The meetings industry is experiencing a resurgence in international events. Taking events abroad can create excitement among attendees and increase attendance. But a planner must be careful to consider the unique legal issues that arise with these...

Tourism continues to rebound throughout the Asia-Pacific region, and developments continue to make the area more attractive for meetings and incentives. In general, shipping to the Asia-Pacific — as well as import duties — can be expensive. Check...

It was morning in Madrid and the IFEMA Convention Center was alive with activity, occasioned by an art fair opening scheduled for that evening, with attendees to include such luminaries as Spain's King Juan Carlos and Mexican President Vicente Fox...

The year 2005 saw disasters in two major cities: New Orleans and London. There are lessons to be learned from each of these tragic events...

Planners with meetings scheduled for the near future in areas hit by Katrina and other recent hurricanes have lots of questions concerning the legal implications of either holding the meetings as scheduled, or canceling, moving, or rescheduling...

Making the difficult decision to cancel or postpone a meeting is the most disappointing, challenging, and thankless part of our job. But it is also a truly unique opportunity to show our professionalism. We must be able to unravel our fine...

Doing due diligence when selecting a site for an international program has never been so important. If it isn't political upheaval, then war or the threat of war, terrorist activity, anti-American sentiment, infectious disease, power outages, and...

WHEN IT COMES TO TERRORIST THREATS, many planners and vendors maintain what Joan L. Eisenstodt calls a “see no evil” attitude. “If we don't talk about terrorism [or other factors that could disrupt our meetings], we think, ‘It won't happen again,’...

HOW SAFE ARE YOUR MEETING FACILITIES...