ConventionPlanit.com

Meeting planners, what are you doing June 11 - 12? If you answer is nothing, you should consider attending HSMAI’s Affordable Meetings West in Long Beach, CA…this is a trip your boss will surely want you to take.

The show is full of really great information just for you, like:

• 15 seminars and 5 in-depth workshops that focus on the latest advances and strategies of contemporary meeting planning

• A vibrant general session - Green Meetings With Less Stress: How to Save the Planet Without Losing Your Mind

• 2 networking luncheons

• 300-booth expo

Visit the Affordable Meetings West website to register - you can sign up for your information sessions and arrange all of your hotel travel here too!

If you love history, and you find yourself in Northern Virginia soon, be sure to visit the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation and Museum - they have two fascinating events coming up:

1. Best-selling World War II Author Jeff Shaara: June 5
Get his latest book autographed at this luncheon

2. 90th Anniversary of The Battle of Belleau Wood: June 6
Colonel Joe Alexander, noted historian, will lead a lively discussion at this dinner

For more information, check out the National Museum of the Marine Corps or email Pam Dodson dodson@marineheritage.org to reserve tickets.

When meeting planners submit a request for proposal, they win a $50 American Express reward card.

How can you get paid for your job??

Just use ConventionPlanit.com’s free RFP Valet RFP assistance service now through June 15 and qualify.

It’s so easy - the experts help you find the perfect location, contact the properties and do all of the follow up for you…can you believe you’re the one getting paid in this deal?

Submit your request for proposal today and take advantage of this fabulous deal.

The slow economy has hurt hotel business overall - many of the large chains have experienced a drop in business…and their stocks are down.

Travelers are opting to stay closer to home or select less expensive sleeping options in order to combat increased prices and rising gas costs.

Since bookings in the meeting industry are done sometimes several years in advance, the slow down will take some time, but how long?

Has the economy played a role in where you are planning your next meeting? What can hotels do to generate business?

Looking for a unique activity for your next meeting in France … How about a visit to a French perfumery?

At Molinard, a Provençal perfumer that’s been around since 1849, your corporate group of 10-200 can play interactive olfactory games and concoct your own fragrances.

The newest addition is the Atelier Gourmand game - your guests’ senses will enjoy coffee, tea and chocolate!

Let Maison de la France help you find more one-of-a-kind activities - find out more today.

Are you on the look out for new, FREE planning tools to give you a time-saving, competitive edge? Check out:

ConventionPlanit.com’s new FREE RFP “Add to Cart” feature……now for hotels/resorts and cvbs, you can:

1. Select multiple properties while you search
2. Review a list of your selections
3. Attach your detailed meeting specs
4. Send your RFP simultaneously
5. Enjoy your extra free time while the ConventionPlanit.com team follows up for you!

It’s great time-saving planning tools like this that make it well worth your time to start using ConventionPlanit.com…so get started and submit your request for proposal today!

Celebrity chefs have been opening up restaurants in Alexandria, VA - creating great dining options for visitors to the area. How does this affect you?

Because the Alexandria Convention & Visitors Association has been working with these celebrity chefs to design award-winning culinary events for corporate meetings.

Just think…your meeting could be catered by Morou Ouattara, a contender on the Food Network’s The Iron Chef; or check out his restaurant, Farrah Olivia, while your attendees are in town.

… Or, let Cathal Armstrong, who was named one of Food and Wine’s “Best New Chefs,” be part of your meeting. Her restaurants in Alexandria include Eamonn’s A Dublin Chipper and The Majestic.

We know meeting attendees rank food as one of the most memorable aspects of their meeting experience - so let the Alexandria Convention & Visitors Association help make your meeting shine - with a little help from some celebrity chefs.

New improvements in air travel restrictions aim to reduce long lines and aggrivation for travelers.

Yesterday, the Department of Homeland Security unveiled new security measures that airports will begin using that they hope will decrease waiting time and problems for travelers…

1. New Screening Machines: show objects concealed in a person’s body

2. Standard Identification Criteria: federal or state-issued photo ID will be accepted if it contains name, date of birth, gender, expiration date and a tamper-resistant feature

3. Terror Watch List Misidentification: travelers with similar names can give verification info to speed their check-in process

What do you think about these new air travel restrictions? Will it help or hurt travelers’ aggrivation and wait time? Will these new practices have any bearing on whether you fly?

If you are traveling to the Middle East for a meeting, understanding some Middle East customs can make communicating easier. Here are some tips from Harold Formstone of Richard Lewis Communciations, taken from his speech at IMEX last week…

When speaking with Arabs:

• Use more emotion when you speak
• Personalize your comments
• Interrupt others when you like
• Thinking aloud is encouraged

These tips can help to avoid communication blocks and allow you to have more productive meetings.

If you have any advice or tips for communicating internationally, let us know! First hand experience is a valuable resource. For more Global Tips, check out ConventionPlanit.com’s Global Meeting Tips.

I came across one of the most unique hotel jobs recently…

…Hard Rock Hotel San Diego has a Vibe Manager - John Resnick is in charge of all the music at the hotel, including:

• creating play lists
• maintaining thousands of songs in the hotel’s music library
• establishing the “energy” at the Hard Rock
• musical cohesion throughout the hotel
• giving DJ lessons; “If a group comes in for their annual meeting, it can be a popular thing [to see] the CEO spinning tables,” he says

Check out the full Wall Street Journal Interview with John Resnick.

Do you love your industry job? What makes it different or unique?