I couldn’t believe it when I read it in the paper this morning, but the Connecticut-based giant casino/hotel/entertainment complex known as Foxwoods is expanding. This on top of this fall’s $300 million on a new casino, a Hard Rock Cafe, a shop, and two golf courses that should open in a few months.

Citing competition from the Mohegan Sun and possible gambling-related growth in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, Foxwoods’ $700 million, 2 million-square-foot expansion will include a 825-room hotel, a new casino, a 5,000-seat concert theater, six nightclubs and restaurants, and a 21,000-square-foot luxury spa.

As the virally infectious jingle says, "Meet me at Foxwoods"–indeed.

If this ever makes it to the commercial market, just imagine how you could wow the most jaded meeting attendees:

Virtual butterflies that flutter about in space and react to the presence of visitors—if you touch them or try to catch them, they fly away; but if you hold your hand steady, they return and, with a little luck, alight on your outstretched hand. The “Moony” project is meant to make such a scenario possible. Its aim is to develop an intuitive interface that can be used in conjunction with smoke or steam, projections and sensors. A forerunner project has already been carried out. Water vapor serves as the projection surface for the visualizations.

(via Gizmodo)

It ain’t easy, is it? Yet so many planners are finding themselves challenged to demonstrate that the results of their meeting were worth the time and expense. There’s a good article called, The New ROI: Too Tough to Tackle in the latest issue of CMI that outlines some ways to get a handle on this slippery problem.

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It’s funny that Anne Taylor-Vaisey, my partner in crime on our other blog, Capsules, e-mailed this New York Times editorial about why it’s not a smart idea to drink and dial (it’s actually against the law in Australia in some cases, as I mentioned in this post a while back).

I just saw the movie Sideways over the weekend (great, great flick), and one of the characters does just that, making a fool of himself. While I know you all never over-imbibe while traveling, and you can’t possibly warn your attendees without sounding like a mother hen, it’s interesting that this is becoming a big enough problem to warrant laws and editorials. I blame in on the ubiquitous cell phone–if you had to come up with the coins, you might have to stop and rethink whether it’s a good idea to call the ex before sobering up.

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I just ran across a rash of weird food ideas that might inspire or might repulse you–but I had to share anyway:

Cool Japanese watermelon carvings

Hello Kitty-shaped sushi,Twinkie sushi, chocolate sushi, candy sushi

Cabbage-shaped chocolate cake

(via boingboing)

Rich at the TSMI blog found what must be the strangest concept yet in restaurants:A room-service restaurant.

The new restaurant will is named "Motel".  And it will feature a menu, which according to Zagat’s, "is inspired by (the owner’s) favorite room-service menu items."

So, you wait for an hour and get served while you’re wearing pajamas? Do you leave your dishes outside the door? And, as Rich so snarkily observes, will they automatically add an 18 percent service charge? Silly concept, but I guess no worse than the all-cereal restaurant that recently opened in Philadelphia.

Julia Rutherford Silvers, CSEP, argues in this article that the meetings and events industry needs to have some standard level of competence for those looking to get into the field. A snip:

Although this will likely generate heated opposition, my contention is that we need standards of entry into this occupation. Without such standards of entry (a degree, certification, licensing or other form of credentialing) wherein one has to demonstrate at least a certain breadth of knowledge — an awareness of the scope of responsibilities associated with these endeavors, we will not move to the status of a genuine profession that clients and consumers can trust. As long as we remain a business-card entry occupation (one only needs to have business cards printed to become a “professional”) the industry will continue to be stalled at the “trade” stage, unable to garner the respect for and value placed on the specialized knowledge and skill required to perform at a capable and accountable level.

While the Convention Industry Council has been hacking away at standardizing things like terminology and contracts, it doesn’t go this far. I tend to think Julia’s right–there aren’t too many recognized “professions” that don’t require some demonstrated level of competence for entry. Electricians and lawyers need licensure; even journalists usually (but not always) need the right degree or at least some internship experience to get a foot in the door. Julia also thinks it should be up to the industry associations to set the bar. Somehow, I can’t imagine the level of cooperation that would take to actually happen, but it’s a good idea. What say you, PCMA, MPI, ASAE, et al? If not you, who?

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