Well, it’s October, and that means Major League Baseball is in the thick of its playoff schedule as teams fight tooth-and-nail, vying for a World Series birth.
Unfortunately, my San Francisco Giants won’t be one of them—hold your snickering, Dodgers fans!—having been eliminated from contention shortly before I wrote this. I will always have spring, though.
Those were the days! Coming off a world championship, swaggering around Scottsdale, Ariz., like I owned the place, Giants cap snuggly on my swelled head. Oh yes, I have fond memories of spring.
But as this is the second time I’ve gone to Spring Training following a World Series championship, and my beloved Giants failed to qualify for the playoffs afterwards, it wouldn’t surprise me if I was banned from Scottsdale Stadium next time!
Other stories in our October issue include a Hot Topic feature covering the Congressional battles over government meetings spend, and an interesting blog post about unsold rooms credits from hospitality industry attorney Joshua Grimes that generated so much traffic on MeetingsFocus.com we thought it would be great to include in print.
Our cover story, “Safe Bets,” explores the many intriguing non-gaming team-building options—okay, there is some gaming involved—that will get groups energized at casino properties, including CSR programs. This special section also details some of the top headliner entertainers coming to the largest casinos as well as developments happening at the major properties.
On the tech side, “App, App and Away” details a few of the more-innovative apps CVBs are using to draw groups and help make meeting planners’ jobs easier, and our religious meetings story, “Heavenly Havens,” taps into a market segment that is growing by leaps and bounds as more-diverse spiritual groups and facilities enter into the equation.
Finally, our international coverage includes stories on England and Hong Kong, two colorful destinations that share history but couldn’t be more different in some ways.
As usual, the destination sections you requested, contingent on where you plan meetings, immediately follow the features.
Enjoy. And just wait till next year, Giants!
