Things weren’t looking so hot for the Denver CVB not too long ago, when reports of bureau-sponsored parties at strip clubs were making the news. But according to the Denver Post, now they have a reason to celebrate for real:

The board and 800 of its members will be celebrating at tonight’s annual meeting at the newly expanded Colorado Convention Center in downtown Denver. It’s the first official event at the center, which underwent a $310.7 million expansion approved by voters in 1999.

If you get our e-newsletter, MeetingsNet Extra, you might have already seen this editorial by our editorial director, Betsy Bair, on the TSA party that got excoriated in the papers. But if you didn’t, check it out–she actually talked to the planner involved and got his perspective.

A couple of interesting news items from this week’s e-newsletter from Meetings and Incentive Travel, a Canadian meeting magazine. It seems that Canada is taking a serious interest in increasing travel across the U.S.-Canada border.

First, it said that the “Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) president, Anthony Pollard, met with the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance recently to make recommendations for additional government investment in the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) and for infrastructure improvements to Canada/U.S. border crossings. ” Among the suggestions are $175 million/year for the CTC from the government (with suggestions on how to fund the funding), and to find ways to reverse the loss of 1.05 million visitors from the U.S. “due in large part to a negative perception [real and perceived] of what crossing the border is like.”

Proposed solutions included more effective communication of border-crossing requirements to citizens; working with the U.S. to build on the Smart Border Initiative; the harmonization of customs procedures and increased investment towards both long and short-term infrastructure improvements.

Another was an item on the launch of the CANPASS Air Program at the Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport. “The program allows frequent, pre-approved travellers to meet their border clearance obligations by simply looking into a camera that recognizes the iris of the eye as proof of identity.” It’s only open for citizens and permanent residents of the U.S. and Canada, costs $50, and is now in effect in Vancouver, Halifax and Toronto international airports, in addition to Montreal, and will be implemented soon in Calgary, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Ottawa.

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This site is a pretty handy way to calculate what you’ll need for beverages for an event. I plugged in a 100-person meeting, 43 guys and 57 women for two hours with light snacks, and got back a detailed list of exactly what I’d need to keep everyone well-lubricated, including 13 bottles of red wine, 17 bottles of white wine, 69 bottles/cans/12 oz. servings of beer. But it also said I didn’t need any soda or bottled water, and coffee/tea isn’t mentioned. Still, it sounds like a good starting point.

Thanks to a MIMlister for the pointer.

To comment on this post, click on "comments" below. To receive a weekly blog update, e-mail Sue.