Checking In - MidAmericaNovember/December 2009

October 28, 2009

Tyler Davidson

While there are some positive economic signs sprouting—a report from Moody’s Economy.com reported that one in five metro areas have went from being in a recession to being in "recovery" mode as of August—hospitality has traditionally lagged behind other industries when it comes to emerging from downturns.

But while many segments of the hospitality industry continue to take some big hits, SMERF business is holding steady.

In this issue you will get a take on both the SMERF market in general and religious meetings in specific, with a focus on key Midwest destinations that are keeping the faithful through these challenging times.

Staying on the topic of economic indicators, make sure to tune into our Dec. 16 "2010 Meetings Market Trends Survey" webinar, where we will unveil some of the key numbers from our comprehensive annual survey of planners, and pair that with presentations from top hospitality industry consultancies that make a living by analyzing data.

Go to MeetingsFocus.com/webinars to sign up.

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