Usually, the only thing you have to worry about in the beautiful Mexican resort area of Cancun is putting on enough sunscreen and ducking the drunken rowdies. Now, though, due to recent political uprisings, the U.S. State Department has issued a travel warning:

“Americans traveling to Cancun should use caution and avoid crowds, especially around the city hall and the Plaza de la Reforma, as there is a potential for spontaneous violence,”

So, instead of heading into town or staying on property the whole time, take your group on a road trip to Tulum–it’s spectacular. Or take them snorkeling at the caves of Xel-Ha, which are truly amazing.

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A while back, I posted about radio-frequency identification, or RFID, and how these little units could be cropping up on a conference badge near your meeting. At the time, I wrote, “The technology would potentially allow planners to really track attendees by using RFID in badges. But if the invasion of privacy this entails gives you the willies (as it does me!), the battle’s already being fought on the retail front, long before it hits the convention center.”

Well, the hackers have already fired their first shot, according to an article from CNET News that Jim Carroll posted a link to on the MIMlist listserv today.

“Hackers and those with less pure motives could use a handheld device and the software to mark expensive goods as cheaper items and walk out through self checkout. Underage hackers could attempt to bypass age restrictions on alcoholic drinks and adult movies, and pranksters could create confusion by randomly swapping tags, requiring that a store do manual inventory.”

Or, if used at a meeting on badges, switch people’s identifies, insert all kinds of untrue information…scary to think about. People already have big privacy concerns about using RFID, and I can imagine this will only add to them.

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1. So, a little kid in Oslo, Norway, gets bored at the airport and decides to go for a ride–on a luggage conveyor belt.

“Surrounded by bags and suitcases, the boy rode the entire length of the belt, passing through an X-ray scanner in the process. The ride came to a sudden end when staffers saw the youngster on the carousel and stopped it by pressing an alarm button.

“Operations manager Bent Helge Sjursen said security procedures at the airport would be reviewed to ensure it doesn’t happen again. ” (Yahoo!)

2. Los Angeles-bound plane had to return to Australia after “The United Airlines captain decided the note could have meant ‘bomb on board.’

“A flight bound for Los Angeles turned back after a note reading “B-O-B” was found on a sick bag in a toilet. But airline workers said the acronym was also commonly used to mean “best on board”, referring to a particularly attractive passenger…Correspondents said the letters could have other meanings too, as well as spelling a man’s name.” (BBC)

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A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how the Professional Convention Management Association is developing a set of core competencies and a self-assessment tool for its planner members.

Then this week, Meeting Professionals International made an announcement about its Career Pathways program, which was launched a year and a half ago:

“MPI’s career pathways program will define a standardized classification for distinct levels of professional meeting and event management competencies; identify critical knowledge; design and share pathways for growth from one level to the next; and provide tools and resources for meeting professionals to build skills and achieve career aspirations. Career pathways will culminate in MyCareer@MPI on MPIWeb (www.mpiweb.org) where members will complete profiles, take assessments and receive career development guidance. Technology will be combined with a human touch through a call center, mentoring program, professional coaching services and portfolio reviews.”

I’m not sure who came up with the idea first, but they seem to be on a similar timetable: Both MPI’s and PCMA’s programs are on target for a 2005 launch.

While I applaud both organizations for their work in this much-needed direction, it seems like there was a lot of duplication of effort going on in the development of these very similar-sounding programs. I understand that they are competitive and don’t always operate in a culture that allows free communication between the two organizations, but in this case, seems to me both MPI and PCMA could have saved themselves some time and money by working in tandem on this area to develop a program that would benefit all meeting planners, regardless of their professional affiliation.

Then again, as John Lennon sang, “People say I’m a dreamer…”

Or maybe not. When I interviewed PCMA head David Kushner when he first got the job, he emphasized collaboration between the various industry organizations: “You can’t operate an organization in isolation,” he said. “Yes, each organization is doing very good work. But think of how the work could be even better when we share our resources.” When I interviewed MPI CEO and president Colin Rorrie shortly after his appointment, he stated similar goals: “Our philosophy is to look beyond simply the internal structure of MPI, to look externally to see what kinds of partnerships we can put together to benefit our members and others.”

