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Image - Smart Meetings Business Meeting Professionals Magazine Cover September 2008

September 2008

Political Parties

Preparing for the Biggest Conventions of the Year

Business Response Card

Destinations

Orange County

Orange County’s coastal communities offer fun-in-the-sun and meetings allure

Coastal Orange County segues seamlessly from Los Angeles south to San Diego for 42 scenic miles. Along its Pacific shore are sandy coves, sheltered harbors and a handful of beach and waterfront towns that individually, and collectively, offer great appeal.

Honolulu

Contemporary, but true to its roots

While some destinations find it difficult to meld their past and present, Hawaii celebrates its rich history as part of daily life.

Utah Valley

Get away to it all!

A region of high-desert landscapes dotted with attractive mid-sized communities like Provo and Orem, the Utah Valley epitomizes a locale where you can get away from it all without leaving it all behind.

Reno

In Reno, unlimited recreation and luxurious resorts -surprisingly equate to affordability

City leaders must have racked their brains before settling on Reno’s official nickname, “The Biggest Little City in the World.” After all, how does one even begin to capture the essence of a place this unequivocally unique, diverse and indefinable?

Salt Lake City

Greater Salt Lake is a study in contrasts

Encapsulating Utah’s capital and largest city can be a challenge. Outdoor oasis with a country feel? Mecca for the Mormon faith? Sophisticated meeting metropolis with a wealth of attractions? Hive of alternative activity?

Features

All for One And One for All

Team building can be exhilarating, fun and productive

Forget Lowered Expectations

Here’s how to maintain venue affordability—and make it look like you didn’t

Political Parties

Preparing for the Biggest Conventions of the Year

The Incentive Game

The Stakes Are Getting Higher in a Tight Economy

Columns

HEALTHY MEETINGS: The Suite Life

Spas, for the most part, are havens of relaxation and quiet places for introspection and individual healing. While they certainly provide a soothing environment that any busy meeting-goer might crave, the traditional spa setting is not necessarily conducive to creativity and interaction between colleagues, which is the goal of most meetings. Nowadays, however, there is a superb solution found at many spas that combines the serenity of the spa with a social element that allows attendees to better get to know one another—spa suites.

SMART MONEY: Balancing Act

In many ways, planning and handling meetings is similar to the experience of dining out. It’s exciting choosing the restaurant, dressing up and picking out the appetizers, entrée and wine. When you’re hungry and having fun, money doesn’t seem all that important. Afterward, however, when you’re full and lethargic, the bill is dropped and reality abruptly returns. “Wow, did we really order all this food?”

VIEW FROM VEGAS: Into the Desert

The fall season is a perfect time to take advantage of the beauty of the desert around Las Vegas for a little team-building fun.

Chef's Table

Box It Up

We’ve all been there lately—sticker shock when the supermarket cashier totals up our groceries for the week. Restaurants are feeling the same pain, as are hotel food & beverage directors and catering managers. We respond personally by trimming our expectations: out-of-season fruit? Nope. Imported canned Italian tomatoes? Not this month. House brands? Yes.

Did You Know

Free Charity

Sometimes the most challenging part of setting up a charitable fund within your company or organization isn’t just finding the support, but simply finding the time to make it happen.

Give Me 5

Interview with Karl Hoagland, Chairman Larkspur Hotels & Restaurants Larkspur, Calif.

Karl Hoagland, chairman of Larkspur Hotels & Restaurants, began his career with Goldman Sachs in New York, where he was an analyst in the firm’s mergers and acquisitions department. He later moved to California and joined Montgomery Securities in San Francisco, specializing in the gaming and lodging industry. While at Montgomery Securities, he successfully took numerous companies public and raised capital for clients such as Doubletree, Red Lion, La Quinta and Marriott, among others.

Smart Planner

What's in your binder?

“It’s in The Binder!” “Did you check The Binder?” “Where’s The Binder?”  How many times have you uttered these words while planning and executing a meeting! We all use a version of “The Binder,” otherwise known as “The Bible,” “The Playbook” and “My Lifeline.” It’s the road map of the meeting—everything we need to be successful is right there, inside that binder. In fact, any competent planner should be able to pick up a complete meeting binder and manage the meeting it was created for, from start to finish.

Techno Files

Beam Me Up, Scotty

Throughout the rise of Internet technology, the potential for online meetings has long been a small elephant in the room when meeting professionals discuss the future of the industry. On one hand, virtual meetings carried the promise of cutting millions of dollars in travel expense and time spent out of the office. On the other, many planners and business people swore that digital meetings—no matter how life-like—would never be able to replace the value of the face-to-face.

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A publication tailored for you, the meeting planner professional. We focus exclusively on locations in the western United States (including Alaska and Hawaii), Mexico and Canada.