Speakers Reach Out Through ISES Online Database
Following a year of planning, the ISES Education Committee has introduced the ISES Online Speaker Database, accessible through the ISES Web site, www.ises.com. The database provides a resource of industry speakers who are available for presentations at meetings and other events.
According to education committee member Dana Zita, CSEP, of Toronto-based aNd Logistix, the database is divided into two sections. A secure link in the “Submissions Form” section allows speakers to input presentation proposals and biographical details. The “View a Presenter” section gives users access to topic descriptions, learning outcomes, fees, AV needs and contact information.
With speaker topics covering everything from “decor and design to volunteer training to technical issues,” according to Zita, the database is available to anyone who visits the ISES site, and will not require a password for access.
Zita said that all presentations will be reviewed for approval by the committee before posting to the site. Future plans for the database, she added, include providing direct links to speakers' individual Web sites and offering presentations for print or download. She cautioned, however, “It is a small group of ISES volunteers working on this, and my company is donating the IT services. It may take some time to get to that point.”
CONTACT: ISES, 401 N. Michigan Ave.; 800/688-4737, 312/321-6853; www.ises.com
New York Show Board Acts Fast to Raise Cash
Through multiple fund-raising initiatives planned quickly after Sept. 11, the 2001 International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show, held in New York on Nov. 10-13, raised $50,000 for relief efforts.
In advance of the show, which is sponsored annually by the New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association, the Hotel Association of New York City and the American Hotel & Lodging Association, the IH/M&RS board of directors pledged to donate a portion of registration fees to charities associated with the terrorist attacks. Additionally, several show-sponsored events, including the Gold Key Awards Breakfast and the 86th Annual International Hospitality Ball, were repositioned as fund-raisers.
Altering another tradition, organizers transformed the show's annual Chefs Championships into a series of “Say Thanks to a Hero” luncheons, where chefs donated their time to prepare meals for their special guests: New York City rescue workers.
“When the board of directors decided to proceed with plans to hold the 86th annual IH/M&RS as scheduled, we knew the event offered an opportunity for more than business as usual,” said Gene Rupnik, chairman of the IH/M&RS board of directors. By participating enthusiastically in fund-raising initiatives, the hospitality industry “demonstrated tremendous loyalty and generosity,” he added.
CONTACT: George Little Management, 10 Bank St., White Plains, NY 10606; 914/421-3206; www.ihmrs.com
OF NOTE
Jill Harrington will step down as executive vice president/CEO of SITE, effective March 31. Harrington assumed her current position with SITE in January 2000. In a statement to the press, Harrington said the society is now in a position where it would be better served by an industry leader “with a management style and experience better suited to the unique environment of association management.” SITE president Carolyn Dow is heading a search committee in the selection of a replacement for Harrington. SITE, 21 W. 38th St., 10th Floor, New York, NY 10018-5584; 212/575-0910; www.site-intl.org.
The Alliance of Meeting Management Companies, founded in 1996 to promote professionalism for independent meeting planners, has been awarded membership in the Convention Industry Council. AMMC, P.O. Box 986, Irmo, S.C. 29063; 800/200-2774, 803/781-1638; www.ammc.org.
