Many industry resources exist on the Web. These can help you find additional vendors, industry trends, meeting planning tips and other helpful hints, as well as insight into what is happening in the industry. We have also provided helpful information on how to save money on your meetings and group travel.

Publications:
M&C Magazine
Meetings & Conventions magazine helps meeting and event planners excel at their jobs and effectively manage their careers.

BizBash Fla
Ideas and resources for special events and meetings.

Web sites:
Meetings Industry Megasite
News, research and articles from the publishers of Successful Meetings and MeetingNews.

Hospitality Net.org
All of hospitality on the web.

Associations:
American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and the Center for Association Leadership
The American Society of Association Executives is an individual membership organization of more than 22,000 association executives and industry partners representing nearly 11,000 organizations. The Center for Association Leadership is the premier provider of learning, knowledge, and future-oriented research for the association profession.

Meeting Planners International (MPI)
Meeting Professionals International (MPI), the leading professional community for the global meetings industry, is committed to delivering success by building human connections to knowledge/ideas, relationships and marketplaces.

Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA)
The mission of the Professional Convention Management Association shall be to deliver breakthrough education and promote the value of professional convention management.

Society of Corporate Meeting Professionals (SCMP)
SCMP is a community of corporate meeting professionals committed to serving it's members and employers. We provide quality education and an open forum exchanging information & ideas; as we strive towards a higher level of customer service and event excellence.

How to save money on your meetings and group travel…

	Consider alternate patterns
	Most groups try to schedule their meetings to take place in the middle of the week. However, if your meeting is only a few days long, try to schedule it towards either in the beginning or the end of the week so that the hotel could possibly book two groups during that week instead of one. This allows the hotel to maximize revenue for the week, and therefore your group will not be looked upon to pay the higher rates needed to meet their revenue goals.
	Find great hotels in Second Tier Cities
	Love to go to Phoenix in the winter for the incredible weather, but can't find reasonable rates or availability? Try Tucson! Wish you could afford San Francisco... how about Oakland instead? It is close to all three major airports in the area and they have a great train that can get you to downtown San Francisco in minutes!
	Hot dates
	Many hotels send us their "hot dates" regularly, letting us know the dates they need to fill and usually offer incredible incentives to clients for booking over those needed dates.
	Ensure guests are checked in under your room block to avoid attrition penalties
	Organizations are going as far as penalizing attendees for not checking in under the group room block. If an association gets hit with a high bill for attrition, it could force them to lose a substantial amount of money and possibly increase membership rates to compensate for it. This is a good incentive for attendees to book rooms properly.
	Allow use of your meeting room after hours
	If you only need your meeting room during daytime hours, allow the hotel to book an evening reception. You can substantially reduce meeting room rental this way.
	Negotiate important concessions into your contract
	Some examples of important concessions are late check-outs or upgrades, it is best to negotiate them prior to the contract. Typically hotels will not accommodate those requests after the contract has been signed.
	Share staging materials with other groups before or after your meeting
	If you have extensive audio visual or staging requirements, ask about the groups meeting before or after your group, if they have similar needs, you may be able to save on set up or breakdown costs.
	Hold meal functions in meeting room
	Seek sponsorships
	Obtain quotes from outside vendors
	Hotels will typically not allow you to bring in food and beverage for your group, but sometimes you can find better prices on audio visual equipment by getting a few quotes.
	Consider international destinations
	There are fantastic international destinations that are inexpensive to fly to and have extraordinary hotels at fair prices. Call VenueQuest to help you locate a great international hotel for your next meeting!