Checking In

September 1, 2008

Tyler Davidson

Welcome to the September issue of MEETINGS MIDAMERICA.

While the leaves outside may be well on their way to turning, we’ve got plenty of green—as in green meetings—to offer.

First, I’d like to officially welcome green meetings expert Nancy J. Wilson into the fold as one of our featured columnists. A regular on the meetings scene—(she will also present our Green Meeting Trends webinar Sept. 24)—Nancy is a principal at perhaps the foremost green meetings firm in the nation, Portland, Ore.’s Meeting Strategies Worldwide.

Also, stay tuned for next month’s green meetings feature story, written by Associate Editor Marlene Goldman, who asked industry experts what meeting planners should put in their RFPs and contracts to make sure they get the environmentally responsible meeting as it was originally billed.

Of course, winter is just around the corner, but many Midwestern destinations have discovered how to weather the chill, so to see how the heartland copes with what may be inaccurately labeled the cold shoulder season.

About the author

Tyler Davidson is the vice president and chief content director for Meetings Today, which publishes the meetings industry trade magazine Meetings Today as well as MeetingsToday.com, various newsletters, webinars, the in-person Meetings Today LIVE! Hosted-buyer events and other meetings and events industry B2B channels.

Tyler has covered the travel trade for nearly 35 years. In his role with Meetings Today, which recently won the prestigious FOLIO: Eddies Award for best magazine issue, Tyler leads the editorial team on its mission to provide the most in-depth meetings content in the industry. Previously, he worked as the Asia, Canada, Pacific Northwest and Western U.S. editor at Travel Weekly magazine and TravelAge West. Before joining the dual editorial staff producing destination sections for Travel Weekly and TravelAge West, Tyler was the Africa, Israel, Middle East, Switzerland and Pacific Northwest editor at TravelAge West. He also undertook general news and feature assignments while working at the magazines.

Besides reporting on the travel trade, Tyler has covered the real estate industry, held various editorial positions at the San Francisco-based national satire magazine The Nose, wrote freelance technology industry pieces and covered the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders for a bilingual newspaper in San Francisco. He has a B.A. in Journalism from San Francisco State University, where he worked in various editorial capacities on its award-winning student magazine, Prism.

Contact: tyler.davidson@meetingstoday.com