These days, using “unique” venues (museums, boats, aquariums, etc.) for receptions or parties is becoming more common. But, warns Ted Kruckel at BizBash, there can be a downside.

I love the boat story at the end, where his cruise got trumped by a more important company’s fireworks show and they ended up circling for hours, imbibing too much champagne, and generally getting in trouble. Who said the life of a meeting planner was an easy one?

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Interesting thoughts on personal and professional risk-taking atView from a Corner Office, based on a women’s leadership meeting the author attended.

I particularly liked this bit:

If there was one thread running among all three [of the panelists], I’d say it was the firm belief that passion and conviction are absolutely critical to accepting and managing risk. That, and the need to simultaneously plan yet also leave yourself open to unexpected opportunities.

That’s a pretty tall order! Fortunately, the author also provides some more hands-on advice on both taking risks yourself, and handling risk that involves others.

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The irony of it all makes this satiric entry in the latest edition of The Onion just too much. The headline: Organizers Fear Terrorist Attacks on Upcoming Al-Qaeda Convention. (Note that this is satire, not a real story.)

“It’s a sad day when an overzealous madman with a bomb strapped to himself can threaten our divinely inspired wave of destruction,” Jassem said, idly polishing a rifle. “How in the world did we get to this point?”

Hurts the brain, doesn’t it? Another sad thing is when I find myself agreeing with the purported organizer when he says, “In this day and age, organizers of any high-profile event cannot be too careful.”

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Ever feel like injecting your rumpled businesswear with the clothing equivalent of Botox as you shake it out of your suitcase after five days on the road? According to the TravelInsider, there’s now a wrinkle-free line of clothing that actually stays pretty wrinkle free. And he should know, since he travel-tested the menswear. The women’s clothing line looks pretty good, too.

But what I’d really like to know if this company’s line of insect-repellent clothing works. That I could use every day on my pre-work walk through the woods with my dogs—the horseflies today were horrid. And they’d be great for company picnics and other outdoor events.

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