Checking In

October 1, 2008

Tyler Davidson

As we head into the final leg of 2008, expert opin-ions about how the year would turn out on the economic front seem to have come true—your guess is as good as mine.

With record fuel prices, airfare and route challenges and a generally skittish economy causing jitters all around, the jury is still out on how all of this will affect the meetings industry. Having made my usual rounds at local and national industry events, I’ve noticed that the swagger of some top-tier destinations has been tempered a bit as more supply comes on-line, financing is suddenly drying up and transportation to and from is becoming a preeminent issue.

More than a few are striking a comparison between the current climate and the hospitality downturn immediately following 9/11, and are stressing that supplier response can’t be as drastic and panicky as before.

Check out our story to get your bearings on this bear market, and stay tuned to see the results of our annual Meetings Market Trends Survey coming up at the beginning of the year to peer further into the crystal ball.

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