What’s more is that many of these travelers are mad as hell about it, at least as noted by the BTC’s new website, MadAsHellAboutHiddenFees.com. The homepage of the site states, “Airline fees are out of hand and surprise us from the moment we make reservations.” It asks visitors to sign a petition, telling Washington they’re mad as hell. Want to vent? You can, by submitting a travel rant on the site. All the names and stories collected will be shared with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood on Sept. 23, or “Mad As Hell Day!”

I wouldn’t say I’m mad as hell about extra airline fees, but they are causing some problems for meeting industry professionals. Fees make it difficult for organizations or corporate travel managers to correctly budget for travel expenses when their employees head out of town, as noted by The New York Times. We reported earlier this year about how planners feel about what the survey revealed as the most annoying fee of all: carry-on baggage fees.

The fees are certainly helping to turn around airline finances. The nine largest airlines together made $1.86 billion in profits on $31.7 billion in revenue during the three-month quarter that ended June 30 this year. Delta Air Lines posted the biggest numbers, earning $467 million in profit, its biggest quarterly profit in a decade. Perhaps that’s what has travelers so irked. When an airline is posting profits that size, do they really need to charge $125 for a third checked bag?

The BTC isn’t asking for fees to be eliminated; that’s the new business model. It just wants fees to be more transparent to the traveler. Despite all the extra fees, I’m not mad as hell, and that’s probably because I don’t find flight prices to be too terribly high. The emergence of low-cost carriers such as AirTran and Southwest has helped keep prices down, forcing larger airlines to offer competitive rates. Case in point: I flew to Kansas City, Mo., from Atlanta this past weekend to visit family for the long weekend. I left Thursday night and returned Monday evening. My total flight price when I booked online came to $194.40. When I returned to Atlanta, the total amount I spent on the flight was $194.40. I carried on my luggage (a good-size suitcase and weekender handbag), accepted my window seat in the 22nd row (not too far back), and purchased a soda and a bag of trail mix in the terminal before boarding (which cost $3). And the best part? I made it from Kansas City to Atlanta in less than two hours. My time is valuable, so for me, that’s worth every penny.

“We think it’s time that in-flight entertainment does more than simply distract you,” says InteraXon CEO Ariel Garten. “We create in-flight experiences that offer value even after the flight is over.” The suite of applications InteraXon created for the conference includes a meditation trainer that helps travelers relax and an EEG Golf trainer that helps users improve their concentration, focus and their golf games.

The system measures the brain’s electrical output and sorts them into waves associated with relaxation and beta waves associated with concentration. As the users relax or focus their thoughts, their brainwaves become the interface with which they control the game.

“Airline passengers are saying they want a more engaging experience or they want to rest comfortably. InteraXon’s thought-controlled computing offers tremendous potential for delivering on both of those needs,” says Rod Jones, executive director of Aerospace Ontario, one of the show’s organizers. interaxon.ca

Nothing, however, matches the first time I saw Atlanta’s iconic (you can hardly write about it without using this word) Hyatt Regency. I fell in love. I became aware of architect John Portman and his 1967 hotel about the same time I read Ayn Rand’s “The Fountainhead.” It was all too much romance for a young, idealistic student. I moved to Atlanta from New York City, where I had seen slides and heard about the hotel in a class on modern architecture.

Hyatt Regency Atlanta, designed by architect John Portman in the 1960s, is undergoing a $60 million renovation. (Photo courtesy Hyatt Regency Atlanta)

The building was the first hotel constructed around an atrium, and I remember stepping into the vast, cool, soaring space from the heat of a Georgia summer. There were birds in large cages, plants and trees — and noise. At the time, I couldn’t afford to eat in the revolving Polaris restaurant atop the building, but I did ride the elevator pod to the top to see the inside of the signature blue dome.

While the hotel has undergone many changes in 40-some odd years, during which it has gone from nouveau to retro, it’s about to get a major update. More than $60 million in renovations are scheduled between now and 2013. The main lobby closed this week for removal of its fan-shaped floor tile, which dates back to its opening, as well as the giant planters and the original 18,000-pound canopy over the elevators. A glass wall is planned that will open up the lobby, as well as a kiosk-like front desk that will replace the giant front desk. Plans for the Polaris — the blue dome is now dwarfed by newer towers but remains an Atlanta landmark — are being kept under wraps. I can’t wait for the surprise, and this time I’m definitely going up for a drink and dinner.

Social responsibility is one of the buzzwords floating around corporate America, and it has spread quickly throughout the meeting and convention world. Service projects, donation drives and volunteer days at conventions are ways for meetings to give back to cities in which they’re held (in addition to the innate economic impact).

