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The devastating storm season has pushed airfares higher for meeting attendees and has helped drive two major U.S. air carriers into bankruptcy. The cause is the availability and cost of [...]

The phenomenon of the blog (an online journal) has affected American politics, business and culture, and, of course, the meetings industry. A 'blogosphere' (a giant community of blogs) devoted to [...]

On the verge of its 10th anniversary, HP World, a yearly gathering of Hewlett-Packard computer users, has been canceled because the show's producer, Sunnyvale, Calif.-based International Association of Hewlett-Packard Computing [...]

Believe it or not, guzzling too much water could have negative--even deadly--consequences. A study published this past spring in the New England Journal of Medicine found that 13 percent of [...]

After halting its high-speed Acela trains this spring due to brakedisc cracks, Amtrak resumed some of its Acela Express service along the Northeast corridor in mid-July, with full resumption slated [...]

In the wake of 9/11, widely held anxiety over jet travel inspired installation of videoconferencing technology at meeting facilities and corporate offices around the world. Why board a jet and [...]

America's fastest growing spectator sport, NASCAR currently is searching for a home city for its new Hall of Fame. Five finalists--Atlanta; Charlotte, N.C.; Daytona Beach, Fla.; Richmond, Va.; and Kansas [...]

In business and personal dealings, verbal conflicts can arise. How to use words wisely? Following are tips on verbal self-defense from Suzette Haden Elgin, Ph.D., author of How to Disagree [...]

Poker, specifically the game of Texas Hold 'Em, has temporarily taken over American culture (remember cigar bars and Tamagotchi?). Multiple TV networks--like Bravo, ESPN and the Travel Channel--now regularly broadcast [...]

Following a year of hard negotiations, participants hammered out a deal on May 5 to relax complicated workplace rules and bring down labor costs at Chicago's McCormick Place, the country's [...]

The high cost and Byzantine rules of unionized labor at Chicago's McCormick Place appear to have driven away some of the Windy City's biggest and longest-running events, while other shows [...]

What would a resort hotel be like if it were run by the U.S. military? There s no need to wonder, since the Department of Defense owns and operates several [...]

Good news for travelers: Some low-cost carriers are busy expanding service around the country, and in several cities heated competition is driving down fares. In just the last month, AirTran, [...]

EVENT: The 2003 Biennial Conference of the Deaf Seniors of America, held at the Boston Marriott Copley Place. The five-day event drew 600 hearing-impaired senior citizens. PLANNER: Tom Keeves, director [...]

In December 2004, following a year of zigzag management decisions, Michael Bandy resigned as president of the Trade Show Exhibitors Association, effective March 31. Bandy, who has headed the Chicago-based [...]

San Francisco's Handlery Union Square Hotel (www.handlery.com), run by the Handlery family since 1948, is giving something back to the community: free meeting space. Since October, the Handlery has offered [...]

In late November 2004, the Baltimore Development Corp. announced a $290 million plan to build a 100 percent publicly funded 750-room Hilton next to the underperforming Baltimore Convention Center. Some [...]

EVENT: The 75th anniversary party for Business Week magazine, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, Sept. 30, 2004 PLANNER: Ethan Rosch, principal with 19d, an [...]

Blaming a sluggish economy, 9/11, cut-throat pricing and ballooning fuel costs, ATA Airlines and its corporate parent, ATA Holdings Corp., filed for bankruptcy on Oct. 26. Indianapolis-based ATA, the nation's [...]

Park Hyatt Hotels has a new program that appeals to guests' sense of taste--and smell, sight, sound and touch. The chain's Ultimate Sensory Experience (www.ultimatesensoryexperience. coin) is just that. At [...]

EVENT: The 2003 Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament, held last November at the Oncenter Complex in downtown Syracuse, N.Y. The equestrian competition featured 41 events, 265 horses and scores of riders [...]

On Oct. 7, Darlene Armstrong, 36, the former director of finance at the Gateway Convention Center in Collinsville, Ill., pleaded not guilty to Federal grand jury charges she embezzled hundreds [...]

Fifty surviving employees of Windows on the World, the restaurant atop the World Trade Center destroyed in the terrorist attacks of 2001, will launch a worker-owned cooperative restaurant in New [...]

EVENT: The 2003 DECA Central Region Leadership Conference, held at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, Dec. 4-6. The event drew 3,800 high school marketing students to participate in an educational forum. [...]

The American Society of Association Executives and the Center for Association Leadership announced it will launch a 'Business of Meetings' certificate program for association meeting professionals in spring 2005. M&C [...]

EVENT: The 21st annual Firehouse Expo, held at the Baltimore Convention Center July 13-17, 2004. The event brought together some 15,000 firefighters and EMS and rescue personnel for education and [...]

The Greater Akron Lodging Council, claiming dissatisfaction with operations at Ohio's Akron/Summit Convention and Visitors Bureau, intends to boycott all group business referred from the bureau beginning Sept. 1. The [...]

Controversial and unusual laws are on the books across the United States. Knowing about such legal oddities can prevent misunderstandings as you choose a site for your next event. For [...]

