Don't Take Away our Freedom to Meet

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By Marlys Arnold

You'll find my letter on the MPI site at:

http://www.mpiweb.org/cms/mpiweb/blog/blog.aspx?blogid=2668&customerid=241151

Don't take away our freedom to meet!

Posted by Marlys Arnold on 2/27/2009 12:11:33 AM                                          

(I don't typically write to members of Congress, but I've just had enough with the meeting-bashing that Washington and the media keep perpetuating. So here's a copy of the letter I sent to Sen. Kerry, as well as the White House and the two senators from my home state.) 

Dear Senator Kerry,

I am writing in response to your plan to introduce legislation regarding meetings and events. While there's no doubt that some companies made unwise decisions about meetings, there seems to be a conspiracy brewing that unfairly targets the 2.4 million members of the meetings and travel industry. The consequences of this line of thinking can be catastrophic:

1. Even healthy companies are now canceling meetings, simply because they are afraid of the stigma and wrath that Congress and the media have created around the meetings industry.

2. It's important to keep meetings going to get our economy rolling again. Virtual meetings can never fully replace face-to-face events. There's a special magic that happens when human beings with similar interests and mindsets gather together. Wasn't this country built on the free exchange of ideas?

3. Meetings and travel played a vital role in the recovery of New York after 9/11 as well as in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. In both of those times, travel was considered an act of patriotism.  Now it seems that the one industry which could be a catalyst to restart this economy is in danger of being decimated. Isn't the point to save and create jobs, rather than wipe out an entire industry?

4. In the President's speech this week, he said, "this country needs and values the talents of every American," and that should include the many talented people within the meetings industry. Do you understand who makes their living as a result of these meetings? Housekeepers, food and beverage workers, cab drivers, bellmen, airline employees - not to mention trainers such as myself. And many of these are low-paying positions with people who work very hard for every dime they make.

5. Meetings and conventions also contribute nearly $16 billion in tax revenue, which in turn provides vital services to cities of all sizes.

And don't members of Congress travel the country to attend meetings and gather with constituents?  Will all of these meetings be cancelled?

If the intent is, as the President says, "We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before," it will not happen without the meetings and travel industry. Meetings build business.

Does Congress truly believe "the only way to fully restore America's economic strength is to make the long-term investments that will lead to new jobs, new industries, and a renewed ability to compete with the rest of the world"? If so, those investments should include:

- Continuing to send employees to educational conferences to expand their knowledge and expertise (which can fulfill the President's call for continuing education and career development)

- Holding user groups and sales meetings that strengthen business relationships

- Participating in trade shows and other large gatherings of buyers that bring in new business

We can all agree that honesty & accountability are definitely needed. That's why the meetings industry has developed a list of criteria for companies to use to distinguish between legitimate business meetings and lavish extravaganzas. To learn more about these criteria, please visit http://www.meetingindustrycrisiscenter.org/tarp.htm.

I may be only one person, but I refuse to give up my career, or watch the industry I love be destroyed without a fight. Copies of this letter will be sent to other Senators, as well as members of the media. I also plan to continue speaking out in online forums. Hopefully you will see that we are valuable members of American society who will play a major role in the success of this country's recovery.

Please do not support this unfair blanket restriction on companies' abilities to use meetings as an essential and cost-effective business tool.

Don't take away our freedom to meet!
Marlys Arnold 

(Marlys is a Speaker, Consultant and Author who runs her own company called Image Specialist. She can be reached at marnold@imagespecialist.com).