FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   Event Veteran Brings Fresh Outlook and Know-How to MeCo Members

New York City, NY November 10, 2006- The Meetings Community (MeCo), the ultimate online resource environment for event planning professionals, is pleased to announce the addition of its newest moderator, Sandy Biback, CMP, CMM. Biback comes on board as MeCo's Tuesday Moderator, providing a fresh outlook and expertise for the planning, meeting, and hospitality industries globally.

"I am excited about working with all 1,000+ and growing MeCo members on Tuesdays (and beyond) to exchange our visions for an improved, more professional industry," says Biback, President of Imagination+Meeting Planners Inc. "Everyone in every community needs to give back--it is my turn to give back to a community that has served me well."

William Youngs, who has stepped down as Tuesday moderator due to increased responsibilities at work, will be functioning behind the scenes helping with special MeCo projects.  "We thank Bill for all his hard work as the Tuesday Moderator," announced Jim Louis, CIO Best Meetings, Inc. and MeCo co-founder.

Since meeting planning is now a $102.3 billion-dollar industry, professionals are eager to get as much information and training as possible. Event planners and representatives worldwide have been meeting on MeCo, since its inception in January 2006, to network, job search, discuss and exchange ideas about every aspect of the planning industry.

"MeCo gives professionals a reliable place to turn to for current facts, history, brainstorming, ranting, and honest advice within the planning community," Biback reveals.  "This provides everyone a chance to peek into many facets of our industry."

Sandy Biback is an ideal leader for MeCo users, as she has been a significant member of the professional meetings industry for over 25 years. She has owned and operated her own independent meeting planning firm, Imagination+Meeting Planners Inc., since 1990. Biback launched Meeting Essentials A-Z in 2000, providing customized planning workshops for corporations, government agencies, and organizations.  

"At MeCo, we learn from each other--all to make our industry more professional and user-friendly," states Biback enthusiastically, "I look forward to sharing a Canadian perspective, the viewpoints of my students, and my philosophy on how life impacts our profession."

Sandy Biback has been an active member of Meeting Professionals International (MPI) since 1989, rising to the position of Vice President of the Toronto Chapter.  She is a founding member of the Canadian Council Advisory Committee, which published the internationally acclaimed Meetings & Conventions: A Planning Guide. Biback is also a key member of Independent Meeting Planners of Canada (IMPAC), serving as President in 2002.  

In addition to her affiliations with corporations and associations, Sandy Biback is an influential educator at institutions such as George Brown College and the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. Since MeCo was designed to educate the planning community, her teaching background is just right for members who want to learn more about the industry.

"It is truly an honor to have Sandy Biback join our team here at MeCo," declares Dan Parks, President & Creative Director of Corporate Planners Unlimited and Monday Moderator for MeCo. "Her tremendous experience in the planning industry and fresh insight will prove to be very beneficial to all MeCo members and moderators alike, as we continue to expand as a community."    

Biback does everything under the planning umbrella, ranging from directing corporate events to managing the grand opening of a well-known computer company's new building. As a volunteer manager for the 1997 Special Olympics World Winter Games held in Toronto, Biback successfully managed the "Welcome to Canada" event for 2500 athletes, coaches, and celebrities. 

It makes perfect sense that MeCo would add a person of such caliber to its Moderator Board. Sandy Biback's impressive credentials and reputation in the event planning industry will certainly be a valuable asset to MeCo members worldwide. 

For more information on how to join MeCo, please visit www.meetingscommunity.org.

About The Meetings Community (MeCo)

The Meetings Community (MeCo) is a free online destination for meeting planners and suppliers to discuss the issues surrounding the meeting and hospitality industries. After years of experience in the meeting and hospitality industries, James Louis, Loretta Lowe, Dan Parks, Jean Travers, Sue Walton, and William Youngs saw a groundbreaking opportunity to connect the planning management community on a global scale. MeCo is a free service; membership is open to all meeting and event planners and suppliers from around the world and encompasses all aspects of the industry. MeCo was launched to educate and foster the sharing of information on issues that affect meeting and hospitality professionals.

