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There has been a public outcry over companies that have used portions of federal bailout funds for extravagant retreats by top executives. The problem is that if all meetings, conventions and trade shows are painted with the same "AIG-Effect" brush, the loss of jobs and the impact on the economy could be catastrophic. The meetings industry has unified to publicize the value of meetings, conventions and trade shows but no destination so far has gone to the lengths of Spokane, Washington, where members of all ranks in the hospitality industry turned out to publicly show support for the economic viability of meetings.

In early March, the Spokane Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau organized a rally at the city’s downtown shopping center, River Park Square, drawing more than 200, including political leaders and hospitality industry members ranging from top executives to front line workers. Rally attendees brandished yellow "Meetings Mean Business," signs and handbills in a surge of Spokane support for the national campaign of the same name launched by a coalition of Travel & Meeting organizations, spearheaded by the U.S. Travel Association. In addition to local media coverage, the NBC affiliate, KHQ-TV streamed the rally live on their Web site, KHQ.com.

In 2008, 162 meetings, conventions and events were held in Spokane County generating $198.4 million in economic impact. "It represents easily half of our business in the hotel from room nights to the banquets to the restaurants," said Mike McLeod, General Manager of Doubletree Hotel Spokane City Center.

One of the featured speakers at the Rally, Spokane Mayor Mary Verner, not only emphasized the economic importance of meetings, conventions and trade shows to the Spokane economy, but pointed out that within industries and professions, these events promote education and information sharing that strengthens the national economy. "We should not stop legitimate business practices," she said.

While the public outrage over media reports exposing irresponsible junket spending by major corporations receiving taxpayer assistance, the backlash is now causing responsible companies and organizations to second guess their own convention plans. "Convention business is critical to our economy and we can’t let it go," said Harry Sladich, President & CEO of the Spokane Regional CVB. "We’re trying to convince the 52 percent of meeting planners who are getting worried to book their business."

 Although the Meetings Means Business campaign is being embraced nationwide by Meeting Planners, meeting venues and CVBs, Spokane is the first destination to initiate a high-profile, community-wide show of support for the initiative. "It’s certainly not by accident that our community gets it," Sladich told Facilitiesonline. "Our bureau does a very good job of educating our political and business leaders about the importance of tourism and convention and meetings with third party data that shows the impact in terms of retail sales, jobs created, and revenue created, and we update the community religiously, showing them quarterly reports and having a lot of meetings and luncheons."

 The Rally was purposely held on the eve of a important marketing initiative. Spokane has formed a tri-destination marketing cooperative with Hartford, Connecticut and Madison, Wisconsin and the day following the rally, marketing personnel representing the three destinations traveled to Washington D.C. to meet with planners and association decision markers. In the current climate, Sladich pointed out, "We wanted to show our representatives and the planners that they meet with that our city is supportive."

Meetings, Conventions and Trade Shows have been steadily grown for Spokane since 2004, when an expansion and upgrade of the Spokane Convention Center was implemented. By 2007, the facility featured 164,307 square feet of user friendly meeting space, including 24 state- of-the-art breakout rooms, including the multi-media, 270-seat Conference Theatre. It is a momentum the destination is intent to continue feeding. "We’re a second tier city, but with a lot of groups choosing not to go to say, Las Vegas, they are looking at what a place like Spokane can offer," said Sladich.

On the other hand, with a meetings and conventions either being cancelled or moved to a second tier location is actually disrupting destination marketing efforts. "With major groups pulling out of first-tier cities, those destinations are starting to go after the smaller groups and other organizations that are our bread and butter, who traditionally seek second-tier destinations, offering them great packages," he added.

Or, as Sladich told the rally, "They’re going to go fishing in the same pond I’m in."

According to Sladich, another motivation behind the Spokane rally is to help unify the meetings industry and show strident for the Meetings Means Business effort to change the perception that meetings, conventions and trade shows are frivolous and without value. "We sent a message to our colleagues in the meetings professions that we are working to calm the rhetoric. I’ve received messages from Washington’s two Senators that they understand the impact meetings have."

To reinforce the message on a state-wide basis, the Spokane CVB has partnered with the Seattle Convention & Visitors Bureau to create a new Web site that promotes the value of meetings and other tourism to the state.

While announcements, campaigns and websites certainly convey the economic importance of the meetings business to a community, the rally held in Spokane spotlighted the anxiety of employees over squelching meetings in the current economic climate. "We want the big meetings," said James Burch, a cook at the Doubletree Hotel Spokane City Center. "They keep everybody busy."