http://smartmeetings.com/articles 2009-11-21T01:24:29Z Carolyn Koenig http://smartmeetings.com/articles/show/trade-shows-down-but-not-out 2009-11-21T01:24:29Z Carolyn Koenig

Evolution in progress

 Fewer booths. Smaller booths. Fewer people staffing the booths. Fewer attendees. Depending on the industry (with healthcare the notable exception), this has been an all-too- familiar scenario at trade shows this year. According to industry research and monitoring, “All average economic indicators of attendance, number of exhibitors, and total square footage of exhibit space have been down significantly compared to 2008,” says Jonathan “Skip” Cox, CEO and president of ... http://smartmeetings.com/articles/show/trade-shows-down-but-not-out http://smartmeetings.com/articles/show/history-in-the-making 2009-11-21T01:20:40Z Talia Salem

Hotels with a big past add class, style and intrigue to events

Historic hotels have a unique quality about them: many people have walked their corridors, slept in their beds, met in their ballrooms and, in short, made history there. These properties are reflective of the time periods in which they were built, done up in the style of the time—with the décor to match—evoking the aesthetic of a bygone era. And while hip and happening might have allure, historic properties add depth and complexity to meetings and events. Properties with a ... http://smartmeetings.com/articles/show/history-in-the-making http://smartmeetings.com/articles/show/techno-speak 2009-11-21T01:12:51Z John Anderson

Way above A/Verage

Admit it, how many of you used to poke fun at members of the A/V club in high school—those fellow students who earnestly went about operating video cameras and lighting for school functions. Call it revenge of the nerds, but a meeting planner has to rely heavily on an accomplished A/V technician (and former club member?) to successfully pull off even the most basic of meeting or event. From sound to video and lighting, modern A/V equipment is highly technical and getting more so all the... http://smartmeetings.com/articles/show/techno-speak http://smartmeetings.com/articles/show/soap-story 2009-11-21T01:11:03Z John Anderson

Sustainable suds

There are recycling bins in the guest rooms and lobbies, energy-efficient fluorescent lights in all the fixtures, locally sourced food in the kitchen, temperature-controlled rooms throughout the property and options for guests to reuse their towels and bedding. All of these programs are wonderful ways for hotels to go green and create a more eco-friendly world, while allowing attendees to participate in sustainable practices. But what about all those bars of soap used just once for a morning ... http://smartmeetings.com/articles/show/soap-story http://smartmeetings.com/articles/show/interview-with-cheryl-lancaster-cmp 2009-11-21T01:05:42Z Carolyn Koenig

Interview with Cheryl Lancaster, CMPTMS Emergency Planning & ResponseCorporate Meeting SpecialistToyota Motor Sales, Inc.Torrance, Calif.

Cheryl Lancaster, CMP has been in the meetings industry for more than 15 years and a member of MPISCC since 1997. After graduation from the University of Southern California, she worked for Kraft Foods, coordinating events, and later moved into management for United Church, with responsibility for events, conventions and summer conferences. For the past 10 years, she has been with Toyota Motor Sales, Inc. in Torrance, Calif. as a Corporate Meeting Specialist. In this role, Lancaster manages 2... http://smartmeetings.com/articles/show/interview-with-cheryl-lancaster-cmp http://smartmeetings.com/articles/show/smart-sites-december-2009 2009-11-21T00:58:21Z John Anderson

The High Lonesome Ranch and Borrego Ranch Resort & Spa

Cowboy CountryIt sounds like something out of an old-time Western movie, with coyotes howling in the distance, cowboys singing around a campfire and the white-hatted hero riding off into the sunset. But when the name of your property is The High Lonesome Ranch, romantic notions of the wide-open West are sure to come to mind. And the 300-square-mile ranch in western Colorado near Grand Junction and the Bookcliff Mountains, has plenty of sagebrush, purple hues and acres of pine forests to make ... http://smartmeetings.com/articles/show/smart-sites-december-2009 http://smartmeetings.com/articles/show/the-sweet-stuff 2009-11-21T00:55:44Z Macie Schreibman

It’s a picture-perfect winter getaway: A beautiful mountain, pine trees, working gondolas, rustic lodging with snow-covered rooftops and a train that rides through town. Oh, and did we mentio...

It’s a picture-perfect winter getaway: A beautiful mountain, pine trees, working gondolas, rustic lodging with snow-covered rooftops and a train that rides through town. Oh, and did we mention it’s made entirely of chocolate? The masterpiece, created by Ned Archibald, executive pastry chef at the Keystone Resort in Colorado, would make Willy Wonka himself jealous. “It spans 27 feet from one end to the other,” says Archibald, who has made the chocolate village, complete... http://smartmeetings.com/articles/show/the-sweet-stuff http://smartmeetings.com/articles/show/be-authentic 2009-11-21T00:53:40Z Mike Robbins

True to yourself

 How often do you not say or do something because you’re worried about how it’ll be perceived? For most of us, myself included, this happens more often then we’d like to admit—especially in the high stress, deadline-driven meetings industry and in these challenging economic times.We live in a culture and work in an industry that is starving for authenticity. We want our clients, vendors, co-workers, colleagues and everyone else we work and interact with to tell us the ... http://smartmeetings.com/articles/show/be-authentic http://smartmeetings.com/articles/show/legal-brierfs-contracts-and-attrition 2009-11-21T00:51:38Z Patricia F. Zollman, CMP

Attrition anticipation

 First the good news: Meeting planners should anticipate favorable pricing to continue in 2010, according to the Carlson Wagonlit Travel North America 2010 pricing forecast released this fall. But the bad news is that travel expenses will go up, due to increases that are expected in airfares as airlines plan capacity reductions to take place before the end of the year. With meeting spending down roughly 20% (which partly accounts for the favorable prices), planners have been looking at longer... http://smartmeetings.com/articles/show/legal-brierfs-contracts-and-attrition http://smartmeetings.com/articles/show/healthy-meetings-preventing-h1n1 2009-11-20T23:44:32Z Julie Keller

Surviving flu season

 Business travel is a venture that can be fraught with potential health perils, thanks to airplane travel, handshaking, close quarters and accommodations in which a sick person may have stayed in your hotel room prior to your arrival. This season is particularly perilous thanks to H1N1, also known as the swine flu—a virulent strain of the flu that can be downright dangerous, and in some cases, deadly. Thankfully, there are many ways you can protect yourself and your attendees during you... http://smartmeetings.com/articles/show/healthy-meetings-preventing-h1n1