Feb 03
Ashley ChalmersTips for Meeting Planners air travel, best travel practices, identity theft, meeting industry, travel
Think like a spy. 
This was the advice given to the Rocky Mountain Chapter of MPI at a seminar conducted by John Sileo during the January monthly meeting.
John’s background in identity protection came the hard way. His identity was stolen from his business and used to embezzle almost a half-million dollars from his clients.
While the thief (his best friend and business partner) covered his crimes using Sileo’s identity, John and his business were held legally and financially responsible for the felonies committed.
Identity theft is one of America’s fastest growing crimes and a top concern among all Americans.
And to bring it “closer to home,” it turns out that the meetings industry is perhaps the most vulnerable target when it comes to this type of offense. Given our propensity to travel often and with visible technology (i.e. Smart phones, laptops, Blackberries, etc.) while spending large amounts of time in airports, hotels and restaurants – we need to learn to protect ourselves from identity thieves, hackers and cyber spies.
Some of the most aggressive thieves are maids and restaurant workers needing new identities to bring family/friends to our country illegally. Some of the ways to fight back are simple:
- If you have to leave your computer in your hotel room, forgo having your room cleaned that day. Leave the “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door to discourage entry.
- If you have to pay by credit card in a restaurant, try to keep the card in sight after you hand it over to the waiter – or take it to the cashier yourself. Better yet…pay cash!
- Do not use unsecured wireless outlets such as Starbucks or airport/hotel “free” internet service in the public domain. These areas are often stalked by “sniffers” who can eavesdrop on unprotected connections.
- Verify your credit card billings on a frequent basis and respond promptly to Account Alerts.
Beyond travel, it is also important to cultivate personal discretion. We need to develop a “Privacy Reflex” that will help us to detect and avoid fraud. Few of us have ever been trained to respond appropriately when someone requests our sensitive information.
Think of how easily you give your data away on the Internet when someone promises you a free gift. To proactively protect valuable information assets, be very defensive if approached with the following comments!
- Trust me!
- I just need a little more of your information…
Our immediate reaction should be interrogation – gain control of the situation by asking aggressive questions. Make them justify why they need the information instead of trusting that they have your best interests in mind.
For more information on building a foundation of personal protection, go to http://www.ThinkLikeASpy.com.
Jul 22
Ashley ChalmersMisc Tidbits, News, Tips, Tips for Meeting Planners Bethenny Frankel, meeting education, meeting ideas, Real Housewives of NYC, Trade Shows, travel, travel tips
If you didn’t receive the ConventionPlanit.com newsletter yesterday, you missed out on an interview with Bethenny Frankel from Bravo’s Real Housewives of NYC.
Bethenny dishes out smart menu and eating habits for on-the-road meeting planners.
Check out what Bethenny has to say – and be sure to sign up for our newsletter for more great tips and meeting ideas!
Mar 02
Ashley ChalmersMisc Tidbits, News, Places to Stay economy, issue of the week, travel, travel tips
Leisure travelers could benefit from canceled meetings and conventions in large cities…
…and will not be under the government’s radar for taking a trip.
Travel news in brief: Convention cities slash prices | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press.
Will you take advantage of lower prices and travel?
Feb 13
Ashley ChalmersMember News, Misc Tidbits, News, RFP, Tips, Tips for Meeting Planners, Trade Shows economy, meeting industry, Tips for Meeting Planners, travel, travel tips
Industry organization leaders have issued guidelines for acceptable business travel practices…
…for companies receiving emergency government funds.
Read the guidelines and get more information here.
Meetings and events make up 15% of all travel-related spending — and generate more than one million jobs.
Jan 05
Ashley ChalmersNews, RFP, Tips, Tips for Meeting Planners, Trade Shows meeting attendance, meeting experiences, meeting ideas, meeting industry, meeting planner feedback, meeting planner help, Tips, Tips for Meeting Planners, travel
A Happy New Year to all, and welcome back to the start of a new week!
What hopes and/or resolutions do you have for your meetings and events this new year? How will you make them memorable?
Dec 16
Ashley ChalmersNews, Places to Stay, Tips, Tips for Meeting Planners hotels, meeting industry, travel, travel tips
The biggest complaint for guests during their hotel stay is noise – according to a recent study by J.D. Power and Associates.
Do you agree? What are hotels doing or could they be doing to deal with noise concerns?
For example, all Crowne Plaza hotels in North America have quiet zone floors Sunday through Thursday nights…with no housekeeping or maintenance projects between 9 p.m. and 10 a.m., and no children or leisure groups allowed.
For more tips on maximizing shut eye while traveling, check out the full article from MSNBC.
Sep 09
Ashley ChalmersNews, Tips, Tips for Meeting Planners air travel, airlines, travel, travel tips
With a new x-ray technology, flight restrictions may be eased in the near future…
…the new machines can detect the density of liquids, and will even create three-dimensional views of them through luggage.
This would eliminate the need for liquid restrictions on flights!
