This post courtesy of regular magazine contributor and occasional guest blogger Kay Carstens--I wasn't sure which category to file it under, Strange but true or Destinations!
It doesn’t yet offer a lot for meeting planners, but for an out-of-this-world incentive or perhaps for way-future meetings . . . who knows? The Space Tourism Initiative, a new organization of the emerging space tourism industry, privately funded spaceships dedicated to carrying commercial passengers on space flights, has announced the "Space Tourism Summit, a trade-only event for professionals in space tourism" and the "Space Tourism Conference, an event for would-be space tourists." Both annual events begin with conferences (and a trade show?) in 2005.
The Space Tourism Initiative produces trade events allowing industry leaders and professionals to interact and drive the industry. It also provides potential space tourists opportunities to meet and evaluate with space travel companies the variety of space options available to them, so tourists can select those most suited to their needs and interests.
"Led by scientists and start-up entrepreneurs, space tourism is now attracting great consumer attention and generating buzz among businesses, investors and governments," Christopher Sherman, director of the Space Tourism Initiative, told Business News Service. "Burt Rutan's Mojave Aerospace Ventures' garnering the X Prize and Sir Richard Branson's formation of Virgin Galactic, which aims to be a commercial space tourism operator, is only the beginning. Additional details on the two conferences will be available here and and here
To comment on this post, click on "comments" below. To receive a weekly blog update, e-mail Sue.