June 2011 Issue: Live!

One of the best things about my job is that it provides me with a lot of opportunities to write about things that interest me -- such as books, comics, and, as you'll see from the cover story (and CMP Series article) in this month's issue, food. The specific genesis of "Menu: Impossible" was my love of the Food Network shows "Dinner: Impossible" and "Restaurant: Impossible," which led us to ask PCMA's own Kelly Peacy to create an F&B challenge that we then presented to seven meeting chefs across North America. And they came back with some great, non-impossible menus.

Other highlights from this issue -- not necessarily an outgrowth of my hobbies and interests, but great content nonetheless:

"Focus Group": A feature article by Barbara Palmer about the use of "mindfulness" practices such as meditation to improve attendee concentration.

Education Conference Preview: A Q&A with Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association and author of the book The Comeback: How Innovation Will Restore the American Dream, who will present a general session at the PCMA Education Conference in Baltimore next Wednesday! And it's not too late to register!

Convene Salary Survey 2011: Our annual survey of compensation and job satisfaction among meeting professionals -- this year suggesting cautious optimism.

One on One With: Joe Rohde, Disney's chief Imagineer, who discusses the creative development of the company's new Hawaiian resort, which includes some cool meeting facilities.

Plenary: We check in with the president of the Japan National Tourism Organization about the state of his country's meetings infrastructure, and follow that up with a Pre Con report on the International Congress of Human Genetics, a Post Con report on the National Conference on Juvenile and Family Law, fun photos from the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center and the G.I. Joe Collectors' Convention, some serious globe-trotting via Convene On Site, the usual news-and-views-you-can-use from Research, Tipster, and Unconventional -- and yet another new feature, this one a first-person interview called "What's Your Story?," which kicks off with the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority's James Rooney.

Other Duties as Assigned: The lighter side of meetings, courtesy of Flik International's Scott Vollmer, CPCE, who once watched an attendee's hair go up in smoke.