A highlight will be the high-energy, interactive, informative general session on negotiating critical issues in hotel contracts.   Attendees will hear from two attorneys, one representing meeting planners and the other speaking for hoteliers, about the reasons behind the thinking of both planners and hotel representatives when they engage in the negotiating process.  Edina Lessack, President, Meetings and Events, USA, in Chicago, IL will moderate;  Barbara Dunn, Esq., Attorney and Partner, Howe & Hutton, Ltd., St. Louis, MO will represent meeting planners and Lisa Sommer Devlin, Esq., Attorney, Devlin Law Firm P.C., Phoenix, AZ, will represent the hotels.

�Every year, we keep our educational program fresh and applicable to the needs and challenges of meeting planners, and with a variety of new topics and speakers on tap at this year�s National show, we�ll keep attendees �in the know� so they can remain profitable and productive in today�s changing business landscape,� said Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHA, president and CEO of HSMAI.  

�Considering this is a free event for qualified meeting planners, the value of the educational component, combined with other aspects of the show, is immeasurable,� he added.
 
Attendees may choose from a variety of programs depending on their career stage and interest, including: 

• The Basics of Meeting Planning (Parts I & II) / Joan Eisenstodt, Chief Strategist, Eisenstodt Associates, LLC, Washington, D.C.

• Understanding the Laws Affecting Meetings Today:  What You Must Know Now to Avoid Liability /  Jim Anderson, Esq., How, Anderson and Steyer, Washington, D.C.

• Hot Technologies for Meeting Planners /  James Spellos, CMP, President, Meeting U, Bayside, NY

• Win-Win Negotiations:  How to Negotiate with Anyone /  Alan Ovson, President, Communications Group, San Francisco, CA 

• Working with Hotels:  How to Create Win-Win Partnerships / Gary Hernbroth, President, Training for Winners, Danville, CA

• Meeting the Challenges of Planning Successful Food and Beverage Functions (NEW) / Marjorie Y. Risinger, CMP, Rosenberg & Risinger, The Meeting Professionals, Culver City, CA

• Change Your Communication, Change Your Results:  Five Strategies for Giving Top-Level Performance (NEW) / Dr. Bill Lampton, President, Championship Communication, Gainesville, GA

• How to Influence Decision Makers / Paul Radde, Ph.D., Director, The Thrival Institute, Boulder, CO

• 180+ Ways to Transform Your Meeting (NEW) / Sue Tinnish, SEAL Inc., Transforming Meetings through Interaction, Facilitation, Teambuilding & Fun, Chicago, IL

• How to Present Powerful Promotional Pieces (NEW) / Larry Mersereau, President, PromoPower Presentations & Consulting, Valparaiso, IN

• Enhance Your Meeting Ratings with Top-Notch Networking Opportunities /  Lillian D. Bjorseth, President, Duoforce Enterprises, Inc., Lisle, IL

• Permission to Succeed:  Stop Living with One Foot on the Brake! (NEW) / Noah St. John, Founder, The Success Clinic of America, Dracut, MA

• How to Manage Your Time When You Wear Too Many Hats /  Bob Losyk, CSP, President, Innovative Training Solutions, Inc., Davie, FL

• If You Can Talk, You Can Write /   Joel Saltzman, President, Shake That Brain, Thousands Oaks, CA

• An APEX Special Report:  Tools You Can Use to Simplify Your Life as a Meeting Planner (NEW) / Juli Jones, Vice President, Convention Industry Council, McLean, VA

• What You Must Know About Site Selection / Janet Pickover, CMP, President, JR Associates, Princeton, NJ 

• On-Site Management:  Staying on Top / Gloria Sloan, President, Personal Dynamics, Inc., Charlotte, NC

• How to Develop a Powerful Program Content / Jana Kemp, President, Meeting & Management Essentials, Boise, ID

• Be on Your Best Business Behavior / Colleen Rickenbacher, CMP, CSEP, President/Owner, Colleen Rickenbacher, Inc., Dallas, TX

• Cultivating Wisdom:  Strategies for Leadership, Balance and Power (NEW) / Dr. Teena Cahill, President, Wisdom and Beyond, Princeton, NJ

• Dealing with Challenging People in Meeting Planning / Sylvia Henderson, Chief Everything Officer, Springboard Training, Olney, MD

• How to Ask for What You Want / Edina Lessack, CMP, President, Meetings and Events, USA, Chicago, IL

• Putting Sizzle in Your Special Events / Richard Aaron, CMP, CSEP, President, BizBash.com, New York, NY

• Event Budgeting, From Start to Finish / Carroll A. Reuben, CMP, Meeting Excellence, Rolling Hills Estates, CA