As soon as a year from now, jamming your shampoos and lotions into small plastic baggies will be ancient history. If you are a traveler who cannot part with normal sized toiletries, look forward to bringing them in your carry on and saving the extra cash from your checked bag fee.
The machines are being tested in many United Kingdom airports before widespread use will be implemented and liquid restrictions lifted.
Jul 14
Ashley ChalmersNews, Tips, Tips for Meeting Planners air travel, airlines, passports, travel, travel emergencies, travel tips
Travel oftentimes doesn’t go as smoothly we all would hope – if you’ve ever had a flight cancelled, lost your passport, or gotten really sick out of the country, your trip can quickly become a nightmare.
This article from BudgetTravel.com has some really helpful travel tips for emergencies like these and more…
1. Losing Your Passport: make a photocopy of your passport and driver’s license and pack it separately. Emergency passports can even be issued same day.
2. You Get Really Sick: review your healthcare policy; many provide coverage out of the country (but bring the local phone number, because 800 numbers often will not work).
3. Stolen Wallet: cancel debit and credit cards as soon as possible, file a police report, and notify the airline if your identification is also missing. Hiding a few $100 bills in a separate bag or article of clothing before traveling is a good way to protect yourself in a pinch.
4. Cancelled Flight: airlines are responsible for getting you on another flight. Calling the airline’s 800 number can be faster than waiting in line at the counter. If you’re involuntarily bumped from your flight, the airline is responsible for compensating you if you are not on another flight in the hour.
Check out the full emergency travel tips article for more useful and practical ways to prevent and deal with mishaps.
If you have a great tip of your own, feel free to share! Or, submit it to our Stellar Tip Contest for your chance to win the monthly prize.
Jun 30
Ashley ChalmersNews, Tips, Tips for Meeting Planners air travel, technology, travel, travel tips
Business travelers have found a way to lighten their load when flying – by leaving laptops at home.
A few years ago, leaving a laptop at home would have left many travelers isolated and cut off from the rest of the world…but as a USA Today article reports, the technology surrounding Smart Phones has made this possible.
Smart Phones with fast email and internet access like the Apple iPhone and Blackberrys have made it easy to stay connected to the office on the road…and occupy much less space than a laptop would.
With increased fees from airlines for baggage weight and checking, phones are becoming even more convenient to stay connected.
Do you bring a laptop when you travel? Have you ditched your laptop for your Smart Phone?
Mar 10
Ashley ChalmersTips for Meeting Planners laptop security, travel
Laptop computers are the “mobile office” of meeting planners and other professionals and are the most vulnerable target for information theft today. Every month, thousands of laptops are lost and stolen at airports, taxis and hotels.
Many people believe “It won’t happen to me” and take no protective measures. Before you ignore this problem yourself, consider the case of Qualcomm CEO Irwin Jacobs, who interrupted his presentation to step into the audience to take questions. Upon returning to the podium, his laptop was gone. Several witnesses reported that Irwin stated his laptop had data that could be of great value to foreign governments.
What should you do? Your best solution is to prepare now for theft or loss of your laptop. Sam Carter, CISSP, of the eLearning Corner (www.elearningcorner.com), Gaithersburg, Maryland, who is the information technology consultant to ConventionPlanit.com, offers these seven simple rules to follow:
1. Back up your data. If you lose your laptop to theft, loss or a malfunctioning hard drive, how long would it take you to recover? Discuss backup options with someone knowledgeable to determine a strategy that is right for you. Remember: Backup data is vulnerable to data theft. Secure your backups appropriately.
2. Keep unneeded critical data off your laptop. If confidential or sensitive information isn’t necessary on your laptop, then don’t expose yourself or your company to a possible information breach.
3. Do you have PII (Personally Identifiable Information) on your laptop? Several states require public disclosure if PII information such as Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, or drivers license numbers is lost or stolen. Laws can require notifying every individual who may be affected, as well as informing certain government agencies. Estimates for legal, protective, and security expenses range from $100 to $200 per record. If you do have PII on your laptop, you have sensitive data and should take appropriate steps. Check your state regulations and prepare accordingly.
4. Password protect your laptop. This will prevent theft of opportunity when your laptop was unattended. Anyone who might benefit from your laptop information can easily copy 60 Gigabytes to an iPod while your laptop is unattended.
5. Encrypt your laptop hard drive. Password protection of your login will not prevent information loss to a determined thief. Encrypting your hard drive is the only failsafe solution available. Complexity and performance concerns make laptop encryption a last-resort technology but these concerns are of no consequence if your laptop must contain confidential or sensitive information.
6. Exercise care when using public wireless networks. Public wireless networks carry your information in plain unencrypted form visible to other wireless laptops like a postcard in transit. It is generally safe to browse the internet or check your e-mail on public wireless networks, but user names and passwords sent in clear text are prime targets for wireless thieves.
7. Never leave your password unattended and unsecured. An unattended laptop is an invitation for theft. Common mistakes include leaving your laptop unattended in a conference room during a break, leaving your laptop easily visible inside a locked car, or leaving your laptop on an airport seat to run for refreshment. When out of your office, never let your laptop leave your sight without proper security measures.
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