Meeting Professionals International, the premier global association community for meeting and event professionals, believes in the unequalled power of events and human connections to advance organizational objectives.

Jason Hensel, One+ Associate Editor:

Tony Carey was a gift to the global meeting and event industry with his unwavering support of colleagues and his often biting sense of humor that teased and prodded many to take a critical look at their jobs and themselves. It was this humor that kept our readers coming back for more in every issue, whether with his “Departures” column in The Meeting Professional or his “Across the Bow” column for One+.

During discussions with Tony about the new magazine’s tone, the phrases, “pull no punches,” “cutting edge,” and “don’t be afraid of pissing people off,” came up concerning how we wanted to see his column. Tony didn’t need to be told any of this, though—he spoke freely.

Tony’s first “Across the Bow” column was a mad bull right out of the gate. His declaration that conference dinners should die was met by readers with laughter and head nodding—even if they didn’t want to openly admit it.

His next column, “Bad Speaker? Blame the Planner,” thoroughly did the desired job—use humor to get people to talk about big subjects. This column caused a lot of chatter in the meeting community—exactly what a good columnist is supposed to do. Some readers even expressed sentiment that they would never read the magazine again because of Tony’s views. Those readers are still reading, but sadly we’ll never have a chance to experience Tony’s humor again after his passing away in June.

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