TOUGH TIMES AND A SILVER LINING

President's Message

By Brian Stevens

At ConferenceDirect's most recent annual meeting, Peter Yesawich, Chairman of YPartnership, shared research based on interviews with thousands of travelers relative to their future travel plans.

His results showed that primary travel motivation among current travelers is to connect with family. This applies to college students coming home for a holiday or an older traveler visiting parents, or loved ones traveling for a wedding or life event, and even applies to family vacations together. Peter's conclusion was that while business travel and convention attendance will continue to be down, discretionary leisure travel will increase. This is driven by two factors: a desire to see and reconnect with family members and because consumers know that travel values have never been better.

Room rates are at 12-year lows and air travel has become extraordinarily reasonable in key markets. Even storied destinations like Disneyland are creating discounts for segments and offering free admission to the park on birthdays.  (Wisely knowing that most people don't come to an amusement park alone, thereby driving accompanying ticket sales.)

ASAE, PCMA, TIA and other groups continue to lobby elected officials and promote awareness about the impact of negative comments implying that holding a meeting is somehow bad. We've labeled it the "AIG Effect" and as one of our competitors said recently: "What do you call a presidential inaugural"? We think it looks like a meeting — and we didn't notice anything anti-patriotic about that.

As we navigate through these bad economic times let's remind ourselves of the silver lining — that travel has never been so discounted as it is right now. For smart marketers willing to adapt and capitalize on these changing market conditions, that means business.

Brian Stevens

2010 ANNUAL PARTNER MEETING: ATLANTA

Mark your calendar for ConferenceDirect's 2010 Annual Partner Meeting — May 11 & 12 at the Marriott Marquis in Atlanta, Georgia.

FOLLOWING THE PAPER TRAIL TO A GREEN CONFERENCE

By Elizabeth Blozan

One of the biggest footprints a conference makes on the environment is generating lots and lots of paper waste — everything from the pounds of paper used for preprinted programs to laminated nametags — that end up in the trash an hour after the event is over.

Here are seven big steps you can take down the path to greening your next conference by just making smart choices about paper:

One
100% Post-Consumer Recycled Paper: There are two kinds of "recycled" paper on the market today, recycled paper made from paper factory waste and "post-consumer" recycled paper, paper that's actually made from all those newspapers and rough drafts you so carefully put in the recycling bin. 100% "post-consumer" recycled paper is the greenest choice, but the most expensive choice. The more organizations that make this choice, however, the more that cost will go down in the future.

Two
Non-Bleached Paper: We all love to see our reports and catalogs shine on that bright, white paper stock. But getting that paper white requires bleaching agents to be used in the manufacturing process, which can result in nasty toxins introduced into the immediate environment where the paper is produced. Some environmentally-conscious paper suppliers and printers do offer non-bleached paper, but again this earth-friendly option can cost extra, requiring a firm commitment on the part of your company.

Three
Make Sure Your Event Site Recycles: Even if you do see recycling bins overflowing with paper at the end of the event, hauling away all that paper sometimes requires making arrangements ahead of time. Add to the list of questions you ask of a potential event site before booking if the site has a system in place for picking up recycled paper. If not, you might find that an independent recycling contractor is available in the area that will take care of the task, often at no cost to you.

Four
User-Friendly Recycling: Make sure that paper recycling is a no-brainer for your attendees (and even your own staff).   Those little cubicle-sized blue trash cans probably won't work in a conference setting. Recycling bins should be big, bright, and plentiful. If your event site does have a robust recycling program in place, they should also be able to tell you how many recycling bins they will provide your event, so add that to your list of questions before you sign that contract.

Five
Going Paperless: These days, more and more of your attendees will be armed with laptops and cell phones geared to receive digital downloads of all your conference materials. In fact, more and more hotels and conference sites are wired with monitors spread throughout the locale that can be dedicated to broadcast information about your event.   Just think — no more scrambling at the copier to print out last minute updates!

Six
Plan to Plan Ahead: Just as with cable and credit card bills, the paperless option is becoming the most convenient choice for your customer. But no one method of digital distribution works for everyone. It's your job to provide your material in every format necessary to give each attendee access to your information. Consider having attendees choose during their registration process their preferred method for receiving materials digitally, including email attachments, downloads from your website, or even updates via Facebook and Twitter. The task can be cumbersome, but the more choices you offer, the more success you'll have at becoming paper-free.

Seven
Pat Yourself on the Back and Spread The Good Word: Eco-friendly event locations will often have systems to measure the success of your green efforts by, for example, recording just how many pounds of paper you successfully recycled. Use this valuable information not only to track your green progress but to toot your green horn within your company and to your customers. If your company is willing to pay the extra dollars to use 100% post-consumer recycled and/or non-bleached papers, cash in on that commitment by posting informative signs that explain these choices throughout the event. You'll not only let your attendees know about your company's commitment to green event management, you'll educate everyone who comes in contact with your event and just might inspire the next green conference!

WHEN 'N' MAKES A DIFFERENCE...

"At one of the annual conventions of the American Society for Aesthetics much confusion arose when the Society for Anesthetics met at the same time in the same hotel."
                                        - Rudolf Arnheim