DMAI Calls for End to Arizona Boycott

Historic Places
It Takes a Village

by MARIA LENHART

· The stories of how the American West was settled are as varied as the Western landscape itself. In Hawaii, there’s the story of immigrants who streamed in from places as far-flung as Portugal and Japan to work in the sugarcane fields. In Oregon, there’s the story of hardy pioneers who survived the rigors of the Oregon Trail to cultivate the fertile Willamette Valley.

In California, there’s the story of the ’49ers who came to strike it rich, only to end up enriching the shopkeepers in the rough-and-ready Gold Rush towns that sprang up to serve them. In New Mexico, there’s the story of people who established thriving communities atop high-desert mesas centuries before Europeans arrived on the scene.

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Meetings West is now available in digital format!

This month’s issue offers two tasty interviews with Shirley Fong-Torres, who operates San Francisco’s Wok Wiz, a company specializing in walking tours and culinary experiences in Chinatown. Content Director, Features Maria Lenhart chats with Fong-Torres about the history and colorful cultural diversions of Chinatown and then joins her to discuss the finer points of dim sum at a local eatery.

Click here to view our Meetings West digital edition.

Small Meetings
Junior Partners

by DANA ENFINGER

CVBs want planners to know that it’s good to be small.

Many planners may think that if they are coordinating a smaller meeting, there is no need to reach out to CVBs located in their chosen destination for assistance. The perception exists that CVBs can and will only assist those planning larger meetings or trade shows.

But the truth is starting to get out: CVBs are more than willing to assist planners, whether it’s a group of 10 or 10,000.

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Avoiding the Top Meeting Mistakes (or How to Fix Them!) Webinar

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Planning meetings is an exercise fraught with potential catastrophe: Losing thousands of dollars due to attrition, controlling alcohol consumption and food and beverage costs, avoiding lawsuits from your attendees, facilities and other parties who might not be on your radar, and transportation nightmares. In this webinar, three veteran meeting planners from the Vintage Industry Professionals Network (VIP)—Mimi Almeida, Jan Hennessey and Jackie Klein, will help you learn how to avoid the most common meeting mistakes.

Join Meetings Media for this free webinar Wednesday, March 26, and learn how to stop the bleeding if a negative chain of events has already been set in motion! There is no fee to register.

Visit MeetingsFocus.com/webinars to register or learn more.

Sponsored by: Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, Blair County Convention Center, Galena/Jo Daviess County CVB and Norfolk CVB.

Site Scene

Hawaii

· Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa, on the Kona coast of the Big Island, recently announced plans to begin in-room enhancements at the 521-room, 22-acre oceanfront resort. During the first phase, nearly two-thirds of the guest rooms will receive 37-inch flat-screen televisions and other upgrades. It is anticipated that the first phase will be complete by the end of summer. The last third of the rooms will receive the same upgrades shortly thereafter. The resort offers property-wide wireless Internet access and an adjacent convention center. For more information, call 808.930.4900 or visit www.sheratonkeauhou.com.

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