When the economy started heading south in 2008, leadership at the Independent Oracle Users Group started looking for ways to generate more revenue. At a time when many associations were struggling to make profits or even stay the course, IOUG charged ahead with three new initiatives designed to boost income: a virtual extension of the annual meeting, live road shows, and a webinar series. The result? A 20 percent boost in annual revenues and year-round content for members beyond the annual meeting.

Here's how IOUG used meetings to boost revenues.

The quality of attendees is by far the most important factor to exhibitors when deciding whether to exhibit at a trade show or exhibition, according to a new study by the Center for Exhibition Industry Research.

Find out what else figures into the decision to exhibit.

Meeting Professionals International has introduced a Business Value of Meetings toolbox, a collection of resources to help meeting planners prove the business value of their meetings and events.

The new toolbox is designed to overcome the five primary barriers meeting professionals face in implementing practices that measure meeting value. Learn about the barriers and the tools MPI is providing to overcome them.

We have all seen the cost of a simple bottle of water go from free to $4.50 or more, while the price of a cocktail has jumped from $4.50 to $10 (or more).

While it may be difficult to negotiate drink prices, there are still ways you can cut expenses without lowering the quality of your event. Here are 7 ways to do it.

The ease of sending requests for proposal electronically to hotels and venues for sourcing meetings has created a proliferation of online tools and Web sites. Do meeting planners send too many RFPs for hotels to handle? Why do some hotels not even bother to respond to your RFP?

Find the answers to these questions and many more during MeetingsNet’s free, one-hour webinar December 14 at 2 p.m. EST. Our expert panel will feature two corporate meeting pros, a third-party meeting management company, and a hotelier.

Register here.