On a happier note, the American Library Association has decided, after a recent site inspection, not to cancel its annual conference, scheduled for New Orleans in June 2006, and expected to draw 22,000. "If we truly care about the residents of New Orleans, the best thing that the association and its members can do is to go to New Orleans and lead the reconstruction by example. Our conference will help to provide the jobs and tax revenues needed if residents are to reestablish their lives and for the city to fully restore services, including library services," said ALA's president. Click here for more.

For more about EIBTM's hosted-buyer program, click here.

For more, click here.

"I joined HelmsBriscoe due to their outstanding reputation, the opportunity with the ever-expanding inventory in Las Vegas, and, most importantly, because of the respect I have for each member of our executive team," says Uhl. "Our mission will be to provide assistance in all facets of site selection and contract negotiation for meeting executives, partner with key Las Vegas properties, hire outstanding sales executives, and drive additional convention business to our city."

Blogged!
Should We Just Shut Up Already?
By Sue Pelletier
While he puts it much more nicely in this Fast Company Now post, I think Adam Hanft is onto something: A little silence could go a long way toward making a meeting more productive...

Click here for the rest of the story on face2face, the MeetingsNet blog.

The Bair Essentials
Rebrand, Rename, Revamp: Meet The New Meetings Group
By Betsy Bair, Editorial Director, The Meetings Group
We've been busy here at The Meetings Group. We've changed the name of Insurance Conference Planner magazine to Financial & Insurance Meetings, (click here for the lowdown), effective with the November/December issue.

While we were changing the name of one of our five niched meeting magazines, we thought it was time to upgrade all our logos. Nameplates are what my art directors call them, the big titles that emblazon our covers and all of our collateral materials and serve as the face of our brand. After all, while each magazine and title is differentiated by its editorial and circulation and therefore offers its own brand and voice, we are part of a print and e-publications group, from which we derive all sorts of benefits and resources that we couldn't afford without each other. While each niche is a brand, The Meetings Group, is the uber brand (and it's improved its look, too!).

Gone are those acronyms from our covers, although we'll still use them inside, since Corporate Meetings and Incentives is kind of a mouthful (but CMI isn't, especially in second and later references) and we're pleased to show off the new nameplates with all of our November and December issues.

We also asked those same hardworking art directors to use the stylish new logos in the names of the magazines' e-newsletter spin-offs, too. And, oh, by the way, we added, "Can you adapt the MeetingsNet logo to go with the new magazine logos?" Our Web site is also going through an incredible redesign, with all sorts of new functionality, which will also be launched in November, under the guidance of our Web editor, Sue Pelletier. But more about that at a later date.

So next Tuesday, when you get MeetingsNet Extra, don't be shocked! Don't hit delete! Know that it's the same news, tidbits, commentaries, and whatever else we feel like throwing into the mix, but with a facelift.

And the thanks for our rebranding go to two of the nicest and most talented art directors I have had the pleasure to work with: Sharon Carlson and Scott Raymond. Bravo!

For information on classified advertising in The Product and Services Center in The Meetings Group's five magazines, contact Richard Ross at (203) 358-4269, rross@primediabusiness.com.

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