MCLEAN, VA | Negotiation techniques, site selection, time management, creative event planning and handling legal issues are just some of the informative topics to be addressed during the 25 educational sessions designed for meeting planners that will be presented at the ninth annual Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International’s (HSMAI) Affordable Meetings® West show, June 15-16, 2005 at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, CA.

During HSMAI’s Affordable Meetings® West, planning professionals of all levels of experience can choose from a variety of valuable seminars that will focus on the various “need to know” key subjects of the industry. This FREE comprehensive educational series will offer attendees the opportunity to acquire expert insight, new ideas, and inspirational advice, helping them to produce more successful, cost-effective meetings.

“Our educational offerings serve as a mini-university for planners looking to sharpen their skills and improve business strategies, and since attendance at the show is free-of-charge for qualified planners, the seminars’ value is unrivaled in the marketplace,” said Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHA, president and CEO of HSMAI.

Attendees may choose from a variety of programs depending on their career stage and interest, including:

• The Fundamentals of Meeting Planning (Parts I & II)
  Vicky Betzig, CMP, Vice President of Operations, JRDaggett & Associates, Chicago, IL
• The Time Smart System for Accomplishing More in Less Time
  Doug Smart, CSP, President, Doug Smart Seminars, Roswell, Georgia
• Dealing with Legal Challenges: How Meeting Planners Can Avoid Liability (Parts I & II)
  Jonathan Howe, Esq., President/Senior Partner, Howe & Hutton, Ltd., Chicago, IL
• Effective Communication: A Must for a Successful Career
  Barry Maher, Speaker/Consultant/Author, Helendale, CA
• Risk Management and Contingency Planning
  Joan Eisenstodt, Chief Strategist, Eisenstodt Associates, LLC, Washington, D.C.
• Win-Win Negotiations: How to Negotiate with Anyone
  Alan Ovson, President, Communications Group, San Francisco, CA
• Handling the Heat of Meeting Planning
  Terry Christopherson, President, TLC Seminars, Edmunds, WA
• Creating Great Working Relationships with Everyone Involved in Your Meeting
  Larry Johnson, President, The Training Group, Scottsdale, AZ
• Site Selection: It’s More Than Just Location
  Sheryl Sookman, CMP, Principal, The Meeting Connection, Novato, CA
• An Overview of Today’s Technology for Meeting Planners
  Rod Marymor, CMP, President, Cardinal Communications, San Francisco, CA
• The Secrets of Brainstorming: Finding Fresh Idea for Your Events
  Lisa Lamarre, Chief Experience Officer, Wildly Different, Orlando, FL
• Onsite Management: The Final Step to Success
  Marilyn Hauck, CMP, President, The Complete Conference, Inc., Sacramento, CA
• How to Build a Mentor Network to Fast-Forward Your Career or Business
  Kathleen Barton, The Success Connection, Roseville, CA
• Igniting the Creative Spark Within You
  Keith Powell, The Business Revivalist, Albuquerque, NM
• Secrets for Spectacular Meetings: How to Infuse Your Events with Fun and Excitement
  Jack Singer, President, Psychologically Speaking, Laguna Niguel, CA
• Working with Hotels: How to Create Win-Win Partnerships
  Gary Hernbroth, President, Training for Winners, Danville, CA
• Event Budgeting, from Start to Finish
  Carroll A. Reuben, CMP, Meeting Excellence, Rolling Hills Estates, CA
• Meeting the Challenges of Planning Successful Food and Beverage Functions
  Marjorie Y. Risinger, CMP, Partner, Rosenberg & Risinger, The Meeting Professionals, Culver City, CA
• Booking a Unique Venue: What Every Meeting Planner Should Know
  Chuck Salem, Vice President, Unique Venues, Johnstown, PA
• 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

Seminar hours: Wednesday, June 15: 9:00 – 10:30 a.m., 1:15 – 2:30 p.m. and 2:45 – 4 p.m.; Thursday, June 16: 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. and 1:15 – 2:30 p.m.

In addition to the educational program, attendees will have the opportunity to meet and do business with more than 240 exhibiting companies at 299 booths during a unique exposition at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center (with 23,920 feet of exhibit space) that will showcase venues, products and services to help produce various types of meetings and events.

The exposition encompasses a plethora of activities and opportunities for meeting planners such as liaising one-on-one with industry experts at the Speakers’ Booth and researching a broad selection of destinations and services at all price points. Exhibitors represent hotels and resorts, university conference centers, unique meeting sites, convention and visitor bureaus, transportation companies, trade publications, software and audio/visual businesses, and other meeting and convention suppliers.

Providing more convenient times for conducting business and connecting with suppliers, the trade show features new hours: 10:30 am – 1 pm each day of the show.

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, compliments of HSMAI.

Getaway and cash prizes, as well as drawings at many exhibitor booths remain popular attractions.

Delegates can also visit the HSMAI’s Affordable Meetings® Bookstore, a one-stop shopping source where planners have access to material specific to the industry – printed materials and audio/visual resources as well as a complete line of CMP study materials.

Approximately 800 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 and medical/health care organizations, trade show management and the military, are expected to visit HSMAI’s Affordable Meetings® West 2005 show.

The other shows for 2005 are HSMAI’s Affordable Meetings® Mid-America, April 6 – 7 at Navy Pier in Chicago, IL and HSMAI’s Affordable Meetings® National, Sept. 7 – 8 at the Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C.

Visit www.hsmai.org for more information