A big fan of ConentionPlanit.com, she calls the site "a reliable and current source for anything and everything meeting related. It's a one-stop shop for any planner."

With all the additional time required to learn these areas, Forsythe believes it is more vital than ever that meeting professionals find ways to do the meeting planning part of their jobs more efficiently, which is why she is a big fan of ConventionPlanit.com.

"I think ConventionPlanit.com is a great 'one stop shop' for nearly anything a planner can be looking for," she says. "I also really like the convenience of the online RFP feature."

She later worked for the Center for Energy and Environmental Management (CEEM) as a planner, and eventually was promoted to Director of Conferences.

In 1991, Kelso was tasked with opening Patriot Travel, a wholly owned subsidiary of CEEM, to capture the travel clientele in the immediate area near George Mason University, was promoted to president, and eventually purchased the agency. The company diversified and became Patriot Meetings, its biggest client being the British Standards Institution, which was then introducing the ISO 9000 Quality Standards to the United States. “We planned over 300 training meetings per year,” Kelso recalls.

Kelso’s relationship with ConventionPlanit.com Co-Founders David and Katherine Markham goes back many years to the days when David worked for David Green & Associates and Katherine worked for the Milwaukee CVB.

“They helped me out a great deal then and I came to respect what they did and how they did it,” she says. “I knew them to be knowledgeable, generous, and results-driven. When I heard they were creating ConventionPlanit.com I knew it would be a quality product and something I could count on. It turned out to be true. My favorite part is the RFP Valet® – David monitors that thing continuously. I have never had that kind of response from anybody. That is just how they operate – when you ask them for something they are going to do it for you. Period."

Malone has 20 years of experience in meeting planning, and before joining HIMSS in 1997 worked at Smith Bucklin Associates, the nation's largest association management company.

She has been recognized numerous times for her accomplishments. She was named by Meeting News Magazine one of the 25 most influential people in the meetings industry, in July 2006 was featured on the cover and the main story of Meetings and Conventions Magazine, in October 2006 was named by Tradeshow Week as one of the 100 most influential people in the tradeshow business, and in December 2006 was named by the ExpoGroup as Show Manager of the Year.

Malone uses all the resources she can find to help her plan events, and appreciates what ConventionPlanit.com has to offer. "The site is an excellent resource and toolkit," she says.

“It has been my pleasure to know the Convention Planit staff professionally for many years and can attest to the fact that this is indeed a top notch site for planners who are wearing many hats,” she says. “It brings together many aspects of the planning process that could easily be overlooked and simultaneously introduces ideas, trends, and contacts in a new and exciting fashion. This forces us to look towards the future and embrace change.”

Power's leadership skills distinguish her in the industry. As immediate past President & CEO of the Convention Industry Council (CIC), she fostered consensus on the industry's biggest issues among the 32 meetings-related associations that belong to the CIC.

In her new position as the Executive Director of the Human Resource Certification Institute, she works to strengthen the Institute's international presence. Powers is also making HRCI's certification designations a worldwide standard for the HR profession. She has a broad perspective on the industry, having worked for Sheraton and Inter-Continental Hotels for 20 years.

Always looking for new ideas herself, Power is a big fan of the "Stellar Tips" section of ConventionPlanit.com, where she finds some of the best new ideas from meeting professional colleagues.

Neale calls himself a "converted fan of ConventionPlanit.com as I now have at my disposal far greater information than I did previously…the time-saving is immense."

As an independent consultant, Rosenberg is a frequent speaker at MPI Conferences, Meetings West, Meetings Quest, and others. He teaches meeting and convention management at California State Universities at Long Beach and Dominguez Hills and has published several articles. He served on the San Diego Meetings Hotel Advisory Board and as President of the Southwest & Pacific Chapter of PCMA and the Southern California Chapter of MPI.

He is also a past faculty member for the Professional Convention Management Association, where he taught Basic Meeting Planning around the country.

Her skills in these and the many other areas of meeting planners have led to a 20+ year career in associations, 18 of which have been in meeting management. Suriani is responsible for several conferences each year, including an annual meeting with exhibits and several board meetings. She also does some independent work on special events and even planned a public show on residential housing for the District of Columbia.

In particular, Suriani finds ConventionPlanit.com to be especially helpful. "Just like the old commercials for yellow pages, I like letting my fingers do the walking," she says. "Just a couple of clicks and I can get information on a hotel, on a city, get tips from other professionals - without having to be put on hold or leave a message."

His background also includes positions as marketing communications director for Georgetown University Medical Center and director of marketing communications for the Brookings Institution. For over 17 years, he has directed, promoted and managed a variety of national, regional, and local events for trade professionals and consumers.

Tringale is also a frequent user of ConventionPlanit.com. His favorite feature? "Without a doubt, my favorite feature is the destination locator." he says. "The scope and quality of the content about each and every location is breathtaking! ConventionPlanit is truly my first stop and top priority when a new event project begins."

AMS has managed hundreds of conferences and several associations with a membership base ranging from 50 to 5,000. Williams is currently involved in the full-service management of three association clients with a rich history of stand-alone conference management agreements. With offices in Ohio and New York, AMS and Williams are noted in the hospitality industry for their integrity and attention to detail.

He is a member of the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and Meeting Professionals International (MPI). He is Past Chair of the International Relations Task Force and Committee of PCMA, past Board member of PCMA and a current Trustee of the PCMA Education Foundation.

His career has taken him to several associations, including the New York State Food Merchants Association in Tarrytown, New York, and later to the Direct Marketing Association in New York, where he worked for 12 years before joining the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).

Wood especially likes the "user-friendly functionality" ConventionPlanit.com has to offer. With no registration process or third party commissions to be concerned about, ConventionPlanit.com is an "essential information source" for the meeting planning community.

Young plans more than 100 corporate meetings and workshops each year across the globe and must book the meeting venues sight unseen. That’s why ConventionPlanit.com is such a critical tool for her in her job, allowing her to easily search and compare meeting sites. She also regularly taps the “Stellar Tips” section of ConventionPlanit.com for new creative ideas.

Zeck has more than 20 years of experience in the meetings and events industry having planned everything from Congressional receptions and gala dinners, to national and international conventions and meetings.

Before joining the ACEC recently, Zeck served as the Manager of Events and Conferences at the American Council of Engineering Companies and the American Red Cross national headquarters. She holds a Masters degree in non-profit management and health policy from Virginia Tech University.

A big part of her online activity takes place on ConventionPlanit.com, which Zeck calls "user-friendly and reliable."

He is the consummate "dealmaker" who enjoys the negotiating process on behalf of his meetings clients. He specializes in corporate meetings, and most of them are international, ranging from full blown conferences with seminars, general sessions, and exhibits down to smaller events.

In his work, he appreciates resources and services that are geared to his needs. "Over time we have all been inundated with products and services such as ConventionPlanit.com," he observes. "But what intrigued me about ConventionPlanit.com was that above all else they wanted to know about me and my company and what our needs and wants are. All the others wanted to expound their virtues without wanting to know what we need. Beyond that I have a wonderful working chemistry with ConventionPlanit.com staff."