If you are planning a meeting in the Baja Norte region of Mexico/San Diego area, check out VolunTours‘ program for groups. From the Web site:

VolunTours™ packages unique community development initiatives as “consumable” travel experiences for visitors to the Baja Norte Region of Mexico. These “tours” combine education, cross-cultural exchange and volunteerism while directly supporting community development and economic self-sufficiency of low-income residents.

VolunTours™ projects address community-determined needs and accommodate client objectives (e.g. team bonding), while residents earn income through fees for coordination and implementation.

I can’t find anything about pricing on the site, but it sounds like a good alternative to the usual teambuilding activities, and a good way to give back to the community you’re meeting in.

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It has to be something in the water in New York! I thought Le Meridian’s $1,000 fritatta was a bit much. But now I hear that the city’s famed Algonquin Hotel is offering a $10,000 martini that comes complete with a diamond. I don’t know of anyone with that high-end an incentive, but for some reason thought you’d like to know that some hotels in NYC seem to think the economy’s coming back big time. Or that Donald Trump would be stopping by. Or something.

I just read in this week’s USAE-mail that the International Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus‘ Board of Directors “has recommended the association change its name to ‘Destination Marketing Association - Representing Destination Marketing Organizations Worldwide.’ Final board approval is slated for March 2, 2005 after receiving member feedback, with official adoption scheduled for August 2005 at its annual meeting in San Diego.”

I know that the industry has been struggling to find some way to get more recognition for what they do from the general public (I read a survey somewhere that almost no one knew what a “Convention and Visitors Bureau” is, but I can’t find the link now). I don’t know if this is true or not, but it might be more descriptive than IACVB is. Then again, I wonder if they’ll get confused with the Direct Marketing Assocation? Oh well, with individual CVBs changing their names to things like NYC & Company, why not?

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From Direct magazine:

“Read almost any book on direct mail and it will tell you that every letter you send out should have a P.S. Why do the experts love the P.S.? Is what they say true? What should you say in your P.S.?

“First, the last word is second – in terms of units of a letter that are most frequently read. The headline or Johnson box is first, of course. Why is the P.S. second? Because after reading the head, recipients let their eyes fly down to the signature. And the P.S. is right under the signature. (Unfortunately, too many mailers don’t think a signature –not just a name and title – is necessary, so they can’t really benefit from the P.S.)”

OK, I guess I’ve learned my new thing for the day! This might come in handy for your next promotional mailing–but don’t use a P.S. on everything. According to the article, “Steer clear of the P.S. in very short letters to anyone. After all, the P.S. is supposed to be an afterthought, and in composing a short letter you don’t have too much to think about.”

You can use those postscripts to repeat your main point and/or to give potential attendees yet another reason why your meeting is a must-attend.

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In a moving article from sfgate.com, Bernard S. Alpert, Ira D. Sharlip, Thomas C. Cromwell Assad A. Hassoun, write of their experience as members of a delegation of 30 American physicians representing all specialties of medicine, who met with 350 Iraqi colleagues in Baghdad in mid- February.

It was the first open professional meeting in Iraq in decades, they say. “The conference was heralded as historic, a symbol of rehabilitation after years of corruption, tyranny, conflict and devastation. Today in Iraq, a dynamic tension exists between two social forces proceeding simultaneously: one destructive, one constructive. News regarding the former flows continuously, as events are violent and heartrending. But the perspective of private-sector American citizens without government or media affiliation is conspicuously absent in the intensifying discourse. Thus, we owe it to our fellow citizens to share our experience…

“…The human spirit can overcome seemingly insurmountable hurdles. Our delegation was bound to our Iraqi colleagues by an oath coined by a Greek at a time when their forebears dwelled in civilization’s cradle, and our nation was in no one’s imagination. We listened as the first voices of open public-policy discussion, including those of dissent, spoke freely after decades of constrained silence. Such positive developments are fragile and require nurturing.

“When the conference ended, each American physician received a plaque from our Iraqi colleagues exclaiming, “A New Hope to Contact the World.” We hope the world contacts them.”

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While this report from the Travel Industry Association of America focuses on leisure travelers, it should be a heads-up for planners who have summer meetings and attendees that like to bring the family along and/or tack on a vacation pre- or post-meeting.

Summer 2004 Travelers’ Wish List
Top Ten Destinations Travelers Would Most Like to Visit This Summer
Florida 38%
California 29%
Hawaii 16%
New York 15%
Colorado 12%
Texas 11%
Nevada 9%
Washington DC 5%
Virginia 5%
Alaska 5%