And they are collaborating in several areas. For example, the MPI and PCMA Foundations are talking to one another about joint initiatives, including multiculturalism and women-in-the-industry initiatives. It’s just too bad that they didn’t pool their resources on this one.

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Well, of course it does. According to an article in the Denver Post, the city expects to reap a $4.5 million-plus benefit from having all of Meeting Professionals International in town. I remember when I was there for ASAE a few years ago, Denver did a fantastic job. It was funny, though, talking with the locals (I lived down the road in Boulder for quite a while and still know a few folks), I found out there was a huge campaign before ASAE to train hospitality-related workers in how to treat ASAE attendees well. It made me feel like we were getting special treatment, and an ordinary group coming in might have a different experience.

It’s kind of like a citywide fam, where everyone puts their best foot forward and only shows you the happy-face stuff. While I like being wined and dined as much as the next person, I’d rather see the “real” stuff, and if it’s happy, that’s great. If it’s not, that’s something that I’d also want to know ahead of time so I could figure out ways around it–like asking the city to give all those workers a refresher course in hospitality before my group came to town!

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You have to check out David Letterman’s Top Ten Signs Your Convention Speech Is Boring.

My favorite is #9: Your only applause comes when your microphone stops working

Thanks to an alert MIMlist poster for bringing this one to my attention.

To receive a weekly blog update, e-mail Sue.

You have to check out David Letterman’s Top Ten Signs Your Convention Speech Is Boring.

My favorite is #9: Your only applause comes when your microphone stops working

Thanks to an alert MIMlist poster for bringing this one to my attention.

To receive a weekly blog update, e-mail Sue.

I got a great e-mail today from motivational speaker Derrick Hayes. While I couldn’t answer his question, I love his deal of taking a name and turning it into positive message: From now on, I no longer am just Sue, but S.U.E. (Seek Unlimited Excellence)!

Starbucks has it, Micky D has it, even Wyndham and Marriott have it–now airports are finally getting Wi-Fi’d (edit alert: I don’t think Wi-Fi is a verb, but I bet it will be soon).

“According to a recent report by IDC, a research firm in Framingham, Mass., Wi-Fi hot spots, or locations available to the public, will more than double at American airports this year to 379 from 178 in 2003. IDC predicts the number will nearly triple to more than 1,000 by 2008, exceeding the rate of hot-spot growth at hotels, cafes and restaurants.

“Another sign of growth, said Richard Snyder, senior vice president for marketing at Concourse Communications, a Chicago company that operates wireless networks: 19 of the top 50 United States airports either offer Wi-Fi in public terminals, or are installing it; another 6 are accepting bids for the service. Among airports offering Wi-Fi are Logan International in Boston, Dallas/Fort Worth International, Denver International, Detroit Metro, La Guardia and Kennedy International in New York, Minneapolis/St. Paul International, Newark Liberty International, Philadelphia International and San Francisco International.”

But if you want to get unplugged at Hartsfield International in Atlanta, O’Hare International and Midway in Chicago, and Ronald Reagan National and Dulles in Washington, you’ll have to wait a while. The articles says these airports “are only now taking bids from Wi-Fi providers.”

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According to the J.D. Power and Associates 2004 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study released today, there’s “a strong correlation between satisfaction with the comfort of the bed.” Kind of scary to imagine that there might be a hotelier out there who hadn’t figured that one out yet! As someone who’s logged some mattress time on a bed that I think may have actually been made out of ski poles at a cheap Vermont ski resort area motel…well, let’s just say you have to suffer if you want to sing the blues. Give me a Westin or a Ritz anyday–now those are mattresses!

Another finding of the report: “The number of guests reporting a significant problem with their stay is at a four-year low across all six hotel segments. An average of 8 percent to 10 percent of hotel guests currently report a significant problem during their hotel stay — down from 14 percent to 21 percent in 2003.”

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Just a little reminder that in this industry, more than most, we get by with a little help from our friends. Happy Monday!