Contact:

Dan Parks
President & CEO of Corporate Planners Unlimited
Monday MeCo Moderator
Phone: 949 289-5002
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Meetings Community (MeCo) Job Board Launch

PDF or DOC

Summary: Networking in the planning and hospitality industry just got easier with The Meetings Community’s (MeCo) new job board launch. Event planners and meeting professionals worldwide can now network, connect, and search new jobs with ease on the MeCo website at www.meetingscommunity.org for free.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New Features Launched For Global Online Meeting Community

New York City, NY October 26, 2006- The Meetings Community (MeCo), a virtual resource environment for planning professionals, announced the launch of its Job Board today, providing new opportunities for the event planning, meeting, and hospitality industries globally.

The top event planners and representatives worldwide have been meeting on MeCo, since its inception in January 2006, to network, job search, discuss and exchange ideas about the planning industry. This cyber community acts as a valuable resource for individuals involved in all aspects of planning events, including meeting, convention, incentive and trade show professionals and suppliers.

"This job board is just one of many new and innovative features we have planned for MeCo. We have a spectacular group of moderators who are constantly looking for new, creative ways to support our members," says Dan Parks, President & Creative Director of Corporate Planners Unlimited and Monday Moderator for MeCo.

It’s no surprise that MeCo has experienced such a tremendous membership expansion over the past 6 months. To date, they have approximately 900 active members, representing established companies and planning specialists on every continent. With so many benefits, professionals still can’t believe it’s totally free. “MeCo has provided a sense of community and support that is rare in today's impersonal, fast-paced industry,” says Andrea Gold, President of Gold Stars Speakers Bureau.

“The list has provided surprising and useful resources for me, such as a car service in Seattle,” Gold admits. “On top of the business benefits; MeCo has also contributed to some growing friendships between members. This is a terrific service that the MeCo creators and moderators are offering!”

The MeCo website allows its users to gain free access to the best resources for event planning on the internet. Some of the user-friendly job board features added this month at MeCo include:

• Advanced/detailed job search options. Instead of getting miscellaneous job hits, job seekers get the jobs that really interest them.

• Companies are now welcome to post contract work. This is a great benefit for independent contractors seeking employment.

• Job Seekers and Employers can save, organize, and maintain records online for future contact and reference.

• Companies have the ability to conduct advance searches discretely, while remaining anonymous. This feature allows companies to review resumes without worrying about the surplus of responses that come from a job posting.

• Job hunters and independent contractors have the option of making their resume “Private” or “Public”.

• Comprehensive resume searches are available for companies seeking employees. Companies can now type in key words and only those resumes that match the criteria will result.

• Custom questions can be added to job postings for more detailed responses.

• Companies can set auto-responders by creating a set of personalized
  e-mail messages, to be sent to selected job-seekers.

• Job postings can be activated and deactivated as needed.

The best ongoing feature at MeCo, by far, is that all of its services are completely free. After years of experience in the meeting and hospitality industries, James Louis, Loretta Lowe, Dan Parks, Jean Travers, Sue Walton, and William Youngs saw a groundbreaking opportunity to connect the planning management community on a global scale. In addition to being free, MeCo was designed so its resources are available to every meeting, event planner, and supplier across the world.

“As a meeting planner for 20 years, I am continually reminded that we can never know enough in this business. MeCo continues to be a lifeline for new information and ways of doing things. There is no way a planner can stay current with what's happening in the industry by reading all the excellent trade publications available, because there just aren't enough hours in the day. MeCo members and messages fill that need,” Jo Angela Maniaci, CMP Special Events Planning, LLC.

For more information on how to join MeCo, please visit www.meetingscommunity.org .

About The Meetings Community (MeCo)

The Meetings Community (MeCo) is an online resource community for meeting planners and suppliers to discuss the issues surrounding the meeting and hospitality industries. This is a community-owned group for all to share and educate themselves. MeCo is a free service; membership is open to all meeting and event planners and suppliers from around the world and encompasses all aspects of the industry. MeCo was launched to educate and foster the sharing of information on issues that affect meeting and hospitality professionals.

