Checking In - MidAmerica July/August 2009

July 21, 2009

Tyler Davidson

While the corporate segment is weathering some major challenges due to the poor economy, association meetings seem to be holding their own, relatively speaking.

We interviewed some of the top experts in the associations world to gain some perspective on this market, and found out that a decline in attendance—even though there are some success stories out there—is requiring planners to sharpen their focus on program content.

While association meetings may be up or down depending on what organization you talk to, Midwestern casino development seems to still hold a winning hand. Check out this article for an overview of some of the major new gaming developments.

Finally, the July-August issue of Meetings MidAmerica is packed with additional information to help you make informed site selection decisions.

Our Best of MidAmerica Awards section, unveils the results of our annual planner poll of the top meeting facilities in the Midwest. And if that’s not enough info, this edition also comes equipped with the Meetings MidAmerica Guide, which is packed with properties that may be a good fit for your upcoming meetings and events.

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