When laptops first appeared, computer manufacturers called them "freedom machines" and ran ads showing smiling users at the beach...

* CHANGING FACES Mike Mason has been promoted to vice president of sales and marketing for Opryland Hotel Florida, scheduled to open in February 2002. Mason was previously director of sales for El Conquistador Resort and Country Club in Puerto...

A meeting where attendees are beamed in for the day. A scanner that seeks out potential contacts at a trade show. Too far fetched? Not at all. The technology is already here...

Women's Meeting Group Launched The Women's Meeting Industry Leaders Council was recently launched by Christine Duffy, president of Philadelphia-based McGettigan Partners, one of the largest meeting management companies in the business. Duffy...

International events give attendees extra-special experiences. But with great opportunities come equally great challenges. You'll expect to spend more time dealing with travel, logistics, culture, communications, exchange rates - and bigger...

Open, accessible, flexible spaces that encourage staff meetings on a moment's notice; a light, airy room overlooking a courtyard or pool. We asked Cambridge, Mass. - based Thompson and Rose Architects to take a glimpse into the corporate...

In the new century, incentive planners will head off the beaten path to explore exotic cultures and distant lands. We've collected postcards from a few of the world's newest incentive locales...

The Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers has appointed Mark D. Tunney director of sales and marketing. Before joining the Sheraton Chicago, Tunney was vice president of sales for SeminarSource.com, headquartered in San Diego, Calif...

Need a Meeting Planner? A redesign of www.meetingjobs.com - a Web site that specializes in employment offerings in the meeting and event business, launched three years ago - offers some nifty new features. When employers post jobs, they now also...

Speakers and Breakouts Cover Range of Meeting and Travel Topics This year's annual meeting emphasized education, starting right in with the opening keynote address from Michael Shannon, president and CEO of KSL Recreation, which owns and manages...