• Booking a Unique Venue:  What Every Meeting Planner Should Know / Chuck Salem, Vice President, Unique Venues, Johnstown, PA

• Dealing Effectively with Your E-mail (NEW) / Peggy Duncan, Personal Productivity Expert, PSC Press, Atlanta, GA

• Preparing the Operations Manual:  Communicating with Your Meeting Facility Early, Often and in Detail / Terry Thiessen, CMP, President, Professional Resource and Events, New Holstein, WI

• How to Tell if You�re Getting a Good Speaker or One Who May Mortify You at Your Meeting / Linda Brakeall, President, Phoenix Seminars, Phoenix, AZ

• Dismantling Roadblocks:  How Meeting Planners Can Accelerate Their Careers  / Ed Rigsbee, CSP, President, Rigsbee Research, Thousand Oaks, CA

• Especially for Independent Meeting Planners - How to Make your Independent Meeting Business a Highly Successful and Rewarding Venture / Jim Daggett, CAE, President, JRDaggett & Associates, Ltd., Las Vegas, NV

In addition to the educational program, attendees will have the opportunity to meet and do business with more than 520 exhibiting companies (79 of which are first timers at the show). The 600-booth exposition at the Washington Convention Center (with 60,000 feet of exhibit space) will showcase venues, products and services to help planners produce outstanding meetings and events.  
 
Providing more convenient hours for conducting business and connecting with suppliers, the trade show features new hours:  10:30 am � 1:30 pm each day of the show.
 
For added value and networking opportunities during the exposition, exhibitors and attendees will be provided with a $10 coupon on both days of the show to buy lunch at the food concessions in the exposition hall, sponsored by HSMAI. 
 
In addition to a broad selection of destinations, hotels and services, the trade show floor features a Speaker�s Booth where meeting planners can liaise with industry experts.  The HSMAI�s Affordable Meetings® Bookstore, is a one-stop shopping source for attendees to find the most up-to-date publications and resource materials focusing on the needs of meeting planners at every level of experience.  Travel and cash prizes, as well as drawings at many exhibitor booths remain popular attractions.   
 
Held in conjunction with HSMAI�s Affordable Meetings® National will be the HSMAI Foundation Benefit Golf Tournament on Friday, Sept. 9 (the day after the show) at the Goose Creek Golf Club in Leesburg, VA.  Proceeds benefit the HSMAI Foundation scholarship fund.  Participants can win prizes including $1 million, a 325i BMW, a Sony flat-screen TV and a Hawaiian golf vacation.  Registration begins at 7 am with a shotgun start at 8 am and an awards luncheon at 1pm.  Visit www.hsmai.org/events for more details or to register.
 
Over 1,700 meeting and event planners from a variety of organizations, with a majority representing the corporate, association and independent sectors of the industry, are expected to visit HSMAI�s Affordable Meetings® National 2005 show.  Attendance is free-of-charge for qualified meeting planners.
 
HSMAI�s Affordable Meetings® National is the last show on the Affordable Meetings 2005 calendar.  The first show in the series, HSMAI�s Affordable Meetings Mid-America, a successful, sold-out event that took place April 6 � 7 at Navy Pier in Chicago, welcomed 1,100 meetings planners, building momentum for a sensational year.  The second event of the year, HSMAI�s Affordable Meetings® West, which occurred June 15 � 16 at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, CA, marked an impressive eight percent increase in meeting planner attendance.
 
HSMAI�s Affordable Meetings® is owned and presented by the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International Americas region and managed by George Little Management, LLC (GLM).  For the second consecutive year, HSMAI�s Affordable Meetings® Mid-America and West events were named the Planners� Best Bets for 2005 in a readers� poll conducted by Meetings Media, publisher of Meetings East, Meetings Mid-America, Meetings West and Meetings South.  Additionally, HSMAI�s Affordable Meetings® was named the most popular meetings event according to an online survey conducted by Meetings & Conventions magazine.
 
For exhibitor information, contact Beth Petersen, show manager, GLM, Ten Bank Street, White Plains, NY 10606-1954, or call (914) 421-3377; fax (914) 948-2918; e-mail: [email protected].  Attendee information is available by calling 1-800-272-SHOW.  Additional information and a complete program schedule can be obtained by visiting the show�s web site at www.affordablemeetings.com.
 
HSMAI is an organization of sales and marketing professionals representing all segments of the hospitality industry.  With a strong focus on education, HSMAI has become the industry champion in identifying and communicating trends in the hospitality industry, and bringing together customers and members at 15 annual events.  Founded in 1927, HSMAI is an individual membership organization comprising nearly 7,000 members worldwide, with 38 chapters in the Americas region.

HSMAI
8201 Greensboro Drive, Suite 300
McLean, VA 22102
phone (703) 610-9024
www.hsmai.org