Google just keeps on surprising me–I just found the Google Ride-Finder, which tracks the location of cabs in 11 U.S. cities (maybe more; that’s just what I saw on the home page). Click on a city, and it tells you how many cabs the different companies have available, and their location on a street map. Whoa, what will they think of next?

My new cyber friend Patti D sent this around–I thought I’d share, in case you ever nod off at your desk…

Ten Things to Say if you are caught napping at your
desk:

10. "They told me at the Blood Bank this might
happen.."

9. "This is just a 15 minute power nap they raved
about in the time management course you sent me to!"

8. "Whew! Guess I left the top off the Whiteout. You
probably got here just in time."

7. "I wasn’t sleeping! I was meditating on the mission
statement and envisioning a new business strategy."

6. "I was testing my keyboard for drool resistance."

5. "I was doing a highly specific Yoga exercise to
relieve work-related stress. Are you discriminating against people
who practice Yoga?"

4. "Darn! Why did you interrupt me? I had almost
figured out how to handle that big accounting problem."

3. "Did you ever notice sound coming out of these
keyboards when you put your ear down real close?"

2. "Who put decaf in the wrong pot?!?"

1. Raise your head slowly and say, "…in Jesus’ name,
Amen."

According to an article on hotelnewsresource.com, a recent HSMAI survey of those who pre-registered for its fifth annual Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International’s Affordable Meetings Mid-America show April 6-7, 2005 at Chicago’s Navy Pier:

the majority of the respondents (53.7 percent) expect to plan more meetings in 2005 and beyond. Most of those respondents anticipate planning three – 10 more meetings (one respondent was a particular stand-out by citing an increase of double the number of meetings planned last year – for a total of 400 in 2005).

Additionally, nearly half of the respondents indicated that they have increased budgets to plan meetings.

Oh good, good times are here again, just in time for the return of the seller’s market! I hope those setting the budgets are factoring in the probability that their room rates will be going up, rather than basing budgets on recent history.

OK, now that we pulled off the 1st Annual Pharmaceutical Meeting Planners Forum, which Medical Meetings cosponsored with The Center for Business Intelligence (see post below), I’ll admit that I was a little worried about how it would all work out. OK, a lot worried.

When we originally outgrew our hotel (I know, a good problem to have, but anxiety producing for sure!), we joked about how we might have to set up a tent to handle the overflow if we couldn’t find another hotel that could accommodate our group, which had grown from the expected 200 or so to almost 500. Philadelphia, where the meeting was held, had a citywide going on that had sucked up every available room in town. Fortunately, we found the Hilton Philadelphia City Avenue, just six miles from downtown, and they did an excellent job working last-minute with our group. Not having set eyes on it myself other than looking at the Web site, even our official CBI meeting planner’s assurances that it would be a perfect fit–she had done a site–didn’t calm my nerves. And our last day was April fools day, no less–what were we thinking?

Anyway, in the nights leading up to the conference, I started having these weird anxiety dreams. In one, the entire hotel consisted of a giant tent. There were workers everywhere constructing a ballroom, breakout rooms, and exhibit space out of blocks of ice, like giant igloos inside this giant tent. And I ran from igloo room to igloo room plugging in space heaters, because if there’s one thing attendees always gripe about, it’s the temperature! Then I’d wake up in a cold sweat.

Other than one conference long ago that I was involved in arranging the content for, this was my first big meeting as a pseudo planner, and I have to say, even my subconscious realizes I’d better stick to my day job! Or maybe it’s normal to have anxiety dreams before a show?

I don’t know, but I guess I’ll find out next year when we do our 2nd annual. I guess everything gets easier with time, and we learned a lot about things we can do to make it even more successful in ‘06. But something tells me that I’ll still be dreaming weirdly come next March…

OK, now that we pulled off the 1st Annual Pharmaceutical Meeting Planners Forum, which Medical Meetings cosponsored with The Center for Business Intelligence (see post below), I’ll admit that I was a little worried about how it would all work out. OK, a lot worried.

When we originally outgrew our hotel (I know, a good problem to have, but anxiety producing for sure!), we joked about how we might have to set up a tent to handle the overflow if we couldn’t find another hotel that could accommodate our group, which had grown from the expected 200 or so to almost 500. Philadelphia, where the meeting was held, had a citywide going on that had sucked up every available room in town. Fortunately, we found the Hilton Philadelphia City Avenue, just six miles from downtown, and they did an excellent job working last-minute with our group. Not having set eyes on it myself other than looking at the Web site, even our official CBI meeting planner’s assurances that it would be a perfect fit–she had done a site–didn’t calm my nerves. And our last day was April fools day, no less–what were we thinking?

Anyway, in the nights leading up to the conference, I started having these weird anxiety dreams. In one, the entire hotel consisted of a giant tent. There were workers everywhere constructing a ballroom, breakout rooms, and exhibit space out of blocks of ice, like giant igloos inside this giant tent. And I ran from igloo room to igloo room plugging in space heaters, because if there’s one thing attendees always gripe about, it’s the temperature! Then I’d wake up in a cold sweat.

Other than one conference long ago that I was involved in arranging the content for, this was my first big meeting as a pseudo planner, and I have to say, even my subconscious realizes I’d better stick to my day job! Or maybe it’s normal to have anxiety dreams before a show?

I don’t know, but I guess I’ll find out next year when we do our 2nd annual. I guess everything gets easier with time, and we learned a lot about things we can do to make it even more successful in ‘06. But something tells me that I’ll still be dreaming weirdly come next March…

Drats, I meant to blog from the conference, but just was too bushed by the end of the day Thursday and too busy yesterday to do it. But the 1st Annual Pharmaceutical Meeting Planners Forum, which Medical Meetings cosponsored with The Center for Business Intelligence, went off really well. In one session, a pharmaceutical planner expressed just how great it felt to hear that her peers were all having the same issues, dealing with the same frustrations, and struggling with the same challenges as other pharma planners. Pain shared is pain lessened, and it was a huge relief for these people to know they’re not alone and have a safe place to talk about what they deal with day in and day out. And, of course, share how they successfully manuever through the minefield of this most highly regulated and scrutinized industry.

Anyway, even though we had to accelerate some of the best parts (in my opinion) of the program on Friday to get people out ahead of Philly’s notorious rush hour, participants, sponsors, and exhibitors all were pretty darn happy at how it all turned out. Phew!

Drats, I meant to blog from the conference, but just was too bushed by the end of the day Thursday and too busy yesterday to do it. But the 1st Annual Pharmaceutical Meeting Planners Forum, which Medical Meetings cosponsored with The Center for Business Intelligence, went off really well. In one session, a pharmaceutical planner expressed just how great it felt to hear that her peers were all having the same issues, dealing with the same frustrations, and struggling with the same challenges as other pharma planners. Pain shared is pain lessened, and it was a huge relief for these people to know they’re not alone and have a safe place to talk about what they deal with day in and day out. And, of course, share how they successfully manuever through the minefield of this most highly regulated and scrutinized industry.

Anyway, even though we had to accelerate some of the best parts (in my opinion) of the program on Friday to get people out ahead of Philly’s notorious rush hour, participants, sponsors, and exhibitors all were pretty darn happy at how it all turned out. Phew!