Rachel Wimberly

Tradeshow Blacklist

Most people have heard of the blacklist in Hollywood when individuals who were accused of having Communist sympathies were barred from working in the film business.

It seems ludicrous now that such a frenzy of fear was whipped up at the time that a witch hunt of sorts occurred.

Now, several decades later, leaders in the tradeshow and travel association industry think that there might be another blacklist out there, but this time it involves barring government employees from going to, or having, meetings in certain destinations.

Before you think to yourself, “she’s crazy” – consider what Gary Sain, president and CEO of the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau told a local reporter.

“Basically, it looks like right now, unofficially, Orlando and Vegas are on a list of ‘not to book’ by a large number of governmental agencies,” Sain said. “We can’t have that go through all the government agencies in the United States, because as the government grows, those are more and more meeting opportunities that we could lose.”

Sain’s remarks came after the loss to Chicago of a U.S. Dept. of Defense conference that was being bid on by the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort.  

The hotel’s spokesperson told the same local reporter that the conference was pulled without “giving a reason.” Just two days beforehand, the U.S. Travel Assn. had briefed hotel leaders on the rumors of a blacklist.

Orlando has lost a host of meetings since the beginning of the year, especially those tied to the financial sector, and Las Vegas had more than 400 cancellations in the same time period.

Other cities rumored to be on the list include Miami and Aspen, Colo. In other words, government employees should in no way shape or form dare have any fun after a long, hard day at a conference.

Posted by Rachel Wimberly on June 23, 2009 | Comments (0)