By Marlane Bundock 

Read ConventionSouth's March issue for more details on how the meetings industry is working to further publicize the value of meetings.

Lee Rubenstein, President and chief operating officer of TBA Global, a meetings and business solutions firm, recently announced the unveiling of a new campaign called "Keep America Meeting" in response to recent negative media coverage, which, he said, created a perception issue for the meetings industry.

"We know that many meeting planner have been struggling to prove the value of events during this time," Rubenstein said. "I am excited to unveil a new industry initiative to demonstrate how important American meetings and events are to the worldwide economy. TBA Global created and launched the Keep America Meeting campaign to give our entire industry a voice. This is a non-partisan effort between meeting and event organizations, publishers, hoteliers and companies."

Meeting planners are asked to log onto www.keepamericameeting.org and sign an electronic petition to encourage the federal government to take proactive steps to support the meetings industry.

The campaign was created in collaboration with the U.S. Travel Association.

Whitepaper: 'The Value Of Meetings'
TBA Global has also completed a new whitepaper entitled "The Value of Meetings," which strives to show the perception issues facing the meetings industry and how companies can make their meetings more appropriate and effective during these times, Rubenstein said.

"Also included in the white paper is a collection of data that shows that well executed meetings, designed to meet specific goals, greatly contribute to company profits," he said. "The benefits of meetings include the development of engaged employees, improved company culture, more satisfied employees, increased employee retention and more cost-effective compensation than bonuses. To download the whitepaper, click here.
 

Here is your web portal to the latest information and resources on how the economy is impacting the meetings industry.

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