One of my favorites inspirational quotes,  “What does not destroy me makes me strong”,  is more commonly heard as “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” These words may have been uttered by many a meeting planner during the challenging days of 2009.

This year, meeting planners – forced to do more for less – flexed their creative muscles to find new ways to do business and cut costs without sacrificing meeting attendance and objectives. Many (even the tech-challenged boomer planners) fearlessly embraced the use of social media for their events, and formed new communities to network and share strategies.

As 2009 draws to a close, I’m crawling all over the web looking for glimmers of hope. The meeting industry reports and surveys are trickling in and the general mood seems to be one of  “cautious optimism”.

In the latest survey of Association Meetings readers, planners agreed that 2009 was a challenging year but predict the worst is over. The sound you are hearing now is the collective sign of relief! You can read the entire article, encouragingly titled “Bouncing Back” at meetingsnet. I found another positive sign when reading the survey results from the recent International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) conference. When executives were asked what they see ahead for their 2010 events, their answer was a breath of fresh air: optimism.

Just-released surveys from the Meeting Professionals International (MPI) Foundation, Site International Foundation, and the Financial & Insurance Conference Planners Annual Conference (FICP) all concur: there is light at the end of the recession tunnel, but still much work to be done to get there.

It’s often said that within every challenge lies a gift. Meeting planners have proven to be survivors; here’s hoping 2010 brings them many well-deserved gifts.

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Filed under: Meeting & Incentive News