Sounds like there’s an FAA guidance some airlines are enforcing as a rule that you can’t put anything, not even a little bottle of water or a book, in the seatback pocket. See Huh?? FAA rule bans storing anything in seatback pockets for more. I can see why they’d want to do this, but, as a person on the MiForum listserv who was responding to this out said, flying is already so much fun, why not keep all creature comforts as far away as possible?

This is pretty funny–enjoy! Tribute to hotel front desk agents, brought to you by Get a Room.

(Thanks to MiForum for the link!)

From this post on the Cvent blog, it sounds like the answer might be “yes,” at least in D.C.: See Is the DC Hotel Market Faring Better Thanks to a “Business Only” Reputation?

I know that the glitz and glam destinations are hurting, as are some of the more entertaining places (though D.C. can be pretty entertaining, in my book). I’d be curious to know if other more-serious types of destinations are seeing the same thing, or if D.C. is just blessed with a strong association-meetings market base and lots of tourists staying closer to home this year?

Take four minutes and 16 seconds to watch this amazing video. It’s the best break you’ll get all day.

Here’s to being fully present for every wonderful moment we have. (Thanks to Johnnie Moore. I needed this.)

And here it is: BA to dole out biz-class seats as part of meetings initiative. From the article:

The carrier, with industry partners, will provide 100 Business Opportunity Grants to small U.S. companies (fewer than 500 employees) that have a valid need for international travel to grow their businesses.

The grants will provide 10 roundtrip business-class tickets wherever BA flies plus a hotel allowance at Courtyard by Marriott properties. There also is an allowance for cargo.

Thanks for supporting the business of meetings, BA!

Check out these funny, embarrassing, and just plain weird responses to a cell phone ringing during various presentations: Very Public Cellphone Disruptions. I like the quacking duck during the President’s press conference; as he said, where do people find these ringtones?

Check this out: Want a $10 Buck Room, How About One-cent Room?
Some Orlando Hotels Slashing Rates

While understandable, this is not a good trend. For anyone. If you have a meeting scheduled for the Orlando area right now, be on the lookout for some serious booking around the block.

Update: Looks like a similar situation is brewing in Las Vegas: Luxury hotels in Las Vegas lure guests with ultra-low rates

Here’s a cute bit from Bits & Pieces: You might be from Las Vegas if…

Thanks to (who else?) @pattishock for the pointer on Twitter.

The latest roundup of the world’s funkiest hotels is up at Budget Travel. This is one of my favorites (makes me feel like the cast of Lost will be manning the front desk:

But for sheer funk, the Hang Nga Guest House and Art Gallery is tres cool:

Thanks to Boing Boing for the pointer.

Absolutely fascinating article in today’s Boston Globe called, Happiness: A Buyers Guide. Basically, the article outlines recent studies finding that, while having money doesn’t necessarily make people happier, it can increase their happiness if they spend it on and/or with others, instead of spending it on stuff.

A study by Leaf Van Boven with the University of Colorado (go Buffs! Sorry, it’s my alma mater) and Tomas Gilovich with Cornell University, “found very consistent evidence that experiences made people happier than material possessions they had invested in,” said Van Boven in the article. Here’s the kicker:

Why? For one thing, Van Boven and Gilovich argue, experiences are inherently more social - when we vacation or eat out or go to the movies it’s usually with other people, and we’re liable also to relive the experience when we see those people again. And past experiences can work as a sort of social adhesive even with people who didn’t participate with us, providing stories and conversational fodder in a way that a new watch or speedboat rarely can…

And while we quickly grow accustomed to a new suit or a bigger house, no matter how much we originally loved it, experiences instead tend to get burnished in our memory - a year after a vacation, we look back not on the stress of dealing with lost luggage or the fights over which way the hotel was, but the beauty of the scenery or the exotic flavors of the food.

What does this have to do with meetings? Well, while it doesn’t mention travel incentives specifically, I think its general premise could explain at least in part why travel incentives tend to be more meaningful (and make winners happier) than cash or gift incentives: The money is being spent to create a social experience with others, something that escalates in value over time, instead of a one-time bonus that gets spent and forgotten, or a watch that’s nice, but not really joy-inducing in the same way.

Another project the article discusses, conducted by Sonja Lyubomirsky at University of California at Riverside and Michael Norton with the Harvard Business School, found that people who gave away money to charity or gave it away with gifts were happier than those who spent it on themselves.

So the rise in incentives that do good while rewarding people for doing well seems almost like a no-brainer, doesn’t it?

I have to include this bit, too, just because it made me laugh, then made me think:

Seen this way, blowing money on a bar crawl with friends isn’t necessarily a waste of your hard-earned paycheck - it’s something of an investment. And a generous philanthropic donation is also an act of hedonism even more gratifying than a new Lexus or a handmade watch.