The following is a guest blog entry written by MPI Chicago Area Chapter member Kyle Hillman, CMP, who recently participated in the U.S. Travel Association advocacy fly-in to Washington, D.C.

Since the bailout event backlash and the government meeting scandals that include the now legendary US$16 muffin, our industry has been scrambling to put together a cohesive advocacy message to mixed results. So it was with great interest that I found the most recent U.S. Travel Association advocacy fly-in to Washington, D.C., April 10-11. 

I am probably not like most MPI member planners in that half of my job consists of legislative tracking and organizing advocacy/educational event efforts for the social work association I work for. I see first-hand every day the power of a vocal and active membership, and it is likely why our industry’s timid approach to advocacy irks me so much.

While I have my own reservations about U.S. Travel steering our advocacy message, give credit where credit is due in that they are at least trying to organize this beast that is a collection of loosely associated associations that make up the meeting and event industry. 

The fly-in was very much like other advocacy efforts I have attended in the past—speakers updating you on important issues, a review of talking points and a quick tutorial on advocating on Capitol Hill. U.S. Travel organized the attendee meetings with legislators (or more often their staff) and prepared leave-behind packets on issues U.S. Travel is most eager to push. All you had to do was show up on Capitol Hill and tell your story—an easy enough task. 

Surprisingly, my group (who visited the Illinois delegation) really didn’t run into opposition to U.S. Travel priorities such as the JOLT Act or modernizing air travel, although I can’t imagine having these talks now that the Boston tragedy has thrust immigration and visa access to the front of the political rhetoric line.

While the event was successful, I couldn’t help but think, "Why isn’t the meeting industry here in larger numbers?" Why are we not as organized or as proactive as the U.S. Travel Association?

It isn’t a lack of industry awareness, as I haven’t been to a major industry conference or event that hasn’t had at least one panel pontificating about why the industry should be involved in advocacy efforts. In fact, it seems an entire profession—telling the industry why they should be advocating—has been born from this movement. What we are missing is the concrete plan to make it happen and the will to get it started.

That is what I learned most from U.S. Travel Association’s event. We need to stop speaking out about why we should be in advocacy and start speaking to our legislators about what we do and why certain policies are hurting business growth here and abroad. 

In Chicago, the city recently passed a new ordinance that results in increased fees on hotel parking. This is yet another fee that will directly affect the hotel’s ability to be competitive with cheaper options outside city limits and will become yet another factor for planners or event producers to take into consideration when looking to produce their shows in the city. Tax/fee policies like these are occurring in every city and every U.S. state, and, without a cohesive response and mobilization of the industry, will continue to happen. If the squeaky wheel gets the grease, than the quiet one will have to carry the unfair load. 

While I appreciated the experience with the U.S. Travel Association Fly-In, my next trip to D.C. should be under the banner of MPI or the Convention Industry Council carrying talking points important to our industry. My next call for action should come from my chapter legislative committee asking us to speak out about proposed local legislation that may help or hinder our industry and the businesses that we support. 

We need to stop talking about advocacy and do it. 

As we've learned from the GSA experience, news stories can quickly get out of control. So, it's more important than ever that you help support meeting industry advocacy. Associations can't do it alone; we need the help of the members to advocate. To learn how, please visit our One Industry. One Voice. page.

Want an easy, first step to becoming an advocate? Make your voice heard loud and clear. Regardless of what country you call home, voting is the easiest way to become an advocate. As industry advocate Roger Rickard told more than 200 MPI chapter leaders at the most recent MPI Chapter Business Summit: Connecting Leaders Conference, "If we as an industry can stand up and say that we are meeting professionals and 100 percent of us voted in the last election, that carries a lot of weight."

So, if you're a U.S. meeting professional and haven't registered for the upcoming election, here's a link to Rock the Vote: https://register2.rockthevote.com/registrants/new?partner=2251. But don't delay, depending on which state you live in, the deadline to register online could be as early as today.

First the General Services Administration (GSA). Now the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). According to several news sources, the VA has wasted taxpayer money at recent conferences.

"The VA's OIG [office of inspector general] released a 142-page report portraying a sweeping lack of oversight and confused accounting for expenses, which it said topped $6 million for two training conferences in Orlando, Florida, last year," reported Phil Stewart for Reuters. "It calculated that $762,000 of that total was either 'unauthorized, unnecessary and/or wasteful expenses.'"

One of the wasteful expenses include a parody video shown at an event in Orlando to inspire a crowd of HR professionals. There were also acts of gift receiving.

"Adding to the vacation-like atmosphere of the events, the watchdog found at least 11 VA employees accepted illegal gifts from hotels and other vendors seeking their business in connection with the conferences," reported John Solomon for the Washington Guardian. "VA officials toured three cities before choosing Orlando as the conference destination.

"The gifts they accepted during the selection process and subsequent conferences ranged from free lodging, room upgrades and limo rides to meals, gift baskets, gift cards, spa massages, Rockettes show tickets and a helicopter ride, the inspector general reported."

"Still, an OIG official told reporters on a conference call that there did not appear to be any 'quid pro quo,' with planners demanding gifts in exchange for deals with contractors," Stewart reported.

