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The Nation's Pulse
No Meetings on the Table
The profligate Obama government clamps down on business travel.
I was saddened to read in the Wall Street Journal a few days ago an article about how the federal government is clamping down on business meetings. The Department of Agriculture in particular is telling its employees not to have meetings if they can video conference, and especially, no matter what, not to go to resort towns like Las Vegas for meetings. This, so the government people say, shows respect for the taxpayers.
A few humble thoughts:
The idea of this, the most profligate administration in history by far, saying it is showing restraint by avoiding a few business meetings is like Genghis Khan saying he is a good guy for only pillaging 99 days out of 100. It would be funny if it were not so sad.
Second, it really tells volumes that this administration, with its vaunted smart advisers, thinks a business meeting is a bad, wasteful thing.
Are the meetings of Congress a waste? They are business meetings. Are the meetings of the Supreme Court wasteful? They are business meetings.
Business meetings involving travel are vital business and productivity tools for maximizing knowledge, the essence of human capital. They are the best possible way for new ways of adapting and adopting to be brought to bear. A business meeting is as valuable a business tool as a computer and maybe more so.
Perhaps more to the point, business meetings did not contribute to the credit bubble that caused this recession. Business meetings and travel did not cause the bursting of that bubble.
BUSINESS MEETINGS HAD ZERO TO DO WITH CAUSING THIS RECESSION.
Even more to the point, banning or condemning business meetings will not help us get out of the recession. Instead, this anti-meeting policy gets hotel and airline workers fired, kicks hotel maids and busboys in the teeth, wrecks communities used to working hard to be good hosts.
As to meetings in resorts, the reason to have them is that there are a lot of rooms close to each other with good ways to get together. Often, as in Las Vegas, rooms are inexpensive. Traffic jams and people getting lost do not happen because everyone is under the same roof.
Fighting business meetings is like fighting common sense and progress. The fact that the administration thinks keeping hard working people from getting together to share their experience, strength and hope is just plain sad.
I will say it again. Meetings and business travel did not cause this recession. Kicking the hospitality and travel industry in the face and not allowing smart people to share their intelligence will not do anyone any good at all.
About the Author
Ben Stein is a writer, actor, economist, and lawyer living in Beverly Hills and Malibu. He writes “Ben Stein’s Diary” for every issue of The American Spectator.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (59) | Leave a comment
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Rocco| 7.27.09 @ 6:47AM
Just another indication of how moronic and utterly out of touch with reality the members of the current administration are.
Lawrence Boccardi| 7.27.09 @ 7:01AM
Regretably, Mr. Stein, you no longer have credibility with me. Nothing to do with your views, and your writing is usually entertaining. How can you contribute to Al Franken's senatorial campaign, and be the spokesman for American Spectator fundraising? Are they that stupid?
Ed| 7.27.09 @ 8:07AM
Both Hawaii and Nevada voted for Obama in 2008. Now, business travel is way down because of Obama's dictates. How's that working out?
Tim| 7.27.09 @ 8:33AM
So no more flying Airforce One low and slow around New York?
Nick the Knife| 7.27.09 @ 10:20AM
Mr. Stein, I agree with your assertion that business meetings didn't get us to this point . However, I also believe that discouraging government employees from using resorts is exactly the right thing to do. One of the most persuasive arguments against the health care "reform" is that government poobahs will not subject themselves to what they propose for us. So it should be with their meetings. Let them meet, but let them do it without the golf, spas, and casinos. Maybe you are beginning to be out of touch with everyday Americans, your own wealth and success obscuring you from how we live and work. You have been a fine spokesman for our values over the years-please take a step back and think this over.
franklin floyd| 7.27.09 @ 10:47AM
Ben Stein is right and makes his point well. And there is more . The no traveling for business people exposes Barack Obama's anticapitalist leanings. Just how far does Obama lean to the left. The answer is far as he can before he is pushed back.
Pat| 7.27.09 @ 1:25PM
In the folklore of business, the black belt manager, who removes the chairs from the meeting rooms so everyone gets down to business without dilly dallying, is a role model for students of business everywhere. But don't let anyone kid you that ever happens in real life - it's just an amusing and inspiring story. Man is a social animal and loves to hunker down with friends around a camp fire or relax around a conference room table with a cup of coffee and a plate of fresh fruit and maybe a sweet roll from the meeting buffet.
Is it wrong to desire human company and to require the coming together of large groups of people to plan the simplest of actions? No, but Obama is after energy savings, he's not trying to kick the flight attendants, rental car folks or hotel maids in their wallet.
Consider the idea of fuel efficient commercial airliners - yeah, it's hard to imagine a 300,000 lb plane as fuel efficient but Boeing is working to build the Honda Prius of commercial jet aircraft - check out the Boeing 787, if they can ever get it into production. Airlines want planes that save on jet fuel - they're losing money hand over fist and every expense saving helps.
