We're 30 and proud of it; how about you? Special Events turns 30 next year, and we'll be celebrating by profiling other special event businesses that will hit milestone birthdays—10 years, 20, and so on--in 2012. Does that include you? Let us know by sending an email here …

Venues having a blue Christmas with holiday party bookings While 19 percent of respondents to an online poll from Special Events say that bookings for 2011 holiday party business are up over 2010, 47 percent say bookings this year are below last. Thirty-three percent say bookings this year are on par with last year. (See more Special Events polls here) ...

Lead time for meetings grows, AmEx says Believe it or not, meeting lead times have been gradually lengthening over the past two years—from an average of about 70 days in Q2 2010 to about 95 days in Q3 2011, says a study from American Express Global Travel. Our sister publications group, MeetingsNet, has the full story; just click here.