Checking In

April 1, 2009

Tyler Davidson

In last month’s issue we detailed how first-tier destinations are weathering the economic storm, mainly by offering up incentives and lowering room rates. This month brings us to second-tier markets, which in these days of bargain-mad planners are getting hit from every angle.

No longer able to rely solely on being a more affordable alternative to first-tier competitors—who have seen prices slashed recently—many of these less-flashy cities also suffer from insufficient airlift, which is becoming more and more of a factor in destination selection these days.

Check out Robert P. Farmer’s story, starting on page 24, to see how second-tier cities across the nation are retooling to capture your meetings dollar.

Also, make sure to take a spin on MeetingsFocus.com to see what we’ve been up to, and maybe try out a few Meetings in a Minute video clips—which feature advice from your industry colleagues and interviews with some of the leading figures in the meetings world—while you’re there.

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