Video conferencing never took off like it should have - people like to travel to other cities and socialize with their co-workers while pretending to actually work. If you commute by car, look around you at the traffic light tomorrow at 8 A.M. - are most of the cars occupied by one person, are most folks looking as bored as you are and are most drivers doing the same thing every day, just like you? Think we might save many gallons of gas yearly if you, and they, frequently worked from home?
If you believe Obama isn't competent to pick his nose because of his socialist ideology, then you probably think like this twit of an author, but Obama is right on this action, private corporations and firms are doing the exact same thing with their employees. And it's just until the hard times are mostly over, you can't change our basic natures and the hotels will fill up with business travelers again someday; to paraphrase the Beatles "give human nature a chance".
KyMouse| 7.27.09 @ 1:28PM
This article and its comments have reminded me how quickly we Americans gave up on the "Air Force One flyover" scandal. Obama's people stonewalled, and the story vanished. Has anyone ever found out who was on that flight, and why? Is anybody still working on that story? Hmmm...I guess Obama got away with it.
deetsie| 7.27.09 @ 2:12PM
Hey Ben, I love you, buddy, and hate to be a partypooper but don't you get a large portion of your income from addressing these "business" gatherings? Aren't you special pleading here?
Eli | 7.27.09 @ 2:35PM
If the administration would even consider asking experts in the meetings industry their opinion, they may see what the true affect is of the meetings industry and how these cancellation affect more than just the poor old attendees who may want to go to a place that has a golf course or casino. For those of you that really believe that the government is footing the bill for government meeting attendee's rounds of golf, spa treatments, or hands of blackjack, you must be kidding me. Instead of relying on Fox News or MSNBC or any of the other dozens of networks that have nothing to report unless it causes some sort of uproar, do your own research. Look into the rules of what government employees are and are not allowed to expense. There you will see that they are paying a dirt cheap rate which is contracted with the hotel as per the government guidelines of travel per diems and most likely simple lunches or dinners at the hotel… and nothing else.
The (mis)perception people have of Las Vegas is astounding. Just the first half of this year alone, Las Vegas lost over 400 meetings/conventions with potential income to the city of over $100 MILLION. All due to perception. Who lost out there? The citizens of Las Vegas… that $100 MM of direct spending into the city would have had an amazing trickle down effect, helping support thousands of jobs and families. So where were a lot of these meetings being moved to? Cities like San Francisco, Chicago and even New York. All three of which are MUCH more expensive to hold a meeting, but do not have the "fun" reputation of Las Vegas. People assume that Vegas is only $400/night hotel suites with a pure lavish lifestyle. You can find those at hotels like Bellagio, Wynn, etc... although even now you can get much cheaper. But the majority of rooms at Vegas hotels are not that expensive. The cost of doing a meeting in Las Vegas, to the planner, is exponentially lower than many other cities in the US.
And to give the excuse that "people are going to Vegas just to party it up" and not sit in on meetings, get real. If that were the case, then whomever is running the meeting should be fired along with all the employees that are unethical enough to not do their jobs by going to get the training they need. If your meetings are that boring, then the trainer or person in charge of the content of your meeting needs to get a swift kick in the rear and out the door. Someone should be brought in to provide the proper training that will enhance the experience at the meeting and make it valuable.
The case for teleconferencing is one that will never beat out the face-to-face social interaction of meetings. People do not gather at conferences just to socialize and get drinks and party it up. They get together to network and discuss business and conversations lead to relationships that facing a television monitor could never do. Human interaction will never be replaced by technology as the most effective way to develop business relationships.
So to conclude my mini-rant… don’t blame the business meetings. The $120 BILLION/year meetings industry and its 1.4 million employees only do GOOD for our economy.
