Meetings in Crisis -- Finger on the Pulse of D.C.

Recently at the Exhibition and Convention Executive Forum in Washington, D.C., Helen Marano, director, U.S. Office of Travel and Tourism Industries (OTTI) stated that the government has "gotten the message" about the importance of meetings.

Secretary Locke, from the Department of Commerce, recently said in a meeting with the OTTI's Advisory Board that he believes meetings and events are vital to the economy and that the "rhetoric about meetings on both Capitol Hill and in the media need to be toned down."

Geoff Freeman, senior vice president at U.S. Travel said, "Because we fought back, these issues have gotten attention like never before."