The Meetings Industry and You

Recently, I attended a meeting called "Leading the Way...A Brain Trust for Success."  This meeting, presented by the Professional Convention Management Association, consisted of about 40 planners and suppliers discussing the current economy and its impact on the meetings industry.

Because of the state of the economy, you may have been hearing a lot of negative things about meetings and conventions.  As a counterpoint, let me say that I believe we need meetings now more than ever!   Face-to-face time is valuable to any industry, during both good and not-so-good times.  Meetings drive new ideas, and new ideas mean added value to your knowledge and services.

SLA is committed to keeping our meetings relevant and focused on education and learning.  While there will be some fun activities centered on the Centennial Celebration, the primary reason for the SLA conference is education.  With more than 200 sessions, there will be educational opportunities for everyone to benefit from.  To review this year’s sessions and continuing education courses, check out the online personal planner.

Association Meetings and Revenue
Do you know that meetings like the 2009 Annual Conference & INFO-EXPO account for more than 40% of SLA’s operating income?  Without the conference and other meetings, we would be unable to continue providing a lot of the services we offer.  Membership dues typically do not cover the costs of doing business at an association.  Meetings bring in sponsorships, in-kind gifts, and registration revenue to help offset those costs. 

The Meetings Industry and Localities
Did you also know that conferences and conventions bring a lot of local tax revenue to the cities that host them?  A conference the size of SLA’s brings in roughly $10 million for the host city.  This amount includes everything from hotel taxes to the convention center rental fee to restaurant taxes to cab fares.   Can you imagine what local municipalities would lose if meetings were cancelled?  Schools, government, and services all would be affected.  

What Can You Do?

1. First, visit the new Web site of the “Meetings Mean Business” campaign. This all-encompassing site is an excellent source for campaign updates, press releases, key data on travel industry statistics and the value of meetings, and industry guidelines for meetings and events.
2. If you want to help keep America meeting, learn how to spread the word:
   • Send a letter to your representatives in Congress.  It’s easy to do. You’ll find a draft of an e-mail letter you can use or edit as you see fit.  The Web site will send your letter directly to your representatives in the House and Senate.  In a matter of minutes, your voice will be heard!
   • Sign the petition to “Keep America Meeting.”
   • Follow one of the many other suggestions on how to take action!
3. Attend meetings and conferences.  We sincerely hope you will be meeting with us in June at the SLA 2009 Annual Conference & INFO-EXPO.  On the SLA Conference Connections blog, you’ll find tips on how to convince your boss that you need to attend as well as reasons you should attend. 

Conferences, conventions, and meetings affect us all.  I hope you’ll be able to continue to support SLA and its efforts to keep meetings informative, educational, and relevant.  We look forward to seeing you in June! 

Questions?  Need more information?  Please feel free to send me an e-mail at kfoldvik@sla.org.  

Comments

[Sharon Noble]

Thank you, well said, Kristin! I work in the Meetings industry and a few high-profile cases (i.e. AIG), plus comments and policy from government, have had a very negative impact on the meeting and hospitality industry.

[Kristin Foldvik]

Ben Stein also wrote about this in Sunday's New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/business/22every.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Don't%20Blame%20the%20Business%20Trip&st=cse

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