Lee | 7.27.09 @ 4:23PM
Ben Stein's article is a brilliant boil down of what's been going on in the meetings industry for 10 months, and the cost to the US economy has been devastating. The 'anti meeting' sentiment as projected by our President, roils our economy for all the wrong reasons. Meetings are even more important than Stein indicates; first, cancelled meetings mean elimination of tax dollars for the host cities, earmarked for vital city services- an implosion that is being felt across municipalities everywhere. Second, most meetings are in fact 'selling or education events', where either business partners or staff learn about products, positioning, offers, and promotional programs, in order to engage customers in the transaction process. Messages to large key customers are delivered face to face, because that's how people determine if they 'trust' the deliverer of the information, nothing replaces that, including video conferencing. A meeting lets you share with your clients , investors, or staff all at once, so the company can gain faster traction and results. Slow down the meetings, you slow down sales. Slow down sales, you slow down new hiring on the manufacturing, development, and distribution side of the business--creating another economic earthquake, like we now have. Thirdly, as someone 'in the meeting strategy business', this media obsession that meetings are about golf and spa treatments is just plain misinformation. We produce hundreds of events a year (or used to..) and less than 10% of them included golf, (which by the way is a great place to get a deal done, which results in more hiring)... Finally, as to Las Vegas and other resorts, may I remind everyone that LV is still part of America, with American citizens living and working there--why would we not want working class Americans to make a living doing something 'legal'? Are we dividing America into some new kind of tribal system where some parts of our country are 'OK', and others should start plannning on secession from the Union?! Again, hundreds of meetings in Vegas, and my personal experience is that very few business meeting attendees gambled more than $100 of their OWN money during their stay-- their agendas are too packed with dozens of hours in ballrooms and breakout sessions; they aren't there to party, and a walk through a casino is cheap entertainment that cost the company nothing. So if you run a company, if you believe that face to face communication is important to get your message across broadly and with emphasis; allowing your audience to listen, learn,embrace, and then act upon your imparted knowledge to create new revenue, leading to a recovery--then look at your new revenue growth today (vs rev created by cutting costs) and think about reinstating your meetings and investing in your relationships. CEO's decide the agenda for their companies, not the government. Our elected representatives should be evangelizing for travel, meetings, and increased business development activities--we can't bail our way out with taxes, and the stimulus plan isn't putting people back to work--companies put people back to work. Anything less than an endorsement of business travel cripples their own home towns directly or via the ripple effect. We're smarter than this.
Shawn | 7.27.09 @ 4:33PM
Thank you, Ben Stein, for continuing to stand up for business meetings. Cracking down on business meetings makes no sense: (1) A study shows that 87% of Americans who have attended an out-of-town meeting or convention for work say it is important to running a strong business. (2) Business travel creates 2.4 million jobs and accounts for $240 billion in spending and $39 billion in tax revenue at the federal, state, and local levels. (3) Meetings and events are directly responsible for 1 million American jobs. (4) The Dept. of Labor reported that nearly 200,000 travel-related jobs were lost in 2008 and expects another 247,000 to be lost in 2009. I thought the federal government was supposed to be helping to save and create jobs?
txn4ever| 7.27.09 @ 6:29PM
I'm sorry but I take exception to the fact that business meetings didn't get us into all this trouble. It was all kinds of meetings between lobbyists, congressmen, politicians, and others that eventually lead to legislation such as the Community Reinvestment Act under Carter and the extention of that act under Clinton which eventually led to the housing bubble that caused the crash.
When politicians meet off the record it should be considered a criminal conspiracy.
James | 7.27.09 @ 6:52PM
As usual, many are only catching the headlines or soundbites of these stories. Wake up America...if this same meeting was held in Washington DC, the government approved per diem rate for June is $209 per night vs $85 at a resort in the desert with temps over 100 degrees...and imagine if the room rate is that low then so are the food and beverage charges. In July, this rate drops to $165. Would this story have even been mentioned? NO WAY but you and I would have paid much more for it. It was SMART for them to hold their meeting in an affordable destination like the desert. The DC area is running a very high occupancy, the rates are higher than most cities in America and getting the rates that go along with those numbers.
thinkingabovemypaygrade| 7.27.09 @ 9:22PM
There are lots of fine meeting places / cities all over the US. A well-planned business meeting/and or conference can be an EFFICIENT way to retool employees...and even grow a business.
(my husband sometimes goes to a few day conference where he takes quick courses to get recertified in industrial safety, where he can network with his peers, and where he can quickly view vendors who offer new products/services for his field. This conference, usually located in an upbeat city, tends to refresh and renew him - as an employee and as a person. Win win.
But Las Vegas---too many temptations. Too much partying can take place if one is not careful.
(Wow. this sounds like a commercial!)
thinkingabovemypaygrade| 7.27.09 @ 9:25PM
Ps I suspect the BAD kind of meetings (i.e. where people quickly cooked up the Stimulus Bill and where they're quickly cooking up the Health care bill) probably took place in & and around Capitol Hill---where little attention would be drawn to the planners of our projected brave new world...
Frank T| 7.27.09 @ 9:44PM
Kymouse hit it right on the head...Obama will get away with all sorts of things because nobody seems to really care! Time to clean house--kick 'em all out in 2010, let's start fresh with people who have some gonads to take on the Obamanation!
Dennis| 7.27.09 @ 10:26PM
Right on Ben Stein!
RoxannaDanna | 7.27.09 @ 10:36PM
Those cooks and cabbies and housekeepers in Las Vegas have families to feed and Ben is right when he says this is a kick in the face to those people. The city is in the tourism and convention business. These are the same people who elected this jerk into the white house and this is how he repays them.
madjohn| 7.27.09 @ 11:14PM
Frank T has the right idea. Please visit
kickthemallout.com and help to clean house in Congress.