The VA's assistant secretary for human resources and administration, John Sepulveda, has resigned, and two employees have been put on leave. 

As we've learned from the GSA experience, these news stories can quickly get out of control. So, it's more important than ever that you help support meeting industry advocacy. Associations can't do it alone; we need the help of the members to advocate. To learn how, please visit our One Industry. One Voice. page. 

Want an easy, first step to becoming an advocate? Make your voice heard loud and clear. Regardless of what country you call home, voting is the easiest way to become an advocate. As industry advocate Roger Rickard told more than 200 MPI chapter leaders at the most recent MPI Chapter Business Summit: Connecting Leaders Conference, "If we as an industry can stand up and say that we are meeting professionals and 100 percent of us voted in the last election, that carries a lot of weight." 

So, if you're a U.S. meeting professional and haven't registered for the upcoming election, here's a link to Rock the Vote: https://register2.rockthevote.com/registrants/new?partner=2251. But don't delay, depending on which state you live in, the deadline could be as early as October 6.

Continuing its efforts to raise the political bar of the meetings industry and build broader awareness of its strong role in creating jobs and economic growth, the U.S. Travel Association will host a session at IMEX America 2012 October 9, from 4 - 5:30 p.m./16.00 - 17.30 at the Sands Expo in Las Vegas.

"Building a Stronger Meetings Industry—In Washington and Your Community" speakers will feature Roger Dow, CEO of U.S. Travel; Rossi Ralenkotter, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) and chair of U.S. Travel; and Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman.

Heading the panel discussion, Geoff Freeman of U.S. Travel will speak about the meetings and business travel industry as a critical asset to the nation and provide an update on the success of recent political advocacy efforts. He comes to this issue as a well-versed member of the Washington, D.C., community having been a key driver behind the “U.S. Travel Meetings Mean Business” campaign and the Travel Promotion Act. He was also recently made a member of the Passenger Advocacy subcommittee of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee of the Department of Homeland Security.

Ralenkotter, as both chair of U.S. Travel and president of the LVCVA, will provide an inside look into how Las Vegas excels at hosting more than 19,000 meetings annually—an industry that makes a US$6.3 billion impact on the local economy and supports 58,000 jobs.

Adding even more leadership power to the session, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman—a champion for tourism as the “lifeblood” of the Southern Nevada economy—will also address attendees. Her remarks will focus on efforts to keep Las Vegas on the cutting edge of the travel and tourism industry and the evolution of Las Vegas as a destination already offering 150,000 hotel rooms and 10.6 million square feet of meeting space.

“IMEX’s recent Power of 10 global study showed that one of the most pressing challenges for our industry in the next decade is to measure and effectively communicate the strategic and economic value of events and meetings to local, national and global economies,” said Ray Bloom, chairman of the IMEX Group. “This new political advocacy session will provide an update on how far the industry has come in making sure that this true value is fully understood, especially in the U.S. It builds on the efforts we have made over the past 10 years with the Politicians Forum in Frankfurt, but will also offer a distinctly North American perspective. Everyone involved understands that we must keep acting, keep talking and keep working in unison to achieve meaningful and positive change by policy-makers. IMEX America is proud to play its part in helping to drive this effort and in providing a global platform for the continuing debate.”

Please visit our One Industry. One Voice. page for further resources on industry advocacy. 

The most powerful advocacy is local, and that means each of the 2,000 meeting professionals at WEC can play a role in telling the industry’s story, an expert panel told participants during Monday’s Advocacy Luncheon.

“The opportunity for our chapters and chapter leaders is to become better informed, understand the impact we’re making in our local communities, and get together with our convention bureau partners to understand not just our local economic impact, but our business impact,” said MPI International Chair Kevin Hinton.

“The most important lesson I’ve learned, particularly in my new role, is that you can’t just do this when there’s a crisis,” added Christine Duffy, former MPI international chair and now president and CEO of the Cruise Lines International Association. Duffy quoted a senior U.S. Congress member’s advice that “you can’t just show up here and expect us to understand what your industry is about…you have to be here every day, every week. We need to hear from people in the local districts.”

Advocacy specialist Roger Rickard noted that all politics are local, and that means a handwritten note is one of the most effective forms of advocacy. The note should contain exactly three sentences:

• Who you are and who you represent.
• Why the issue is personal for you and your organization.
• What the elected representative can do to help.

He explained that handwritten correspondence will land on the Congress member’s desk, unlike the 40 million emails he or she receives each year.

Panelists encouraged members and chapters to contact their local Congress members and identify local partners with an interest in supporting a strong meeting industry. A participant said MPI’s Greater Calgary Chapter had generated profile by giving an award to the mayor during National Meetings Industry Day, an event co-organized each year by eight chapters across Canada. “We knew we would get him to our meeting because we were giving him something,” she said, and local media followed in his wake.

Michael Massari, senior vice-president of Caesar’s Entertainment, said the Las Vegas industry realized the need for ongoing advocacy after the community came under attack in 2009. Since then, Caesar’s and other properties have become more prominent in MPI, the U.S. Travel Association and other industry organizations. 

“We realized we had to do this in a meaningful way, get involved, and advocate to make a difference,” he said.

--Mitchell Beer