Conventions Leave Las Vegas: Things aren’t looking so hot for Las Vegas right now. The city's Convention and Visitors Authority reported that 30,000 hotel room nights booked for conferences were canceled in the last month alone—that’s $20 million in lost revenue. Backlash against incentive events and last week’s presidential name-dropping of the town in Obama's scolding of excessive spending means those numbers will likely get even worse. [NYT]
Armani's Generous Sleight of Hand: One sure way to stave off any criticism for an elaborate party for a luxury retailer is to use the party to announce a massive charity donation. At least that’s what Giorgio Armani did last night at the opening party for his new Fifth Avenue flagship in Manhattan. The Italian designer will give $1 million to Fund for Public Schools, a nonprofit supporting New York education. [AP]
Emmys Talking 2009 Plans Already: The supposedly revamped Academy Awards haven’t even aired yet, and the Emmys are already looking to steal their cinematic counterpart’s thunder. The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences knows it’s a crucial year to boost flagging interest in the ceremony, so they’ve reportedly made plans to nix a lot of the awards presented on air. [Variety]
Economy Scaring People Away From Meetings: Whether they don’t have the money or just don’t want to look like they’re throwing it around, not as many people are attending meetings in 2009—and it’s only February. A considerable 7 percent of business meetings on tap for the year have already been eighty-sixed, and overall attendance at meetings still taking place looks like it will drop around 5 percent. [NYT]
Outdoor Advertisers Pass on Annual Convention: In a double dose of bad news for marketers and trade show professionals, the Outdoor Advertising Association of America canceled its national convention, which was supposed to take place in Miami this May. Stephen Freitas, chief marketing officer for the O.A.A.A., had this to say about the cancellation: "Generally, our members felt it was time to get back to basics and focus on the core business. This just wasn't the time to be away from the office.” [MediaWeek]