Ralph Score | 7.28.09 @ 12:14AM
I am an Independent Media Producer and live event staging professional (or was anyway). Here is my op/ed blog from 07/14
“Where Have All The Meetings Gone?”
Attempted murder of an industry by the Media and the Feds.
In Early October of 2008 it was reported that Insurance giant AIG had mischievously held a high level conference for their executives at a luxury resort just days after receiving their 85 billion dollar government bailout much to the outrage of both the Federal Government and the public alike. Then it happened again in mid-November when they staged an asset management conference for other industry professionals at a resort in Phoenix, Arizona where they surreptitiously hid any sign of their own involvement with the conference. At the news of this second conference and the seeming cover up, the whole country became somewhat incensed with the sheer audacity of the company’s callous attitude and disregard for what seemed to be right or wrong. Even I was upset over this seeming waste of money but not for the same reason as most Americans. I was upset because I knew that what they were doing right or wrong was going to hit the whole conferencing Industry like a 45 caliber gut shot wound and affect hundreds if not thousands of individuals who make a living doing legitimate work directly or indirectly in the industry. All that I could think to say was. “Oh great. Now you guys have screwed it up for everyone in the business of meetings and conferences and it’s going to clobber a whole bunch of us including me”. Turns out what I said to myself was very prophetic and it did indeed start a spiraling domino affect that’s still being felt almost three quarters of a year later. Then in January of 2009, the new President took office and leveled his gun at Wells Fargo for their planned conference at a hotel in Las Vegas, which was very quickly cancelled and once again I became very upset. This time however, I was not upset at Wells Fargo for this seemingly SNAFU’d situation and instead was upset with the now demonizing of conferences in general by both the Government and the media that attacked the situation like tiger sharks in a feeding frenzy. In early May of 09’, USA Today by way of another network news affiliate story, started blasting away at General Motors for staging a Fleet Dealers event held in Phoenix and lauded it as another slap in the face to tax payers and all citizens like they had just murdered someone. That did it for me. Now I was angry and I mean REALLY, REALLY ANGRY but once again not at GM but at the media for demonizing something that they didn’t even really seem understand for reasons of adding fuel to their own firestorm and in turn make it that much harder for anyone working within the industry to make a living at it, let alone to grow and succeed.
I’ll admit that I didn’t much care for AIG’s blatant disregard for what was going on in the failing economy with their first foray into mindlessness. But the second conference for other professionals within the asset management industry seemed to be a legitimate reason for putting on a conference for the 150 attendees who were there to learn and advance their careers (you know, goes hand in hand with the American dream). Regarding the Wells Fargo incident, I knew at this time that both Government and media alike just plain didn’t get it when it came to the importance of live conferences and what good they actually perform. According to the media it was all fun and games and site-seeing tours and gambling all day and night while eating lavish meals and boozing it up 24/7 in “Sin City”, all at taxpayers expense. I hate to tell the media and the Feds this but, YOU GOT IT WRONG YOU BUNCH OF SELF IMPORTANT, MINDLESS DUNDERHEADS!
I had a chance to be the technical Director of a very similar conference for Wells Fargo three years prior to this when it was in Anaheim, CA. and I can tell you from first hand experience that it was 95 percent business and everyone ate buffet style rubber chicken for four solid days of intense motivation and education for people from all over the country who needed to be educated about changes in critical business policies and new practices of operation for the banking giant and their employees. Here’s what the media and the Government don’t understand about conferences. Dollar for dollar, there’s still no more effective way to bring together a large group of people from all over to motivate, inform and educate them in a consistent way in that short of a time span and getting them all on the same page for business or industry wide operations. The other thing they fail to understand is the amount of business that gets done outside of the actual conference room when everyone is networking and discussing what they just learned during coffee and bio breaks. Then there’s the workshop aspect that happens after a general session, where people get down to specific details regarding their jobs and how to do them better. Oh and don’t forget the camaraderie and motivational aspect of making people actually feel good about what they do for a living. And then there’s the economic impact on literally 1000’s of hospitality, destination, travel and audio-visual support people not to mention the economic impact on the city itself. The fact that Wells Fargo was going to Las Vegas this year is because it has the facilities necessary for the amount of people attending and because you don’t freeze your ass off there in the month of January while getting your new business ideas across at the start of the new year.
Still think it’s a waste of time and money? How about the GM Fleet Dealers event where they brought in people who could ACTUALLY BUY VEHICLES IN QUANTITY and get blasted by the media at a time when many people were having a problem even qualifying for personal car loans. NICE MOVE YOU FOURTH ESTATE IDIOTS! Although the initial dumb move by AIG was indeed a dumb move in light of the hard economic times with mega bailouts going on for the financial services sector. If the media and our Government doesn’t stop demonizing every conference that seems wrong to them, they will effectively ruin an entire industry or two or three and maybe more including hundreds of American businesses and thousands of tax paying American’s lives. Simply because, THEY JUST DON’T GET IT IN THEIR FEEBLE LITTLE MINDS!
