Meetings Mean Business

Defending Meetings, Events & Incentive Travel

Distributed February 2009

Last year, travel for meetings, events and performance incentives (ME&I) came under attack from some media and elected officials who sought to score "political points" by deterring corporate travel. As a result, businesses receiving taxpayer assistance and others concerned about becoming the next "easy target" canceled ME&I travel across the country at great cost to an industry already damaged by the recessed economy.

In February 2009, U.S. Travel distributed a toolkit (see links below) to help formulate responses to the sustained, unfair attacks on ME&I travel. The suite of materials includes: 1) documents to educate you on the value and economic impact of ME&I travel; and 2) resources to help you develop your own communications for policymakers and the media.

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Meetings, Events & Incentive Travel Toolkit:

• General Talking Points
• Economic Impact of Business Travel
• Economic Impact of Business Travel by State (xls)
• Local Impact of Cutting Business Travel
• Value of Meetings
• Convention Centers by State
• What Others Are Saying
• News Stories
• Sample Letter to Editor: Importance of MEI Travel
• Sample Letter to Editor: Industry Guidelines for Business Travel
• Sample Letter to Member of Congress

Here is what you can do to help protect American workers and local communities: 

Write Your Congressman! Using the campaign talking points and sample letters to a member of Congress, send a letter to local members of Congress written in your own words to inform them of the value of travel and the victims when travel is deterred.

Speak Out Locally! Look for opportunities in your local newspaper to make your voice heard. Using the sample letters to the editor and the campaign talking points, draft and send your own letter to the editor of your local newspaper. It is important to keep your letter to about 150 words and follow the guidelines of your local paper.

Get Others Involved! Share this toolkit with your customers and business partners and ask them to get engaged.

Please send copies of all correspondence to Melissa Gong so that we can help document the strength of our industry. Also, visit MeetingsMeanBusiness.com for more information supporting the value of business travel to the American economy.