Prepare Yourself 1.Perhaps the very best place to start your familiarization with a country that you are considering as a meeting or incentive site is the Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C. Contact the DOC, Desk Officer, [Specific Country]...
Your mission: Select a venue outside of the U.S. for the first-ever meeting or incentive for your organization. But there are hundreds of venues from which to choose. How do you decide which one is best suited for your event? We asked our panel of...
Up from a meeting in the Carolinas, a weekend home, an interview in his Chicago office first thing Monday morning, a telephone conference with a client, and then off to O'Hare International for a flight to New York City. That's five days in the...
Can fluctuating foreign exchange rates affect international meeting budgets? Should I pay foreign suppliers in local currency or U.S. dollars? Are forward contracts a good tool for guaranteeing future exchange rates? Where can I get information...
Trying to Buy in a Seller's Market? Here are five tips from Corporate Meetings & Incentives' columnist and professional meeting planner Judy Williams, from her new book, "Meet Right." ...
"It's very exciting to be us right now," says Nicki Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. What has Grossman so excited is the 500-room convention center hotel opening in the year 2000, the newest...
"People don't really know if Sydney can run a convention or event," observes Jon Hutchinson, managing director of the Sydney Convention & Visitors Bureau(SCVB). But winning the Olympics sends a strong message. A city that can handle 500,000...
American Life Insurance Company chose Scottsdale for meetings in 1992, 1997, and 1998 for the same reason that many groups opt for Southwest locations: the weather. "Scottsdale in February and March is pretty nifty," says Charles P. Rogers...
Notes from a seasoned incentive traveler: ROOMS The Royal Orchid Sheraton--Four stars. We had spacious, well-appointed Tower rooms. Amenities: above average. With 900 employees, service was efficient, with speedy room service. The hotel had two...
The languages of the Caribbean are as varied as the heritage of this vast area. Spanish is spoken in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico; French in St. Martin, Martinique, and Guadeloupe; Dutch in St. Maarten, Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao...