An Industry Blog on All Things SITE. Your one stop shop for chapter news, industry events, trends, and tips from the pros.
Celebrate is our word of the year! With our 20 years in existence, our strong, vibrant chapter and our outstandingly successful Holiday Event, we have a lot to be proud of and thankful for when it comes to our SITE SoCal community.
Thank you to everyone that attended and supported the 2015 SITE SoCal Holiday Event. The Holiday Event is our chance to come together for the greater good; each one of you makes a difference to the charities we choose, and I wanted to share with you these heartwarming notes received by Diane Herrmann, our dedicated VP Community Outreach. Diane has fulfilled her role on the board with integrity, caring and commitment and the chapter is fortunate to have had her services for the past three years.
Thank you and all my very best wishes for the holidays.
Geraldine
Our goal and tagline this year was “Elevate the Experience” and I think we can safely say we delivered on our promise! I am proud, honored and beyond thrilled to announce that SITE SoCal has won the Chapter of the Year Award for 2015.
I feel fortunate to be part of our vibrant, exciting industry that creates so many job opportunities for individuals at almost every level in such a wide variety of categories. I’m proud to be a part of it for many reasons – the opportunities we get to make a difference, the ROI we provide, the knowledgeable professionals that make up our hospitality community and the enthusiasm for the work that we do. I am also now proud to be a part of our efforts and gains around industry advocacy – in raising awareness and support for how meetings and events help drive the global economy, jobs and knowledge sharing.
Prior to 2009 and the US financial crisis, advocacy was not a word generally heard in connection with the meetings, events and incentive travel industry. When money seemed like it was flying everywhere but into our pockets or strengthening our businesses, when meetings were being cancelled and planners laid off, our first thoughts were not of advocacy but of survival. In an industry where sole proprietors, and companies of all sizes could do what they loved and earn a good living, the financial meltdown was an unpleasant, unexpected shock and a wakeup call of massive proportions.
The industry had suffered downturns before but this was different. The severity of the situation made us realize it was time for action and since then, the meetings industry has made some substantial progress.
The US Travel Association has served as a consistent voice for the value of business travel and meetings and its direct link to the future health and growth of the US and global economy.
