Conference Talk Newsletter

Director's Letter

Greetings! As we send out another newsletter, I'm reminded again about change. The weather has and continues to change into the various seasons, vacations are ending and schools are starting, children are growing and leaving home, conferences end and new ones are being planned. Here at the conference office, we have said goodbye to employees/friends onto new adventures and welcomed new team members. It's all part of the tide of life. Change is fascinating, it brings unexpected responses, dire things turn good and vice versa, it is unsettling or exhilarating to not know what comes next or from what direction. For me, it's what keeps me going, hence the 22 years in the conference business at the University of Missouri-Columbia. I've enjoyed meeting new people, new topics of conference content, unique challenges with each event, and the ever present great staff that make it all happen. John F. Kennedy reflected, “Change is the law of life and those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future." So, until next time, may all the daily situations you face give an opportunity for you to grow and if our office can assistant with the challenge of planning a conference, give us a call.

Trends

Meeting industry trends for 2005 from FutureWatch 2005 data (sponsored by Meeting Planners International and American Express) include measuring and demonstrating returns on investment, outsourcing functions to outside experts, consolidating meeting planning functions and a growth in international meetings. Cost efficiencies have driven departments to get a handle on resources and spending to be sure that participants learn and apply what they learn in relation to the costs of attending conferences. In continuing with that theme, units are looking at streamlining efficiencies by consolidating meeting planning functions and having a centralized information center for income and expenditures related to meetings and travel. Having experts handle all the details and have the knowledge has freed up personnel to concentrate on other areas that are more productive. Also preferred outside vendors are being recognized for better economies of scale to obtain the best deals on services or products. And finally, there is resurgence in international meetings with companies looking to attend events on foreign soil. There is an inquisition of local customs, the business culture and immersing oneself into the globalization of the learning environment.

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