Choose one session from each group below, plus Fred Grandy's Keynote Luncheon at noon.

Note: Advance session selection is not required.
Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

"An Hour of Prevention: Tips for Avoiding Litigation"

Sponsored by MPI
Attend this session for a lively hour with a lawyer who has been around the block and regularly performs risk management assessments for clients in the hospitality industry. Wide-ranging topics covered include new, unusual, and proven methods to protect yourselves, and your clients, from problems arising out of everything from contracts, internal controls, employee issues, service of liquor, and intellectual property; as well as new problems and dangers coming from the use of social networks and related media.

This session features something for everyone. For the seasoned veteran, you'll get an update of the current climate and issues. For planners with less experience, you'll gain invaluable insight and tools with which to address issues. The chief takeaways from this session will be increased awareness and confidence in dealing with those issues we wish would just go away on their own—but never do.

Session Handouts (PDF)

Presenter: Samuel J. Erkonen, Partner, Howe & Hutton, Ltd.

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Sponsored by CIC
Business ethics—under scrutiny generally—are an even greater issue in this tough economy. Issues concerning, for example, payment of commissions, relationships with vendors, meeting points or rewards, and other types of non-monetary gifts or items of value, have raised and continue to raise concerns. In this interactive session, we will use scenarios to discuss the issues and topics that can result in "gray areas" as they relate to industry professionalism and ethics, and determine what steps individuals and their employers need to take.

As a result of participation in this session, you will:

• Define and determine questions about "gray" areas frequently encountered.
• Prepare to evaluate industry practices that create or give rise to ethics discussions.
• Develop questions to ask in the creation of guidelines to address consistency in ethical practices.

Session Handouts (PDF)

Presenter: Joan Eisenstodt, Owner, Eisenstodt Associates, LLC

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"Client and Contractor Synergy:
Cultivating Relationships to Deliver Great Meetings"

Sponsored by PCMA
This how-to workshop explores the evolution of the client / contractor relationship. Participants will examine how to assess their organization’s goals, meeting objectives, and internal strengths and weaknesses; then determine how to use those criteria to attract a contractor who can capitalize on the strengths and fill in the gaps.

Learn how to reduce conflict and bring focus to your tasks, while using pre-planning conversations to uncover goals and objectives of attendees, as well as industry and executive expectations.

You'll leave this session with practical tips on how to better navigate supplier relationships and work together to create great contracts that result in successful meetings.

Presenters: Alyssa Kolat, CMP, Director of Events & Education, National Association of Federal Credit Unions; and Jill Ferguson, CMM, Vice President of Meeting Services, PlanNet

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"Holy Cr@p! Meetings and the Social Media Revolution"

Sponsored by AMPs
There's been lots of talk about social media in the meetings industry, but are planners really using it? Learn about the powerful impact of this growing trend, where it's headed, and the lingo (like followers and hashtags); discuss what's hot, and uncover best practices for using social media to engage attendees and exhibitors alike—before, during, and after your event.

Participants will leave this session with tips and the know-how to immediately begin using blogs, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and other emerging applications to promote and grow your events.

Contact Destinations Showcase and submit your questions in advance of this session using these popular social media tools:

• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Twitter @DSmeetings

Presenter: Scott Crider, Creative Director, Aristotle Interactive

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"Maximizing Value: Using DMCs to Increase Your Meetings’ ROI"

Sponsored by ADME
A Destination Management Company (DMC) is a professional services company possessing extensive local knowledge, expertise, and resources specializing in the design and implementation of events, activities, tours, transportation, and program logistics. This session will detail how meeting planners can maximize their ROI for these services and better understand the different pricing models.

Presenters: Susan Henderson, DMCP, CMP, President & CEO, Global Events Partners Atlanta; and Rhonda Marko, DMCP, CMP, CMM, President & CEO, Destination Nashville

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"Meetings that Give Back:
Travelers' Philanthropy and Voluntourism"

Sponsored by CREST
The destination for your next meeting or event is likely to offer great value for your participants in terms of lodging, dining, and attractions. Likewise, your meeting will provide economic value to the destination you choose. However, have you considered that your event may also provide great opportunities for community service?

Travelers’ philanthropy is a new and quickly growing activity that generates value for meeting participants, the destinations they visit, and the planners who organize it all. Discover ways to practice good global citizenship—while enjoying, learning, and positively contributing to worthwhile community and conservation projects by providing funds, supplies, services, and/or volunteer expertise to local non-profits and charities.

This session will introduce attendees to the concept of travelers’ philanthropy, providing an overview of its different models: educational travel, voluntourism, financial, and material contributions; all of which can help organizers plan successful and rewarding events. Learn how to identify opportunities for your event participants, while creating an enriching travel experience through meaningful, culturally sensitive, and productive interactions with people in host communities.

Presenters: Martha Honey, Ph.D., Executive Director, Center for Responsible Travel (CREST); and Kristin M. Lamoureux, Ph.D., Director, International Institute of Tourism Studies, The George Washington University

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"So Many Choices, So Little Budget:
Making Trade Shows Work for You"

Sponsored by IAEE
Does it seem that there are always more trade show options for your organization than time, staff, and budget limitations allow? Get tips from both exhibitors' and attendees' perspectives on deciding which shows offer the best bang for your buck and time away from the office ... and learn ways to get the most out of your participation once you're there.

Presenter: Paul Flackett, Managing Director, IMEX Group; Natasha Tomé, Head of Marketing, Dubai Convention Bureau; and Brad Weaber, CMP, Executive Vice President, Event Services, SmithBucklin

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"Tools You Can Use:
Maximizing empowerMINT.com as a Planner Resource"

Sponsored by DMAI
DMAI's empowerMINT.com is the newest online resource for planners in search of destinations and the site selection services provided by destination marketing organizations (DMOs), sometimes referred to as convention & visitors bureaus (CVBs). For nearly a century, DMOs/CVBs have collected and share event histories to better qualify meetings and events. For the first time, through empowerMINT.com, planners can access and review their event histories to help ensure the accuracy of their event data.

Attend this session to find out how CVBs/DMOs have stepped up their collaboration to better serve meeting professionals. Learn about best practices in managing post-event information and how hotels, convention facilities, and CVBs/DMOs use this information for their business practices.

Presenters: Trina Armstrong, Director of Meetings, American Society of Cell Biology; Christine "Shimo" Shimasaki, CMP, CDME, Managing Director, empowerMINT.com; and Rick Vaughan, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Metro Tucson CVB

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"Working with Uncle Sam:
The Challenges and Rewards of Government Meetings"

Sponsored by SGMP
The federal government represents a solid piece of business, although not always attractive to venues that are reluctant to offer the government rate for sleeping rooms. However, during this time of economic slowdown, the government is still traveling and meeting, while corporations, associations, and other private entities have slowed down or stopped.

This presentation is designed to assist hotels and other venues, as well as the federal government events manager, in planning and executing successful events. Both venues and planners will learn about the rules and regulations in spending federal funds for events, along with the ethics restrictions of the government planner.

The following topics will be covered:

• Value of government business
• Federal funding/authorizations
• Impact of Comptroller General decisions
• Food and beverage
• Prevailing government rate negotiations
• Contracts and letters of intent
• Attrition, cancellation, industry standards
• Ethics

Session Handouts (PDF)

Presenter: Garland L. Preddy, CGMP, Director of Special Events, United States Marshals Service

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