Live conferences are vital to American business as well as working Americans and they can’t just be replaced by web conferencing because you can’t shake hands with or share a cup of coffee with a computer monitor.
Yours Respectfully,
Media Wizard
ccc| 7.28.09 @ 10:12AM
And just imagine the devasting affect the elimination of buisness meetings would have on the local prostitution industries.
As a tax payer, I want government employees to take care of buisness as efficiently as possible. A phone call instead of a flight when possible saves my money. Taking care of the little details can set the course for the larger agenda. And yes this administration (like the one before) needs to rein in spending.
As a stock owner I want my investment dollars taking care of buisness. When corp execs use my investment money to treat themselves to colorado ski vacations that is usually a good sign that they are more interested in draining cash from the company rather than increasing value.
And as a buisness traveler, yeah I would rather stay home with my darling wife rather than spend half the week flying across the country to visit some regional exec who could have been briefed over phone.
Frequently buisness travel and face time is necessary, frequently it is not. At all times Effciency is GOOD.
Pingback| 7.28.09 @ 10:17AM
Get meetings back on the table | Face2Face links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Laura| 7.28.09 @ 3:22PM
What I ALWAYS find interesting to note is that far too often arguments break out before anyone has even attempted to define the terms - the meanings of the words used. Accusations of evil intentions and intelligence levels are tossed back and forth while a third party can easily see that neither side even understands what the other means by the words being used.
As an example in this argument, people responded to Ben Stein in angry disappointment at what he said or with enthusiasm. Yet, nobody realizes that nowhere in his remarks did he identify what he meant by "business meeting". Everyone assumes they know what kind of meeting he meant. But, there are many kinds of meetings and the result of each meeting is only as good as the leader and the attendees. One can't generalize.
There is a kind of business meeting that I think is absolutely worthless. It is called a "retreat" and currently even the Geico commercials make fun of them with the company president wanting the gecco to catchch him as he falls backwards in a trust fall.
Another kind of meeting is when people come together to actually conduct business, to actually work, to accomplish something. Stein seems to be referring to this kind of meeting and if kept on track by the leader of the meeting it often impossible to communicate unless one is working in person. It's not a matter of wanting to huddle around making one another "feel good" but rather that some things can't be communicated without a huge white board everyone can write on and the ability to walk around each other and be seen and heard by everyone, break into groups for specific tasks, etc. etc.
Barbara| 7.28.09 @ 4:57PM
No conferences! This is from the guy who took his wife to NYC. At the expense of we the taxpayers. Did the BHO staff ever confirm the $50,000 weekend? I doubt that came out of his personal budget. We tax payers got that bill.
Free Market| 7.28.09 @ 5:01PM
So government types are not allowed to pay for golf, spas, etc.? Who do you think IS paying? Trial lawyers, lobbyists, ACORN? Get real.
Rowan| 7.28.09 @ 5:28PM
Hard to believe the level of cynicism and ignorance displayed by some of the respondents. There may be some abuses in the system, but that is far from the majority.
I just got back from my group's annual educational symposium. It was a grueling 3 days -- hardly any breaks, just enough time to meet with vendors and explore new product lines a bit. By the end of the conference, my brain had turned to putty and it will take me WEEKS to assimilate all of the information I garnered.
The sad part: Except for our people, the hotel was basically empty. And, they were having such a hard time, the restaurant was out of basics. I am used to the hustle and bustle of these big hotels, where it's hard even to get a shuttle. The facility we were at in Dallas is one step short of a cemetery.
And, yes, I blame our profligate President and his "poorly calibrated" words.
BenSteinsFriend| 7.28.09 @ 8:37PM
Ben, this is how it works sometimes when you go to some resorts...a judge in charge of big money goes to a River Boat for his convention. He wins and he loses. He is treated well. In the end the house percentages win. When he is in debt; he looks to do something to siphon off the system of government to pad his losses. It might be favors and in contracts. The more the gambling goes on; the higher the chances are the politician will get hooked again and have to dig his way out again. All its takes is a couple of bad eggs to spoil it all for everyone else. Cost benefit analysis is the reason to select other options for the conventions. i remember when something horrible would happen to the Marines off base. The Commanding Officer would black list the establishment to protect his Marines. You do wonder who runs Barter Town when the fat cat husband and wife duo; who run a gambling den in their gas station are doing so well in their shifty water company. On another note; Ben, it was shameful for brand name companies a few years ago to set up extortionist pay day check cashing loans outside our bases. In past history; when a politician signs off on a pardon for a couple of thousand drug dealers; you wonder who is the running th hen house. Why Vegas Reno or Orlando got black listed i purely do not know because the rates are steeply discounted. Some evil can be traced all the way back to Europe; where any excuse would do to take what you ve got and to keep the gas ovens running 24/7. They want their hooks on our water and on our government IT contracts..etc. Speculators hiked oil prices as we were terrorized. If the Yanks Benjamins were broken; the 10 billion dollars in aid to Israel would be worth spit...and those were Katuska rockets being rained on Israel. Who made those? Who is your friend? America is under constant attack by corrupt people. The federal conventions could possibly be staged on our empty military bases stateside; if they are serious enough to save the doe ray me. Walter Reed Army Hospital was Senator Norton's turf wasn't it? So even the wounded were used as pawns in a political game. How cruel can you be? Lets calibrate our radar; its been too easy to punch the good guys in the face. Federal employees are constantly caught abusing their government credit cards. Meccas of Gambling would be too much of a velvet noose for the fools. Save Ferris.
