMM PORTAL

Your source for Strategic Meetings Management info and intelligence

Facebook   Twitter   LinkedIn   RSS Feed

Inside Current Issue

April AM

April 2012

December AM

December 2011

October AM

October 2011

August AM

August 2011

April 2011

Browse Back Issues