Back in 2005, when I first heard about Kelli Livers' consolidation plans for AIG, the idea of a company-wide strategic meetings management program was just a gleam in her visionary eye. Today, SMMP is a hot-button acronym in the meetings industry ...
“I love the [financial and insurance] meeting segment,” says Leonard Hoops, executive vice president, sales and marketing, for the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau. “They aren't as price-sensitive as the association market. They are...
Unsettled weather from Hurricane Dean did not stop the 15 senior-level planners who traveled to Ritz-Carlton's Insurance Educational Weekend in August to hear updates about doing business in the U.S. Virgin Islands, learn about Ritz-Carlton brand...
It's been 17 years since the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law. Today, everyone is more attuned to accessibility in all areas, including meetings and events, but meeting professionals need to keep on their guard during site...
All key exhibition industry metrics rose in the second quarter, including the biggest gainers, revenue and attendance, according to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research’s CEIR Index...
While wildfires raged around San Diego last week, the San Diego Convention Center remained—and remains—“open for business,” according to Steve Johnson, vice president of public affairs for the San Diego Convention Center Corp...
Business travel costs will continue to rise in 2008, according to the annual American Express Global Business Travel Forecast, which was released last week...
With airport security hassles and overcrowded flights a fact of life for on-the-go meeting professionals and their attendees, we caught up with Peter Greenberg, travel editor for NBC’s “The Today Show,” to get his four best tips for reducing air...
Most benchmarking around strategic meeting management programs has focused on U.S. companies—until now. A new white paper released by Advito, the Dallas-based independent consulting division of BCD Travel, profiles several European companies’...
Meeting Professionals International Chicago Area Chapter is holding a daylong conference dedicated to addressing issues facing female leaders. The 2007 MPI-CAC Women's Leadership Conference—geared toward full- and part-time meeting planners...