Contact:

Dan Parks
President & CEO of Corporate Planners Unlimited
Monday MeCo Moderator
Phone: 949 289-5002
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

# # #

February 13th, 2006

Meetings Community (MeCo) Launch

PDF or DOC

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact:

Wendy Parsley

Quint Strategies

212-995-9063

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

NEW ONLINE COMMUNITY GROUP LAUNCHED FOR THE

GLOBAL MEETING AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

The Meetings Community (MeCo) newest online resource community for

information exchange and education.

NEW YORK, NY, February 13, 2006 – An experienced group of meeting planners and event industry veterans is proud to announce the launch of The Meetings Community (MeCo). Launched on January 6, 2006, MeCo is an online resource community group for the professionals in the meeting and hospitality industries around the globe.

“We launched MeCo because it was apparent that there was no central online resource embracing the entire meeting and hospitality community,” said Jim Louis, MeCo co-founder. “We wanted MeCo to be owned by the community it serves and not by any particular association or company,” he added.

MeCo is growing steadily. In a little more than a month since its launch, membership has grown to almost 400 professionals from around the globe. “Whether you are in Alaska, Minnesota, New York or Saudi Arabia, MeCo enables you to ask questions, get ideas, and share information with other meeting and event planners around the world,” said Loretta Lowe, MeCo co-founder.

MeCo is a resource for education and sharing of industry information exclusively for meeting and hospitality professionals. Membership is open to all meeting and event planners and suppliers from around the world and encompasses all aspects of the industry. MeCo is the brainchild of James Louis, Loretta Lowe, Dan Parks and William Youngs.

• James Louis – CIO, Best Meetings, Inc. James is the technology Guru at Best Meetings with responsibility for online registration, web design and all other matters associated with IT. He has been in the meeting industry for over five years, is a member of Meeting Professionals International, and is on the web site committee for the Minnesota chapter of MPI.
• Loretta Lowe, CMP. Loretta is a 15-year veteran in the meeting profession and currently lives and works in San Francisco as a contract event manager and meeting planner for Fortune 500 corporate clients. Her projects include trade shows, CME medical meetings, conferences and incentive programs, and onsite meeting management. She is an active member of the Professional Conference Manager's Association and the Meeting Professionals International Northern California; and was recognized as their Meeting Professional of the Year in 2000. Lowe also teaches Event Management at San Francisco State University.
• Dan Parks – President & Creative Director, Corporate Planners Unlimited, Inc. Based out of Dana Point, California, Dan has been involved in high-end meetings and incentive programs for a prestigious group of clients for over 18 years. CPU is unique in the field as they created and grew their own Corporate Travel Management Agency, Corporate Travel Unlimited, allowing them to create custom all-inclusive packaging for their clients. His responsibilities for CPU include all creative design, sales, search engine and internet-based marketing. Dan has traveled all over the world and will be moderating from Jamaica, Australia & The Palace in Sun City, South Africa in the next few months providing news and first hand observations from each location.
• William Youngs – Meeting Manager, Forest Laboratories USA. William is a Certified Meeting Professional with 20+ years of experience in the Meetings & Travel Industry, primarily in the pharmaceutical sector. He has been a member of Meeting Professionals International since 1988 and was active on the Board of Directors for the MPI/NJ Chapter from 2003-2004. Currently Bill is working on obtaining his CMM designation.

About The Meetings Community (MeCo)

MeCo is an online resource community for meeting planners and suppliers to discuss the issues surrounding the meeting and hospitality industries. This is a community-owned group for all to share and educate themselves. MeCo is a free service; membership is open to all meeting and event planners and suppliers from around the world and encompasses all aspects of the industry. MeCo was launched to educate and foster the sharing of information on issues that affect meeting and hospitality professionals. For more information, visit, www.meetingscommunity.org.

# # #