This is great news for a Friday the 13th. After much wailing and gnashing of teeth by the travel and business meetings industry - several top executives got an audience with President Obama. It seems the President listened and understood. See this news story:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29667132/

A few poorly placed words by Obama fueled already aggressive media hype and uninformed lawmaker's grandstanding against incentive and business meetings. The combined result has been devastating to destinations like Las Vegas and Orlando and all the millions of workers that support meetings and live events. Today's announcement won't change things overnight, but I hope that the many companies that have canceled meetings and other events will revisit those plans.

Tom Stimson

The Stimson Group