The Basics of Meeting Planning - Joan Eisenstodt, President, Eisenstodt Associates, Washington, D.C. 
In this fast-paced, interactive seminar, delegates will learn the fundamentals of meeting planning that save both time and money.  This two-part seminar focuses on program design, speaker selection, and developing meeting and audience profiles.  Attendees will learn how to better match their audience and program to more efficiently and effectively select meeting destinations and sites.

Buyer Be Prepared: How the Proper Meeting Contract Can Save You Money  - James M. Goldberg, Esq., Goldberg & Associates, PLLC, Washington, D.C.  
Taught by an attorney highly experienced in the legal issues that pertain to the meetings industry, this two-part course provides key insight into the legal provisions that affect event contracts � essential information that meeting planners must understand, especially in today�s litigious society.  Packed with invaluable information, this seminar covers hotel contracts, including onerous cancellation and attrition clauses, service and speaker contracts, music licensing and negligent conduct. 

Secrets of Successful Site Visits - Jeffrey Straughn, Elburn, IL 
Once you�ve narrowed down the location of the event and selected a facility, how can you be sure that you�ve found the right site?  This interactive seminar will help meeting planners prepare for the visit as well as maximize their time at the site.  Planners will learn how to evaluate the facility against the specific goals and objectives of their meeting and be given tips on what to look for as they tour the guest rooms, meeting space, public areas, the health club and other ancillary attractions.  Since the people are as important to the success of a meeting as the place, planners will learn what questions to ask of everyone from front-line employees to the general manager.

Other topics and presenters to be featured at this year�s show include: 

• Thinking on Your Feet: Preparing for and Responding to Meeting Crises -  James Daggett, CAE, CMP, President, JRDaggett & Associates, Chicago, IL 
• How to be a World-Class Negotiator - Ed Brodow, CEO, Ed Brodow Seminars, Inc., Monterey, CA 
• Marketing Your Meetings and Events - Leonard H. Hoyle, CAE, CMP, President, Accolade Communications, Silver Spring, MD 
• Champagne on a Beer Budget:  Food and Beverage Cost-Cutting Techniques - Vicky A. Betzig, CMP, Vice President of Operations, JRDaggett & Associates, Chicago, IL 
• Don�t be Afraid to Ask for What You Want - Edina Lessack, CMP, President, Meetings and Events, USA, Chicago, IL 
• On-Site Management: The Final Stretch to Meeting Success - Marilyn Hauck, CMP, President, The Complete Conference, Inc., Sacramento, CA 
• Impress Your Attendees with Fabulous Functions in Museums, Historic Buildings, or Other Unique Sites - David Magsumbol, Director of Sales and Marketing, Metropolitan Washington Parties, Falls Church, VA Jan Dunlavey, Director of Center Conference Services, National Governors� Association, Washington, D.C. 
• Tame Men and Outrageous Women:  Gender Dynamics Affecting the Meeting Planning Process - Connie Merritt, Connie Merritt Productions, Laguna Beach, CA 
• Must-Have Resources for Meeting Planners - Robin E. Craven, Partner, Alliance LLC Meetings Management, Richland, WA  Lynn Johnson Golabowski, Partner, Alliance LLC Meetings Management, Menomonee, WI 
• Distance Learning: Using Technology to Deliver Your Programs and Create a New Profit Center for Your Meetings - Eric Porterfield, President, Distance Learning Network, State College, PA 
• Keeping Your Independent Meeting Planning Business Competitive - Shelly Harris, CMP, President, The Harris Group, Alexandria, VA 
• Telecommuting:  A Viable Work Option in Today�s Workplace - Sheryl Sookman, CMP, President, The Meeting Connection, Novato, CA 
• How to Use Web Technologies to More Efficiently Plan and Produce Your Meetings and Events - Chuck Ghoorah, Senior Vice President, Cvent, Arlington, VA 
• Creating Memorable Special Events for Meetings - Mark Sonder, CSEP, President and CEO, Mark Sonder Productions, Chantilly, VA 
• How to Receive More by Partnering with Your Suppliers - Edwin R. Rigsbee, President, Rigsbee Enterprises, Inc., Westlake Village, CA 
• 15 Secrets for Increasing Your Conference Profit - Jalene Collins, CMP, Founder, StarGate Event Management, Sausalito, CA Glenn Bowland, Founder, StarGate Event Management, Sausalito, CA 
• Managing the Stress in Your Life as a Meeting Planner - Dr. Jerry Teplitz, J.D., Ph.D., President, Jerry Teplitz Enterprises, Inc., Virginia Beach, VA 
• Developing Your Communications Skills: A Must for Meeting Planners - Sylvia Henderson, Chief Executive Officer, Springboard Training, Clinton, MD 
• Exceptional Thinking Under Pressure - Janelle Brittain, President, Dynamic Performance Institute, Chicago, IL 
• Dream Big But Budget Small: How to Keep Costs Down As You Plan A Meeting With Plenty of Pizzazz. - Veronica McGlothan, CMP, President, Meeting and Event Professionals, Terre Haute, IN 
• Fundamentals of a Successful Registration Process - James Spellos, CMP, President, Meeting U, Bayside, NY 
• How to Develop a Program that will Put Registrants in the Seats and Money in the Bank - Ann Boehme, CMP, Director of Education and Conference Center, The New York Academy of Medicine, New York, NY 

A special networking reception, themed �Stage Door Canteen,� is set for Wed., Sept. 4 from 5:30 � 7:30 pm at a distinctive and exclusive site � the Women in Military Service for America Memorial Museum at Arlington Cemetery.  Featuring food and drink catered by Washington Parties and fantastic music from a nine-piece band, this event is free-of-charge for all planners and exhibitors at the show. 

Over 2,000 attendees, representing meeting and event planners from a variety of organizations, with a majority representing corporate, association and independent sectors and the balance from government, non-profit, education, religious, medical/health care organizations, travel agents, trade show management and military, are expected to visit HSMAI�s Affordable Meetings® National 2002 show. 

HSMAI�s Affordable Meetings® is owned and presented by the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International and managed by George Little Management, LLC (GLM). 

For exhibitor information, contact Kelley Biondi, show manager, GLM, Ten Bank Street, White Plains, NY 10606-1954; tel: (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 a leading organization of sales and marketing professionals representing all segments of the hospitality industry.  Members can access a wide variety of educational tools and enhance their skills and expertise to increase business and enrich their careers.