When meeting planners were asked, has the economy affected their destination selection, this is how they responded:

A piece of information for your worry list when considering, do you invest in traditional or mobile media. Jamie Turner, the 60-Second Marketer says his research folks say, you’d have to spend $10 in traditional coupons in order to get the same value you’d get by spending $1 on a mobile coupon? BAM!

SOURCE: Jamie Turner, 60-Second Marketer

Keep attendees coming back – Rule 1 Take Networking to the next level. Try using roundtable sessions facilitated by strong team members and experts on the topics being discussed. Then switch it up like speed dating, only call it speed learning, where attendees switch tables. This almost assures that each member gets something from each of the discussion groups.

Source: Association Meetings

If you ever needed an argument to promote birding, biking, canoeing and the like, consider that outdoor recreation i one of the biggest sectors in the U.S. economy.

Consider these benchmarks:

• 6.1 million American jobs
• $646 billion in outdoor recreation spending each year
• $39.9 billion in federal tax revenue
• $39.7 billion in state/local tax revenue

Consumer spending on outdoor recreation exceeds spending on pharmaceuticals, motor vehicles and parts, household utilities and gasoline/fuel, according to the Outdoor Industry Association. So as a Convention & Visitors Bureau or Destination Marketing Organization, make certain you haven’t overlooked the great things your Parks & Recreation is doing. It’s an opportunity for a unique partnership to drive visitation.

SOURCE: Southeastern Tourism Society