2007 Industry Forecast - Lodging Report
The editor’s of Professional Convention Management Association’s (PCMA) Convene Magazine have compiled an informative report on lodging for 2007. Read what top hotel executives expect in the coming year, identified as a "seller’s market". In 2006, occupancies at convention hotels will be the highest since 1996.

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Source: PCMA, November 2006

2006 Meeting Trends Report
While meeting professionals who responded to ConventionSouth’s annual trends survey said they’re optimistic about the future of the meetings industry, they also said higher costs, budget constraints and inflexible attrition clauses are creating a challenging environment. Conducted in partnership with Atlanta-based PKF Hospitality Research (PKF-HR), which specializes in tracking the meetings and hospitality industries, the report is designed to pinpoint various factors that influence the business of meetings and reveal the current and future health of the profession.

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Source: ConventionSouth, November 2006

Sharing the Spotlight - Selling Sponsorships
Your proprietary event is a hit. In fact, other companies want in. Maximizing your sponsorship revenue is tempting, but you don’t want to give up too much of your own visibility. And you don’t want to jeopardize the event experience. Read these tips compiled by Event Marketer on how to implement a successful sponsorship strategy. *Another great read, Opus’ white paper, Harnessing the Power of Event Partnerships, available at www.opus-solutions.com/whitepapers.asp

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Source: Event Marketer, November 2006

Special Menus for Special Events
As professionals in the special event industry, it is our job to transform visions into perfection. Often, special events means tackling special needs. With the increasing incidence of food allergies, intolerances and sensitivities, special needs mean special diets.

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Source: Special Events Magazine, October 2006

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CordeValle San Martin, California

CordeValle is a secluded luxury retreat in an extraordinary setting. The resort is tucked away at the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, a mere 30 minutes south of San Jose and 45 minutes north of the Monterey Peninsula.

With country club charm and superb amenities including a luxury spa and championship golf course by legendary designer Robert Trent Jones, Jr., the resort sits in perfect harmony with its natural surroundings. Also located on the grounds is Clos La Chance winery and vineyard a Tuscan-style boutique winery.

Conveniently located just off the lobby, the meeting area offers only a few options, however all of them boast extensive windows that open up to the picturesque views of the golf course and valley, making it the ideal location for corporate entertaining as well as multi-day meetings for smaller sized groups.

The service at CordeValle Resort is outstanding, the staff is consistently attentive yet never obtrusive and they offer a multitude of services to ensure the success of your meeting.

Please visit the CordeValle website at: http://www.cordevalle.com

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Holiday Fun Facts!

• The idea for using electric Christmas lights came from an American named Ralph E. Morris in 1895. The new lights proved safer than the traditional candles, which often started fires by falling in the dry Christmas trees.
• The use of a Christmas wreath as a decoration on your front door, mantel or bay window symbolizes a sign of welcome and long life to all who enter.
• Today poinsettias are the most popular Christmas plant and are the number one flowering potted plant in the United States.
• Artificial Christmas trees have outsold real ones since 1991.
• Candy canes began as straight white sticks of sugar candy used to decorated the Christmas trees. A choirmaster at Cologne Cathedral decided have the ends bent to depict a shepherd's crook and he would pass them out to the children to keep them quiet during the services. It wasn't until about the 20th century that candy canes acquired their red stripes.
• In 1836, Alabama was the first state in the USA to declare Christmas a legal holiday.
• In 1856, President Franklin Pierce decorates the first White House Christmas tree.
• In 1907, Oklahoma became the last USA state to declare Christmas a legal holiday.
• The biggest selling Christmas single of all time is Bing Crosby's White Christmas.
• In America in 1822, the postmaster of Washington, DC, complained that he had to add 16 mailmen at Christmas to deal with cards alone. He wanted the number of cards a person could send limited by law. "I don't know what we'll do if this keeps on," he wrote.
• During the Christmas buying season, Visa cards alone are used an average of 5,340 times every minute in the United States.

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Office Exercise - ...do some exercises throughout the day to prevent the aches and strains that can come from many hours on a computer. It's stuff we all know but could use a friendly reminder about now and again.
http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/devlin/5383

Farecast - Farecast.com is the first airfare prediction site. When searching for your flight, check the patent pending Fare Prediction and the Fare History to know ...
http://www.farecast.com

Twinkle Bulbs - Flashing holiday lights for your Windows desktop!
http://www.twinklebulbs.com

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