Public relations efforts, websites and business plans of large corporations like Gap and Coca-Cola reflect the belief that social responsibility can attract business. Whether it’s a McDonald’s Happy Meal that gives a donation to the Ronald McDonald House or Ethos Water, the premium bottled water company that helps children around the world get clean water, companies not only feel the need to be responsible, but to allow customers to join in.

“How do you create business models that inspire people to engage with you?” Jonathan Greenblatt, co-founder of Ethos Water, asked attendees at the July Destination Marketing International Association (DMAI) annual convention. He suggests that you have to do it from the bottom up, in a tangible way.

“In a world where everything is discoverable,” he says, referring to the 24-hour news cycle, Internet and social media, “you have to be authentic.” Rather than just touting green efforts or charitable donations, many conferences are encouraging attendees to get involved.

CoSIDA President Larry Dougherty, CoSIDA Goodwill Chair Sam Atkinson and workers from St. Anthony's

When the College Sports Information Directors of America Convention met in San Francisco in July, attendees participated in a four-hour volunteer project at St. Anthony Foundation, an organization that serves the homeless and needy, namely those with drug and alcohol addictions. Attendees also donated 400 items, ranging from clothing to flash drives and toiletry items, through a clothing drive during registration.

“We felt several years ago it was important for us to step out from the shadows and roll up our sleeves and help out local charities in the cities that host our annual convention,” says Sam Atkinson, CoSIDA Goodwill Committee chair and sports information director at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. ”We want to show that CoSIDA cares about our host city and that we lead by example when it comes to giving back.”

Harris Rosen, founder of Rosen Hotels and Resorts, is well known around the hospitality industry for his generosity through the Harris Rosen Foundation. In addition to its recent work in Haiti, the Rosen Foundation adopted the community of Tangelo Park in Orlando, where Rosen’s  hotels are located, 25 years ago. Meeting attendees using his hotels, Rosen Shingle Creek, Rosen Centre Hotel or Rosen Plaza Hotel, can volunteer in the community in which Rosen has created nine preschools, helped send hundreds of kids to college and improved the community through clean-up efforts and rebuilding projects.

“More and more groups are asking for charity initiatives to take part in,” Rosen says. “It is amazing the response we get from associations and businesses looking for ways to give back and they are so thankful that we provide something for them to do.”

In July, DMAI welcomed representatives from destination marketing organizations, which are often the connecting point for meeting planners looking for volunteer opportunities in a host city. The convention showed the benefit of providing such projects with a service day of its own. Attendees participated in a service project at Feeding South Florida, a food bank that serves daycare centers, homeless shelters, residential homes for the physically and mentally challenged, assisted-living facilities for the elderly, youth programs, soup kitchens and emergency food pantries. Watch the video below to see the response of some of the volunteers.

Tysons Corner Marriott in Tysons Corner, Va., has opened its renovated 4,680-sq.-ft. ballroom, the focal point of 9,731 square feet of total meeting space, including 15 meeting rooms and up to 10 breakout meeting rooms. The Grand Ballroom seats up to 750 guests and features up-to-date audiovisual equipment, new lighting and wireless high-speed Internet access. The hotel is across from Tysons Corner Center, the fifth largest mall in America. A well-equipped fitness center, indoor swimming pool and whirlpool, and Shula’s Steak House, off the lobby, are among the amenities. marriott.com/wastc

Who:

What: NEO – The Conference for Neonatology

Assignment: Plan an annual meeting including general sessions, breakouts, several receptions, sponsor lunches, a trade show with 50-55 exhibitors and a gala finale.

Special Challenges: In the first year, we had about 800 people; in the second year, there were almost 900 people. The room block for exhibitors was a continual challenge. While we appreciated the sponsors and exhibitors’ support, the frequent changes in personnel created difficulties in securing rooms and managing attrition.

Solutions: For the second year, we hired a third-party company to handle exhibitor management and the trade show. They handled customer service and changes in personnel. We also secured a special room block for exhibitors and announced that the rooms were on a first-come, first-serve basis. The exhibitors learned, after two years, that they needed to secure their rooms ahead of time rather than waiting until the last minute. They could change personnel but knew they were responsible for payment and cancellations.

Advice: Have a separate room block for exhibitors. Then, if you have space in your regular room block and can move the exhibitors to the closer hotel or the host hotel, they are very pleased and there is
no attrition.

All of the videos will soon appear on ASAE’s YouTube channel.

The Cincinnati USA Convention and Visitors Bureau was recognized for its contributions to Major League Baseball’s second annual Civil Rights Game at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati, May 15. Jason Dunn (center), director of Multicultural Affairs and Community Development for the CVB, receives a plaque from Phil Castellini (left), chief operating officer for the Cincinnati Reds, and Jimmie Lee Solomon (right), executive vice president for Major League Baseball.