IN THE AFTERMATH of 9/11, Toby Brenner, president and CEO of Par Avion Meetings and Conventions in Los Angeles, had a client cancel a series of conferences, which resulted in some serious attrition fee exposure for the client. Through some...

The CAN-SPAM Act went into effect January 1, restricting unsolicited commercial e-mail and imposing stiff penalties for violations. The Act defines “unsolicited e-mail” as “any electronic mail message the primary purpose of which is the commercial...

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While giving a recent wrap-up on the election and its effects on issues relating to travel and tourism, Rick Webster, director of government affairs for the Travel Industry Association of America, jokingly downplayed the election outcome. “I think...

We went straight to the experts — Susan Friedman, author of Meeting Planning For Dummies; Bonnie Wallsh, chief solutions officer, Bonnie Wallsh Associates, and a popular industry educator; and Ruth Levine, founder of Speak Inc. — to get their...

So, you think planning a family conference is child's play? Not quite. The family conference comes with its own set of planning challenges. Review this checklist to get a sense of the issues that need to be addressed...

Honoring the best culinary creations in the meetings industry, the Convention Industry Council announced the winners of the first annual APEX Food and Beverage Challenge...

If you are going to master the fundamentals of religious meeting planning, it's important to keep in mind this question: What makes planning a religious meeting different from any other meeting? Here are a few distinctions...

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I was a presenter at a session on inbound international meetings at the Professional Convention Management Association meeting in Hawaii last month. Planners in that session said their greatest challenge in getting international attendees to their...