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Please Note: For ongoing coverage of the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the meetings/hospitality industry, visit this section of face2face, the MeetingsNet blog. For an extensive listing of Katrina-related links and resources, click here. Check out our online exclusives... MeetingsNet Extra: A weekly roundup of industry news from The Meetings Group editors The Outsourcing Sourcebook, a searchable online third-party directory Capsules: Your daily dose of medical, pharma, and CME news and views 2005 Golf Resort Directory Help if you can: To find out how you can help those affected by hurricane Katrina, visit

CMI's Current Issue

October 2005 Cover Story After the FLOOD AS CMI WAS GOING TO PRESS, the challenge of putting New Orleans back together seemed an incredibly daunting task. Although slowly draining, much of the... BY MICHAEL BASSETT Orkin's EXODUS ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 29, Martha C. Craft may have been in church, but her mind — and her prayers — were in New Orleans. She knew that the city,... BY BOB ANDELMAN The “WHAT IF” SCENARIO CORPORATE MEETINGS & INCENTIVES: What legal considerations should groups weigh or investigate with regard to whether they will be charged cancellation... BY BETSY BAIR The Price of Risk WHEN KATRINA BLEW THROUGH the Gulf states, she just may have blown your budget for meeting cancellation insurance as well. James Chippendale, president... BY SUE HATCH Upfront Joining Together to Help AS WE GO TO PRESS, Hurricane Rita is roaring across the Gulf of Mexico toward Texas, and there is still no clarity as to when drinking water —... with Barbara Scofidio News & Info CIC Study Shows Industry's Economic Clout MEETINGS, CONVENTIONS, EXHIBITIONS, and incentive travel generated $122.3 billion in direct spending in the United States last year, according to the... DAVE KOVALESKI DMC PRICING: GEP Goes Transparent WHEN GLOBAL EVENT PARTNERS held its annual meeting this summer in pre-Katrina New Orleans, GEP Chairman and CEO Chris White made what he thought could... MICHAEL BASSETT Preferred Vendors: A Position Paper A new must-read has rolled off the presses at Meeting Professionals International. The third position paper from its Global Corporate Circle of Excellence... EDITED BY SUSAN HATCH The Wages of Work: MPI Releases 2005 Salary Survey IF YOU'RE IN meeting planning for the money, it helps to be a guy … with lots of experience … working for a corporation. You probably could... SUE HATCH Meetings business travel slows A survey by Robert Half Management Resources, Menlo Park, Calif., found that 48 percent of employees travel for work less frequently than they did five... EDITED BY DAVE KOVALESKI Ethics Training Takes Hold NOT LONG AGO, ethics training was the exception rather than the rule in corporate America. Now, the majority of companies — 69 percent compared... DAVE KOVALESKI Everyone Needs a Proofreader Outta Sight Travel's Jackie Hull and her husband, Gary Metzler, work as a team. Metzler is blind and uses a guide dog, while Hull is sighted but, as... KIMBERLY RUBY LOOK WHO'S TALKING SECURING SPEAKER AGREEMENTS should be a routine part of the meeting planning process, whether the speakers are paid professionals or volunteers. These... By Jed Mandel Rising Above THEIR DISABILITIES SOME MEETING PROFESSIONALS and suppliers — colleagues whom you see at conferences and cocktail parties — live with chronic conditions and... Smooth Operators THE GOOD NEWS: Meeting planners and facilitators both want the same thing: the success of a client's meeting. The not-so-good news: Most planners don't... BY AARON DALTON Take 5 WHAT'S SPINNING ON YOUR CD PLAYER? “Love Lives On,” a CD my husband found for me. It's the New York City Gay Men's Chorus from around... EDITED BY SUSAN HATCH The Man of 100 Voices Eyes closed, you'll swear you're at a live concert with Macy Gray, Johnny Cash, Garth Brooks, Neil Young, and Sammy Davis Jr. Open your eyes, and you're... EDITED BY DAVE KOVALESKI Incentives Big Boost Forecast for Incentives THE USE OF INCENTIVES across all levels of companies is on the rise, according to proprietary research by Promo magazine ( EDITED BY BARBARA SCOFIDIO party in a box Have no time to create a fun, rewarding event for your staff — and even less budget? Why not order a party in a box? For example, Oriental Trading's... EDITED BY BARBARA SCOFIDIO SITE Joins PCMA to Help Katrina Victims The Society of Incentive & Travel Executives charged into action to help members displaced by Hurricane Katrina. “This is the time when the SITE... EDITED BY BARBARA SCOFIDIO THE REWARD OF TIME TODAY'S EMPLOYEES value time as much as — or more than — money. In fact, 66 percent say that they would gladly give up some of their compensation... By Bob Nelson TRAINING: WORK or PERK? EACH FEBRUARY, The Oregonian daily newspaper in Portland sends a few lucky people to the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, Fla.... BY BOB ANDELMAN Who Wouldn't Be Jealous? This group is tough to please: They love to golf, but they've done St. Andrews. And they've been around the world — many times. You can bet that... EDITED BY BARBARA SCOFIDIO Sites Conference Center Update In the South Loop business district, the 18-story, $150 million UNIVERSITY CENTER CONFERENCE CHICAGO has expanded its conference facilities.... EDITED BY BARBARA L. BREWER Copper Mountain Resort With the majestic Rocky Mountains as a backdrop, Copper Mountain Resort will inspire guests with spectacular scenery. But the resort is more than breathtaking... MICHAEL BASSETT Dolce properties Dolce International has been awarded the management contract for Lakeway Inn Conference Resort in Austin, Texas, by new owners Behringer Harvard Funds... EDITED BY BARBARA L. BREWER ON LOCATION: Hartford's Triumvirate The Marriott Hartford Downtown officially opened in late August. It's the cornerstone of a triumvirate — with the Connecticut Convention Center... BETSY BAIR Skytop Lodge If you remember the Pennsylvania Poconos as an outdated collection of ski resorts and honeymoon havens, you're in for a surprise. I visited this region... REGINA MCGEE The Mid-South States WHAT'S NEW While the Gulf Coast was ravaged by Hurrican Katrina (see page 44 for information on hotels and facilities affected), much of the Mid-South... By Bob Andelman Last Word relief FREE JOB BANKS To help victims of Hurricane Katrina find new work as quickly as possible, the Travel Industry Association of America has partnered with...