bali| 7.29.09 @ 3:44AM
come here
aaa| 7.29.09 @ 3:45AM
come here
Camofilly| 7.29.09 @ 9:20AM
OMG! Nice piece, but one of the "comments" frankly disturbed (if not depressed) me: Did you really contribute to Al Franken's "election"? What the hell were you thinking?
I have one more question: Where have all the rebels gone? If I were a planner right now I'd deliberately arrange the biggest conference of the year in Las Vegas, or Disney World or whatever spot is designated by this administration as verboten. Just for the satisfaction of feeling that old rush of liberation and autonomy. Power to the People! GO VEGAS!
Laura| 7.29.09 @ 12:18PM
It's usually the Dems whose matras involve groupspeak, groupthink and groupchildrearing (remember "It Takes a Village"?) They seem determined to prove that individualism is not only dead but deserved to die because it's evil.
Okay, let's go with that for a moment. They really believe that "It Takes a Village" to raise a child.
They think everything in the business sector and the government sector has to be decided by "gaining consensus" to make everyone happy about everything.
Now, they do seem to recognize that innovation, new products, finding answers to highly technical problems like the "global warming" they spout off about every three seconds of every day, often involves groups of people working together.
Let's just say that they accept that it's often via groups that "things get done" and that those groups must have a means of communication.
So, where do these groups meet, especially when participants are based long distances from one another? For decades, they have met at hotels or conference centers near hotels in large cities. Oh, sorry, now these cities are redesignated as "resorts" to demonize them, so I guess I should refer to Santa Clara, San Jose, and San Francisco, California as "resorts".
Cisco is a great company and their video-conferencing systems are wonderful. I'm a software engineer and overall techie but when I watch "24" and see the Cisco logo and watch the characters communicate via the video-conferencing systems, I think of all the cigarettes smoked in movies and on TV with the characters prominently displaying the packaging to make sure we saw they were smoking CAMELS!
Now, remember that smoking wound up offering the unintended consequence of DEATH and that once on "24" the president of Russia HUNG UP ON the president of the U.S.A. when they were attempting to negotiate using the Cisco video-conferencing system. He could have walked out on a face to face meeting but it would have been much harder than just hanging up. There are established protocols (i.e. ettiquette) to follow and the PRESS WOULD BE WATCHING. With video-conferencing, the two presidents could communicate in private without the public's knowledge and without any established protocols dictating polite behavior.
I am not defending off-site business meetings being held willy-nilly by civil servants or in the private sector. I once worked a contract with a department of San Jose, California and was shocked to find that my tax dollars went for a "retreat" weekend the entire department attended at a mountain campground. They were quite open with me about what they did there. They sat around singing Kumbaya, doing trust falls and other nonsense. They did NO WORK and admitted it. That wasn't the purpose of the weekend. They defended it as their needing to get to know one another, yada, yada, to do their jobs better. NONSENSE. They were wasting MY MONEY. But, not just any department of the San Jose, California government would have had such a "meeting". It was the department that managed the recycling centers and garbage pickup contracts with Waste Management and other garbage collection companies; i.e. very environmentally and politically correct and very in-your-face left-wing about it. I doubt the police department or public works department would be caught dead singing Kumbaya around a campfire.
I do not believe the president or anyone else should be "black-washing" all off-site business meetings held by either public or private sector organizations.
natalie| 7.29.09 @ 12:55PM
i see your point and the effect on industries. maybe they are tyring to go more green in their efforts as well. that might be a reason for the change?
Linda Gadbois Ph.D(c), CCHt, R | 7.29.09 @ 2:03PM
Business Meetings that Educate and Inform?
