Black Meetings and Tourism

Black Meetings & Tourism February/March 2009: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 12 J aipur, India will be the destination for the 12th International Conference of the International Association for Travel Behavior Research (IATBR) , slated for December 13-18, 2009 at the Le Meridien Jaipur . Travel Behavior Research is defined as a cross-disciplinary field that draws concepts, methods and people from many dis- ciplines, including economics, psychology, engineering, statis- tics, geography, sociology, mathematics and physics. Founded in the early 1970s, this conference brings together top researchers and practitioners from around the world whose ultimate goal, as the association states, "is to understand, model, and measure travel behavior, and how to apply travel behavior research methods to the develop- ment and evaluation of transport policies in a wide variety of economic, demographic, socio- cultural, and geographic contexts." The confer- ence will be comprised of seminars, workshops, lectures and panel discussions. For more infor- mation regarding the conference, visit www.iatbr.org. Pow Wowing in Miami – The U.S. Travel Association's 41st International Pow Wow will take place May 16-20, 2009 at the Miami Beach Convention Center . This mega event is the largest generator of Visit USA Travel. More than 1,500 international and national buyers will be present from over 70 countries along with 1,000 travel organizations representing all segments of the travel industry. There will be numerous opportunities for intensive, pre-scheduled, com- puter-generated business appointments. As always, the exceptional value of this convention is that buyers and sellers are able to conduct business that would otherwise be generated only through an exhaustive number of around-the-world trips. This event attracts more than 450 top journalists, from over 40 countries. It has been reported that past business negotiations have resulted in $3.5 billion in future Visit USA Travel. Close to 6,000 attendees are expect- ed. For more information, visit www.tia.org. Educate, Empower, Inspire – These are the three core themes for the 2009 National Newspaper Publishers Association's (NNPA) national convention, June 24-28, 2009 slated for Minneapolis, MN. The NNPA is a 67-year- old federation of more than 200 Black community newspa- pers across the United States. Their motto: "Building Coalitions to Advance Our Community" remains unchanged throughout the years, as well as the association's primary goal, which is "a steadfast commitment to writ- ing the stories and tackling the issues that would otherwise go unheard." It is reported that the NNPA has more than 15 million read- ers generating a target market audience with a buying power of $572.1 billion. For more infor- mation, visit www.nnpa.org. Bringing Home the Bacon – Statistics show women make 80% of all consumer buying deci- sions and now outpace men two to one as first-time home buyers. This information and other data will be the top- ics of discussion at the Marketing to Women Summit , hosted by the Women's Council of Realtors , March 20-22, 2009 at the Marriott Chicago Downtown Magnificent Mile . The Summit will address topics such as how to effectively market to female consumers and discuss the latest gender trends. The Summit will be held in conjunction with the Leadership Skills Workshop taking place on March 20, 2009. The Leadership Skills Workshop will include training on such topics as lead- ership essentials, public speaking skills, and conflict manage- ment strategies. Visit www.wcr.org for more details about both events. Email me your upcoming events at pblair_assnnews- @yahoo.com. TRAVEL BEHAVIOR STUDIED AT 12TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE BY PENELOPE BLAIR

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