From the Editor: History in the Making (Sept. 2016)

August 26, 2016

Tyler Davidson

Our September issue is covering a lot of ground when it comes to history, from the historic 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia to a stand taken by ASAE at its Annual Meeting & Exposition in Salt Lake City last month.

At the meeting, ASAE’s Board of Directors unanimously approved a Diversity + Inclusion advocacy and policy model and new contract language for its future events and those held by other associations if they choose to join the effort.

A key part of the policy will be to educate state government and other elected officials on the ramifications of enacting legislation that violates public accommodation laws, such as denying services to the LGBT community.

“We have absolutely zero tolerance for discriminatory practices,” said John Graham IV, president and CEO of ASAE, during the event’s press conference. “Our issue is not to take a moral stand on social justice issues. Our issue is to say that everybody should be welcome.”

Kudos to the ASAE Board for taking a stand against the possible discrimination of association attendees, and also those who work facilitating meetings and events at every level.

Also in This Issue

Our cover story this month describes history in the making, in the form of the Democratic National Convention, which convened in Philadelphia in late July.

This quadrennial confab was not only held in a destination that covets its historical standing—Philly’s the birthplace of the Constitution, after all!—it also featured the nomination of the first female presidential candidate by a major U.S. political party, and no matter on what side of the aisle you stand, that’s history to be proud of.

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