Checking In

January 1, 1997

Tyler Davidson

The feature stories in this month’s issue provide a perfect “pairing” for today’s meeting climate.

First off, we have “Reversal of Fortune,” a story about the luxury hotel segment, which after flying high for the last five years or so hit a wall when the economy collapsed. Of course, this translates into bargains for meeting planners, but served up on this silver platter is a portion of perception problems, as everyone’s antsy these days.

Bookending our features section is our “Bargain Hunt” piece, which further frames the hospitality industry picture and provides some tips for planners seeking deals in this murky market. Communication—as in who you talk to and what you tell them—is key, and that means disclosing the challenges your organization may be facing.

In between, we’ve made all of the numbers a little easier to swallow with our “Winning Wineries” story, detailing the burgeoning wine destinations of the Midwest and venues for group get-togethers.

So while there’s no reason economy-wise to break out the champagne, maybe a little wine in anticipation of the turnaround couldn’t hurt?

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