Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts in the Meetings Industry



Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts in the Meetings Industry

Our hearts go out to everyone affected by the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina last week. The human toll is enormous, and the hospitality industry in the gulf coast region is only one small piece of a economic upheaval that will reverberate for months and require huge resources for the recovery effort.

Many meetings industry associations are stepping up to offer assistance. We know that the generosity and caring of the hospitality community will help the region recover from this difficult time. Many of these activities are highlighted below:

The New Orleans CVB has established three funds to provide relief directly to the CVB staff members, the hospitality employees and the industry as a whole. They include:

• New Orleans CVB Employee Relief Fund will be distributed directly to the employees of the New Orleans CVB, providing relief and assistance for the cost of housing and rebuilding. It is estimated that more than 80% of the CVB staff have sustained major home damage or outright loss of their homes.

• New Orleans Tourism Workers Relief Fund will provide direct assistance to the tourism workforce, which consists of more than 80,000 individuals who are the heart and soul of the city’s tourism industry.

• New Orleans Tourism Rebirth Fund will go toward the reconstruction and rebuilding of the tourism infrastructure and operations.

The American Hotel & Lodging Association is working in close cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to mobilize hoteliers in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the surrounding states who are willing and able to assist with hurricane relief efforts. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is requesting that AH&LA secure blocks of rooms for housing of evacuees and emergency contractors.

The American Society of Association Executives placed a list of charitable organizations online on its Web site for members to review if they wish to contribute to hurricane relief funds.

The Destination Marketing Association International is encouraging members to make cash donations to the American Red Cross.

The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International created the HSMAI Foundation Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund and will conduct fundraisers at all 13 of its events taking place between September and December 2005, beginning with a fundraiser at Affordable Meetings National in Washington, D.C. September 7-8. HSMAI will match all contributions up to $25,000, with donations going to the American Red Cross, earmarked for 2005 Hurricane Relief.

The International Association for Exhibition Management created a Special Task Force of the Associations. IAEM is communicating with the AH&LA, DMAI, IAAM, MPI, ASAE, and PCMA to assist members who need to relocate events that were scheduled to take place in the storm-affected areas. Relocation request forms are available online at the IAEM Web site.

Meeting Professionals International developed a Web site devoted to providing current resources, message boards and assistance to those in need. MPI is also working closely with the chapter administrator from the MPI Gulf States Chapter on setting up an account to accept donations.

The Professional Convention Management Association established the Hospitality Industry Relief Fund that directly benefits hospitality and meetings industry employees affected by the disaster. The Association for Convention Management Operations (ACOM) and the Society of Incentive Travel Executives (SITE) have partnered with PCMA on this fund.

The Trade Show Exhibitors Association formed the Katrina Relief Fund that will provide support to the trade show industry.

The Travel Industry Association of America, in partnership with the Travel & Tourism Coalition, the Travel Business Roundtable, and have launched a job bank website, offering hurricane relief jobs to help displaced workers in the travel industry find new employment as quickly as possible.

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