Oil Prices
Action Against Carbon Emissions will Raise Travel Costs
Wednesday, July 28th, 2010The end of cheap oil could affect the meetings economy in a number of different ways, but panelists in a Tuesday morning breakout on peak oil agreed that the industry must adapt to an era of volatile energy prices and drastic reductions in the carbon emissions that cause climate change.
Economists may debate whether oil prices [...]
Behind the Curtain: Why the Meetings Supply Chain Matters
Saturday, June 26th, 2010One of the most profound ways for our industry to green its operations is to think of everything we do as part of a supply chain, not just as an end product.
It’s a simple mental shift that carries big implications for meetings and events. It may run counter to the training and habits that many [...]
A Quiet Sense of Duty
Saturday, July 18th, 2009Late last month, I received a surprising email that will shape the lion’s share of the volunteer time I devote to our industry over the next two years.
I wouldn’t normally be quite this excited about an opportunity to pack dozens of extra hours into a schedule that is already overloaded. But this isn’t just any [...]
Does Demand from Meetings Drive Airlines’ Greenwashing?
Tuesday, June 16th, 2009Whether or not it’s deliberate, a major travel industry association seems to be applying a touch of greenwash to its members’ steadily growing carbon footprint.
And it seems likely that continuing demand from meetings and events might be one of the underlying causes.
Sometimes it isn’t clear whether an organization has set out to mislead, or whether [...]
A Time to Renew
Wednesday, November 12th, 2008SAN DIEGO COUNTY—I spent much of the weekend in awe-inspiring company, attending the semi-annual meeting of the Concepts Worldwide Advisory Board (CAB).
And, as it happened, not a moment too soon.
Concepts is a company that formed 20 years ago, and has positioned itself as a world leader in the corner of our industry offering strategic [...]
Learning to Fly Right
Friday, September 12th, 2008Imagine an industry that shows a cumulative net loss after decades of operation. Its main business model is a poster child for showing MBA students the strategies they should avoid at all costs.
Imagine that this industry generates a large share of the greenhouse gases that cause climate change.
Factor in that industry’s acute vulnerability to rising [...]
A (Meetings) World Without Oil
Friday, August 8th, 2008Last February our professional association, Meeting Professionals International (MPI), attached the title MeetDifferent to its annual North American Professional Education Conference.
The intent was to bring together ideas and strategies that would suggest smart new ways of organizing and supplying conferences. For me, one of the highlights was a long conversation with the “serious game” [...]
Content Keeps Meetings Afloat
Sunday, August 3rd, 2008Higher air fares, fewer flights, and rising supply costs are the new reality for conferences around the world.
Live meetings will survive the crunch because there is still no more effective way for people to share ideas, knowledge, and solutions. But the future could hold
Fewer live meetings
Regional and local meetings filling the gaps between less frequent [...]