Meetings Industry To Lobby On Legislative Action Day

Meeting Professionals International is gearing up for this year's Legislative Action Day on March 6, when its agenda will include seeking funding for the newly created National Tourism Organization, supporting actions to enhance traveler safety and once again pushing for a restoration of business meal deductibility to 80 from 50 percent-or at least halting further erosion of the tax break.

MPI expects 350 members to come to Washington to lobby their elected officials on travel-related issues. Corbin Ball, chairman of MPI's Legislative Action Day committee, thinks that this year-although fraught with challenges because of the need to reintroduce the meetings industry to the new 105th Congress-will be a breakthrough year for the event.

"We've already managed to create an identity among a group of people that are continually baraged with requests, issues and events," he said. "Originally, we weren't even a blip on the radar screen. The official we spoke with that first year, when we numbered only 35 participants lobbying on the hill, didn't even understand how the meetings industry related to the tourism industry. That understanding is there now."

Ball advised anyone who wants to participate on March 6 to contact MPI's administrative offices at 972-702-3002, or to visit the group's Website at http://www.mpiweb.org. Room blocks have been set aside at the Capital Hilton, the Grand Hyatt Washington, Hotel Washington, the Renaissance Mayflower, the Sheraton Washington Hotel and the Renaissance Washington D.C. at discounted rates. American, Continental, Delta, Northwest and USAir are offering $250 round-trip fares to Washington.

With 11 industry organizations once again participating in the fourth annual event, MPI wants 1997 to be the year of increasing collaboration among organizations such as the American Society of Association Executives and the Society of Incentive Travel Executives.

Last year was the beginning of such an interorganizational approach, with each group voting on the agenda and approach. Prior to that, MPI took sole responsibility for the event and encouraged participation only for the actual lobbying.

"This year it will be critical to foster partnership and teamwork to an even greater extent," said David Evans, vice president and general sales manager of Westin Hotels and Resorts and this year's chair of the Meeting Industry's Legislative Action Day (MILAD). By not becoming involved, "you don't lose democracy; you give it away," he said.

Evans said he will contact all of his "competitive colleagues" to drum up support in addition to all of the mailings that MPI's legislative action day committee will handle.

His objectives as MILAD chair are to further the progression of linking the meetings, business travel and tourism arms of the travel and tourism industry. "When you look at tourism and travel as a single industry, you start to realize its economic viability," he said. "It's the number-two employer in this country.