“In Search of Intelligent Life”
I can’t believe the mentality that is being demonstrated in regards to an “over re-active” administration in response to a gossiping media that is jumping on an opportunity to divert attention onto the very thing that offers the only real solution. My question is – what has happened to true leadership? Why would our government discourage groups of people gathering to form a unified force that creates focused power and momentum which is the only “force” that serves as a catalyst for the “greatly needed change” that is currently facing us as a society? Planning, organizing, structuring, informing and creating a unified focus and providing our people with the knowledge and skills necessary to fulfill the desired goals of any endeavor is the most fundamental basis for any kind of success, whether business, family, community or nation.
Video, a TV screen in place of human interaction? Whose suggestion was that? I can clearly see how the media stands to benefit from this solution, but in terms of education and learning, video is a tool, not an answer. Why are we diverting our attention to the significance of resorts, pleasurable activities and entertainment that all tend to go along with business meetings, conferences and seminars, when the fact of the matter is all true learning only takes place through experience and is only really possible through an interaction or form of dialoguing? To stare at a computer screen or simply watch a video as a means of replacing live human interaction and the living expression of ideas, is blatantly a demonstration of ignorance or perhaps, stupidity. I am surprised that the current administration, who I thought supported education, has been so easily led astray by meaningless sensationalism. Let’s stay focused on reality and the true nature of what we are talking about.
The best way of teaching anything – is to remove people from their normal environment, create a relaxed atmosphere, in a common location, that provides stimulating tools for grasping concepts that are delivered in a humorous, natural and practical way. A relaxed mind is a receptive mind. Laughter and enjoyment elevate general state-of-mind and greatly enhance creativity. To become more creative, is to open your mind, explore ideas and concepts with a sense of curiosity and fascination, while entertaining them in a playful way, which opens the mind to new possibilities allowing it to form new perceptions of them as actual possibilities.
I say before an agenda ridden administration and an adulterous media jump up and start voicing an opinion that is both slanderous and confrontational, that you first become at least somewhat knowledgeable as to what you are actually talking about. Just because one company or situation takes advantage of business meetings and conducts themselves inappropriately doesn’t give the media and lord forbid, the government, who is suppose to represent justice, fairness and freedom of the people, the right to persecute “all” of us, by making the assumption that we are doing the same thing. Why should we suffer from the actions, poor decisions and lack of integrity that took place outside of our control?
As a business consultant, the first recommendation I usually make is to organize, create internal structures, become clear on the vision of the company, and hold consistent meetings as an ongoing process to inform and unify by exciting the staff to buy into the vision and goals, believe in them strongly, and then provide them with resources necessary to achieve them. Education, Training, Mentoring, providing knowledge, skill development and ongoing support for implementation is the greatest resource a company can develop to ensure it’s success while simultaneously increasing the quality of life and over-all sense of well-being for everyone who is playing an integral part in creating that companies success. Why would we take an attitude of removing the only things that are still effective, provide meaningful solutions, and induce a sense of pleasure and enjoyment in an already depressed society? Why would we make rules and impose large scale punishment to the many, because of the actions of the few?
Who is addressing the media’s power to brainwash an entire nation with toxic sensationalism that enhances and supports a clearly covert attempt to distract attention off of the “real” problem, which is being allowed to go unattended? This is a country that was established on the basis of liberation and freedom – freedom to chose and express. We are suppose to be protected in our constitution from tyranny and monopolies – yet the media is allowed to run amuck, unregulated and lead our society down a meaningless path of self-destruction through one of the most powerful psychological methods there is – hypnosis. They have the nation hypnotized and are programming us in a way that encourages a lack of trust, the ability to believe in something beautiful and meaningful, that causes us to become separated and isolated, and once we are divided we become powerless and subject to victimization. Alone and scared, we become easy prey for the seemingly ruthless predator. The power of the people, groups and organizations, lie in unifying – coming together with a common purpose and cause, creating the synergy necessary for momentum, while gaining the resources necessary to actualize that vision.
The media should be required to report in and informative and unbiased way rather than through indulging in fictional hype that creates an emotional addiction to negativity that ultimately serves to strip us of hope. Business meetings are one of the most effective tools a business has to ensure unity, passion for its products or services, to distribute knowledge, organize movement and ultimately produce success. If the government conducted itself more like a business that had to earn the trust of their customer and establish then uphold their reputation within a community by consistently demonstrating integrity . . . . they might have a different attitude concerning this matter.
Businesses don’t have the luxury of forcing compliance by removing choice and imposing rules with severe consequences to non-compliance. We have to rely instead on inspiring, organizing, caring for and leading our people. There is nothing that allows this more than forming groups whose agenda is communicating, organizing, exploring ideas and becoming energized by group concepts that provide success and livelihood for all involved. United we stand . . . divided we fall.
Get on the ball Washington . . . represent the majority instead jumping into bed with the media, who tomorrow . . . will be attacking you.
