October 2007

Eco-Friendly Features Are Gaining Ground In Meetings Industry

An increased awareness of the need to protect the earth’s environment has turned into a groundswell of support from planners, hotels, convention centers and trade-show providers for eco-friendly practices within the meetings and conventions industry.

Business Response Card

Destinations

Calgary

From bountiful Banff to cowboy Calgary, Alberta is a mélange of cultural and geographic appeal

When comedian Robin Williams quipped that Canada is “like a loft apartment over a really great party,” he drolly summarized America’s attitude toward its northern neighbor over the last half century.

Monterey

California’s Central Coast Offers Appealing Contrasts FOR GROUPS

A quick glimpse of California’s central coast might make you think that all those sunny beach towns, inland wineries and full-service hotels are the same—just one long coastal blur of activities and amenities.

Seattle

Geographically and Culturally Diverse, This Northwest State Never Ceases to Amaze

Traveling Seattleites, upon revealing their hometown to inquiring minds, often receive a response along the lines of, “Really? Cool!” Immediately afterward, however, the northwest city’s infamous stereotype surfaces, and the initial positive response is often followed by, “How do you deal with all that rain?”

Phoenix

THE VALLEY OF THE SUN CONTINUES TO ADD DAZZLE TO ITS APPEAL

A bird of ancient myth, the phoenix was said to live in the desert and to rise, reborn in youth and freshness, from a pyre of ashes.

San Mateo

Go-karts, ghosts and goat cheese

It’s a tall order to please a varied group of attendees after the meeting. But with a meeting in San Mateo—you can have it all.

Features

Coastal Bliss

California’s Central Coast Offers Appealing Contrasts FOR GROUPS

DESTINATION ALBERTA - MOUNTAIN MAJESTY

From Bountiful Banff to Cowboy Calgary, Alberta is a Mélange of Cultural and Geographic Appeal

Eco-Friendly Features Are Gaining Ground In Meetings Industry

INCENTIVE MEETINGS- Reap the Rewards

Strong incentive programs aren’t just good business–they’re a win-win for all.

READY, SET, GOAL!

A Simple Plan to Get You Where You Want To Be Next YearVisualize yourself on a bright sunny day in October 2008. Are you relaxing on a beach in Maui on a long-deserved vacation? In a glass-enclosed office with your name on the door? Sitting at the head of the boardroom table—leading the meeting instead of planning it?

SMART EVENTS- JUMP START THE HOLIDAYS

In Los Angeles, Santa is as likely to arrive wearing baggies and riding a surfboard as donning a red suit and driving a sleigh. But, while he may take on a local character, the underlying iconography of jolly old Saint Nick is universal.

SNAPSHOT: SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA

It’s a tall order to please a varied group of attendees after the meeting. Some prefer a trip to the beach or a whale-watching cruise, while others would rather catch a professional football game or play a round of golf. Maybe some are interested in sampling a glass of delicious California wine, straight from the barrel. But with a meeting in San Mateo—you can have it all.

Columns

Smart Spaces: Casa Del Mar, Los Cabos, Mexico

Departments

Headlines: October 2007

Healthy Meetings: Eco Spa Trends

As it turns out, Kermit the Frog may have been wrong: It’s actually rather easy to be green, particularly when it comes to providing eco-conscious spa offerings during meetings.

Food + Beverage

A TREND AND A TWIST

According to futurist and trend-spotter Faith Popcorn (real name Faith Plotkin, in case you’ve ever wondered), three makes a trend. See or hear it once, it’s an exception. Twice are a couple of anomalies. But three—that’s a trend.

Give Me 5

Interview with Michael Beardsley

Chief Executive Officer Inn Fluent, LLC, Ashburn, Virginia

Quick Quips

Mistakes on a Plane?

AirCell, a leading wireless data and voice communications provider, is partnering with American Airlines to bring Wi-Fi to the skies in 2008.

Select Sites

On The Road

Those lucky enough to have traveled along the legendary Maui Highway know the difficulty of imagining anything civilized exists at the end of this 52-mile zigzag.

Sleep (Environmentally) Soundly

“Eco-friendly” is just about the hottest trend in the industrialized world these days, and it's quickly spreading to the meetings industry.

Technophiles

CYBER SENTINELS

For as long as people have been using money, they’ve had to worry about other people trying to steal it from them. From pirates to bank robbers to subway pickpockets, the existence of currency has spawned an infinitely diverse range of plots for taking it away.

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FALL ROUND-UP

Blush: As the latest in the long line of swish nightclubs with one-word names, Blush, at Wynn Las Vegas, aims to succeed where its predecessor, Lure, did not.

Win A Trip to Mexico

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Smart Meetings: The Intelligent Way to Plan in the Western Region

Smart Meetings

The Intelligent way to plan in the Western Region