Self-service technology has dramatically streamlined banking, photo printing, auto fueling and even air travel. Now, check-in kiosks are coming to a hotel lobby near you. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide [...]

EVENT: The U.S. Green Building Council's annual Greenbuild conference, held in Pittsburgh last November. The three-day meeting featured sessions for thousands of building industry professionals on environment-friendly building design, construction [...]

Montreal dates back to 1642, when Paul de Chomedy de Maisonneuve, founder of the city, planted a wooden cross on Mount Royal. Now, a rainbow of lights is illuminating many [...]

How the mighty have fallen: In late June, MediaLive International canceled the 2004 Comdex technology event, scheduled tn open Nov. 14 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Comdex was once [...]

NOW is the season to splash in the pool, bask in the heat end fire up the trusty barbecue. But take a moment, the USDA cautions, to make sure outdoor [...]

EVENT: The American Foundation for the Blind's annual Josephine Taylor Leadership Conference, March 5-7 at the Washington (D.C.) Marriott. The event brought together 200 leaders to strategize, build coalitions and [...]

Meeting-goers traveling by car this summer will pay the steepest gasoline prices in U.S. history. As the nationwide average per-gallon cost of unleaded soars well past $2, planners can save [...]

EVENT: A design-training and business-strategy workshop for about 50 company owners, interior designers, decorators and home improvement sales-people, held in April in Buffalo, N.Y. The event was the first in [...]

The split between the 104 year-old American Hardware Manufacturers Association and trade show behemoth Reed Exhibitions has played out like a vicious divorce--with power tools. After 27 years producing the [...]

After more than a century in the hospitality business, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts knows that anything left unsaid is apt to create trouble. Following are some pearls of wisdom from [...]

In January, politicians and business leaders in Memphis, Tenn., finally cut the ribbon on a bigger, better Memphis Cook Convention Center. Now the city and county must grapple with $45 [...]

One year after the SARS crisis decimated travel to Toronto, the city is on a rebound. Rising hotel occupancy rates and aggressive promotional spending are helping the cause. Indeed, SARS' [...]

The article discusses the sale of Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Art at Sotherby's in London on November 23, 1987. The sale opened showcasing bronze images, thang-ka banner paintings and ritual objects from Tibet and Nepal. It is suggested that the sale of Nepalese stone sculptures showed better acceptance from the collectors than the wood sculptures. According to the author the lots assigned for Burmese, Thai and Khmer art featured sandstone figures from the Baphoun period, Angkor War period and a sandstone figure Prajnaparamita, the four-armed goddess of wisdom.

The article reports on the auction of Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian art at Sotheby's in London, England, on November 24, 1986. The event was able to establish a world record for an Indian object at auction with Lot 61. This South Indian bronze figure of Siva Nataraja, which originated from the twelfth to thirteenth century of the Chola period, was bought for 132,000 pounds. Among the Himalayan images was a seventeenth century Tibetan gilt-bronze figure of the standing Avalokitesvara-Padmapani, which was purchased for 3000 pounds.

The article presents a roundup of developments at different gaming destinations around the world. The Borgata hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey, has completed an expansion of its amenities, adding more space to the casino, retail and dining areas. The Agua Caliente Casino in California is undergoing a renovation. The Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut, is poised to become a major player for convention business in the Northeast after its expansion.

The article focuses on the impact of the changes in the process for entering the U.S. on foreign travelers who attend U.S. meetings. The most common problem encountered by foreign travelers concerns visa application. According to association planner Michael Starkweather, attendees who are having a difficult time getting in are mostly from Asia and the Middle East.

The article focuses on the need for meeting planners to ensure that their events benefit other people in the U.S. Planners can spread awareness of poverty and hunger, promote volunteerism and demand environmental responsibility by improving the experience of meeting and convention attendees. They should select destinations that need economic help such as the Gulf Coast region affected by Hurricane Katrina and promote environmental protection. Planners should also select hotels that have environmental protection programs.

The article provides information on an accreditation program for convention and visitor bureaus (CVB) launched by the Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI). A brief description of the role of a CVB is provided. To become an accredited destination marketing organization, a CVB must complete an application process whereby it must comply wih both mandatory and voluntary standards.

The article discusses the issue of security for convention and trade show attendees. After the August 10, 2006 event when authorities in Great Britain arrested 21 people suspected to be plotting an attack on aircraft using home-made bombs, all liquids were immediately banned from aircraft and have heightened the fear from attendees to travel. Travel security experts advised to keep attendees well informed to be able to keep them flying to events.

The article discusses the responsibility of meeting planners to protect the personal data of attendees from identity theft. According to Jeff Rasco, certified meeting professional and president of Attendee Management Inc., thousands of individuals are at risk if meeting planners fail to protect such information. Planners could also expose themselves to lawsuits if they fail to protect attendee's personal data.

The article provides information on the products and services offered to the meetings industry by several airline companies in the U.S. Alaska Airlines/ Horizon Air gives fare discounts for groups of 10 or more traveling together on the outbound leg of a trip. American Arlines offers a group travel desk and programs tailored to association meetings, company meetings and group incentive travel programs. Continental Airlines splits its Group & Meeting Travel operations into two parts, GroupWorks and MeetingWorks.