I'm not a golfer, but events like the Meeting Industry Ladies Organization—or MILO—make it almost worth taking up. It's not just networking, and it's not just golf, at least not this year. MILO's organizers have added an educational component to the event. Here's some info my colleague sent me about it:
Its upcoming event, May 3–6 at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines, will feature an educational session from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on Monday, May 4, followed by an evening reception and the 2009 MILO Tabletop Tradeshow. For those meeting planners who do not play golf, registration for the evening, to be held at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, is complimentary.
Terri Breining, CMP, CMM, President and CEO of Concepts Worldwide, Carlsbad, Calif., will lead MILO’s education session. Topics will include the state of the economy; the evolving role of meeting planners in business; the changing role of MILO; selling during tough times; and planning with anemic budgets. Also new this year will be a group discussion addressing how to book meetings in resort and gaming destinations, which will be held before the event’s opening reception on Sunday, May 3, and a one-hour roundtable wrap-up session on how MILO can assist the women of our industry in the future.