May 2010
Rentals and Staging

In This Issue:

Industry Leaders Call to End Arizona Travel Boycott
Social Networking in the Meeting Industry - YouTube
Don't Miss the MPIRMC/RMPCMA Golf Tournament!
Denver Meeting and Events Industry - Upcoming Events
"Like" the Denver Meeting and Events Industry on Facebook!
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Industry Leaders Call to End Arizona Travel Boycott

The recent Arizona immigration reform legislation has certainly grabbed people’s attention. In protest of the new law, at least 19 groups have cancelled scheduled meetings in Arizona, resulting in millions of dollars in lost revenue for the state.

Organizations and leisure travelers, including Denver Public Schools, are boycotting Arizona in droves on the basis of moral conflicts to the legislation, and on the premise that immigration reform should be handled at the federal level. Image Audiovisuals has even heard that organizations are switching meeting locations from Arizona to Colorado.

Meeting and tourism industry leaders recently called to an end to the Arizona travel boycott. Why?

Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, recently stated, “We call for an end to counterproductive Arizona travel boycotts. Immigration reform is an important and sensitive topic for Arizona and the country at large. This complex issue should be resolved on the merits of various proposals, not by holding an industry and its 300,000 employees hostage to politics.”

MPI President and CEO Bruce MacMillan echoed Dow's position on the boycott: “Our industry is about connecting people, opportunities and ideas. Using travel boycotts as a political weapon in Arizona (or anywhere) only hurts the local communities and the 200,000 workers in the state that benefit from the meeting and event industry. It also frustrates growth and innovation at a time when its never been needed more. We encourage options for dialogue that don’t sacrifice a $7 billion Arizona meeting and event industry in the middle of an economic recovery.”

We want to hear from you! What do you think about boycotting Arizona for meetings? Is it fair or unfair? Have you seen the boycott's impact here in Colorado? E-mail your comments to Dan Carrese at dcarrese@imageav.com, and we will publish your responses in our next newsletter.

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Dan Carrese
Director of Sales
Rental and Staging
Image Audiovisuals, Inc.
2130 S. Dahlia Street
Denver, CO 80222
303-758-1818
dcarrese@imageav.com

Scott Collinsworth
Director of Sales
Colorado Convention Center
Image Audiovisuals, Inc.
700 14th Street
Denver, CO 80202
303-228-8047
scollinsworth@imageav.com

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