DISCLOSURE:
TWO VIEWS
What's the
Big Fuss?
It's an
Ethical Issue
Legal Issues are Moot
as Long as Payment
is Disclosed
Shouldn't Suppliers
Demonstrate the Same
Openness?
Remember what happened the first time Orson Welles War of the Worlds" was broadcast? People all over the country went into a panic, thinking their lives were at sake, when in fact nothing was wrong. The current furor over disclosure in the meetings industry is much the same - a big fuss being made for no reason at all.
While disclosure was discussed at a number of sessions during the Professional Convention Management Association's Annual
Disclosure is not a new issue. Like today's other hot issues - attrition, cancellation, and ethics - it has been around for a long time. What changes as the industry matures, however, are the elements of the debate.
Consider, for example, the evolution of cancellation clauses. Ten years ago, we still weren't sold on the value of even having them. Today (one sellers' market later), the discussion has turned to how tough they should be. Similarly, a decade ago,

By Lisa Sommer Devlin

By Bruce Harris