Going Green

CMI BROKE NEW GROUND with “The Green Movement: It's In Your Hands” in NOVEMBER 1991. “How important is a destination's environmental record?” we asked. “Is the green that guides site selection decisions often the dollar bill and not the environment?”

Downsizing Takes Hold

THE FEBRUARY 1994 COVER STORY dealt with a topic that has reshaped corporate America — downsizing. Our focus: How can planners use meetings to communicate change?

Beyond Borders

CMI TOOK THE LEAD as the expert in international meeting planning with our first issue of Beyond Borders in JUNE 1994. The supplement is sent only to readers who plan meetings overseas. Early topics ranged from budgeting to shipping to security.

Visionary CEOs

THROUGHOUT THE YEARS, many corporate leaders have graced our covers, all of whom have visionary philosophies about meeting and motivating: George Zimmer, Men's Wearhouse (MARCH 1999); Collen Barrett, Southwest Airlines (MAY 1994); Barry and Eliot Tatelman, Jordan's Furniture (SEPTEMBER 1999); Tom Chappell, Tom's of Maine (MAY 1998); and Jerry Greenfield and Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry's (NOVEMBER 1998).

Never Forget

THE MOST DIFFICULT magazine we've ever had to produce was the issue right after 9/11. Three years later, we're still reporting on the security and safety precautions that are now a permanent part of the planning landscape.

A New Millennium

FOR OUR FINAL ISSUE OF THE 20th CENTURY, we turned to trend watchers including Megatrends author John Naisbitt to tell us how meetings would shape — and be shaped by — the future. “Meetings will become more important as a way to increase the human interaction that technology has eroded,” he predicted.

Golf Experts

OUR READERS JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH when it comes to information on planning golf events. So in APRIL 1994, we devoted an entire issue of CMI to the subject — and we've been doing so every April since.

Talking Politics

AGAIN AND AGAIN, we have seen that the politics of a new administration can affect the meeting and incentive industry. We explored the topic in 1992 when we questioned industry leaders about the views of George Bush versus Bill Clinton, and again in 2005, when we reported on the re-election of George W. Bush.

The Face Behind the Name

BILL MARRIOTT JR. was interviewed by CMI back in 1983, in the days when the company owned 128 hotels. Marriott now has nearly 2,800 lodging properties in the United States and 69 other countries.

An Incentive Pro: Then and Now

SOME PEOPLE have grown up in this business, and Jim Dittman of Dittman Incentive Marketing, our MAY 1989 cover, is certainly one of them. Editor Connie Goldstein called him “smart, creative, and respected” — and he still is.

Our Favorite Story Ever

THE SEPTEMBER 2000 COVER STORY still brings tears to our eyes almost five years later. We followed Sterling Jewelers to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, where high-selling salespeople had the opportunity to meet cancer researchers — and the children — as their incentive reward and the culmination of a fund-raising program. “A hundred years from now, no one is going to know how you lived,” said Richard Shadyac, executive director of St. Jude, to the Sterling winners. “But if you make a difference, they'll know you were here. And you people at Sterling have made a difference.”

Inclusive Meetings

MULTICULTURALISM WAS AS MUCH of an issue 10 years ago as it is today. In 1992 AND 1994, we explored how to motivate people from different cultures. We've come a long way — but there's still more to learn.

Deadly Staff Meetings

TEN YEARS APART, in 1994 AND 2004, we tackled the universal challenge of keeping in-house staff meetings fresh. We even critiqued our own weekly meeting to find solutions.

Award Winner

CMI WON A JOURNALISM AWARD from the Society of Incentive & Travel Executives for “Rethinking Incentive Travel: Reward or Investment?” The article explored ways to more tightly align incentive programs with objectives.

Glamour Girl!

WE ALL KNOW what a glam job meeting planning can be (?) — and here's living proof: Joan Harrison, corporate travel manager of Cosmair Inc., playing up the image!