Linda Gadbois Ph.D.(c), CCHt., RMT
www.creativetransformations.com
kare Anderson | 7.29.09 @ 2:28PM
Nothing can replace face-to-face meetings of peers and colleagues - even if, as an association, they happen just once a year. That's where we learn from each other, share, help, buy/sell and more. Whether it is hearing from leaders, outside experts and thought leaders, seeing some people honored, checking out what's new on the trade show floor - or running into each other in the hallway or at a meal table, these semi-informal meetings start and cement relationships and enable us to continue the conversation throughout the year. As an avid social media user I know that even a Telepresence-based event or webinar cannot replace meeting in person. Because of the abuses of the very few does not mean that we should all pile onto the notion that meetings and conferences - in person - aren't unique in their power for us to learn, share, collaborate and strengthen our ties within our community of attendees.
PCP Smoker| 7.29.09 @ 6:56PM
Hey creep, did you not write on these pages that you wanted Obama to succeed? You did and he is. Quit your f'ing whining now.
LisaLeo ~ EventMuse| 7.29.09 @ 9:49PM
So, let's take a few people's assumption below that it would be better to avoid Resorts and certain destinations at every turn; are the costs really a savings??? Even the heat of the Desert in the Peak of Summer?
For instance The gov process is a BID situation, so there has to be at least 3 properties; and must be at or lower than GSA per diem rates:
PHX is $96
Manhattan is $259/ (per room per night)
DC where most fed Gov per diem is spent: $165/day in lodging
Chicago $209
Philadelphia $155
Dallas $115
San Francisco $164
Las Vegas $105
Orlando FL $109
http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView.do?contentType=GSA_BASIC&contentId=17943
I would venture to guess-imate that the average cost to upkeep a room at the Arizona Biltmore is maybe $50.00 at the least with utility per room, staff, etc. But not taking into consideration the enormous property tax, general utilities and water for the resort, occupancy tax generated, etc. And since when could a company not make a reasonable profit? Off Season, Phoenix is peaks and valleys of busy and slow. Unsteady revenue.
The consider immediate impact of all the feeder partnerships outside the Hotel and Airport but directly affected:
Restaurants, shops and convenience marts, florists, transportation, taxi, rental cars, linens/laundry, A/V providers, staging/dreyege and freight, tradesmen, culinary, Decorators, staff, etc that are dependent on the influx of the meetings into that area.
Yikes. Meetings and freedom of assembly is a basic right according to our nations' most sacred documents. Even in the 'veil' of cost cutting and saving money, we are really just eliminating 100's of man hours, mostly of a blue collar hourly scale, whose dependence of hours/week/benefits are directly affected on an as booked basis of meetings. (OH, not to mention all the $$ the affected employees don't, earn, pay tax and save or spend, or their spouses or kids...)
The negotiated rate I recall reported at $87.00 or $9.00 per room less than authorized Summer Per Diem in PHX.
(factored to the number of total consumption, 2,800 room nites and representing a tax payer discount of potential of $25,200 or so off the top of my head)
The actual rate was much lower once any concessions staff rates and complimentary rooms were factored. The hotel bent over backwards to meet budgets to keep their staff employed during a slow long summer.
I am for a review and audit of such meetings to make sure there are no extravagant or inflated pricing. The GSA does a fairly thorough job of reviewing each season per each city each year or even sooner, to adjust per diem as needed; thus a Hotel will right into their contract: "Prevailing Government Per Diem" And this strict pay structure is followed thru at the food and beverage and production level, should these costs be necessary; or even charged back to the individual travelers.
We are no longer a production/manufacturing based society and are dependent on the Services, Travel, Hospitality and Restaurant Industries to sustain communities, keep a good number of your Neighbors employed, in some locations, entire populations.
Mike| 7.30.09 @ 8:26AM
Business meetings didn't get us into the current financial mess. Much of that can be attributed to poor government policy and oversight - in both parties. So as typical to cover their tracks, the same guys who got us into this are now picking scapegoats to obscure their role. We should be doing whatever possible to "stimulate" job creating sectors like the travel, meetings industry, instead of propping up politically connected, dying ones like autos. A meeting keeps hundreds of people working from dishwashers and caterers to hotel workers, airport employees, meeting planners and so on. Meetings generate new business and optimism. I always feel better about my prospects after attending a convention, conference because I'm meeting like minded folks, instead of just dwelling on the "news".
Government officials should do more to help business do its job and less to inhibit it with stupid, self serving remarks.
Pingback| 7.30.09 @ 6:38PM
No Meetings on the Table by Ben Stein « Membership Minute links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 7.31.09 @ 6:04AM
tripso.com | Ben Stein: No meetings on the table links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Carol Ann| 8.4.09 @ 4:32PM
I wonder, Mr. Stein, who in the travel industry you're indebted to. Of course, business meetings didn't cause the recession; only a fool would believe that. But in a recession we must act prudently in how we spend money and boondoggles (I mean meetings) in Las Vegas are just not on the table.