South Africa Tourism predicts more than half a million visitors will travel to the country during the four weeks of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which got under way June 11. And the country has spent four years and $5 billion getting ready for them. Read what’s new.

The Brussels-based Union of International Associations has just released its International Meeting Statistics report for the year 2009. UIA has done research and monitoring on international organizations and associations since 1907. While more than half the meetings in UIA's database took place in Europe in 2009, the country with the single biggest share is the United States. Click to find out which locations round out the top-10 country and city lists.

What successful person or company doesn’t want to know what the next big thing will be? Global futurist Rohit Talwar (pictured), CEO of London-based Fast Future, has been tasked with figuring it out for the meetings industry by means of the Convention 2020 study. With phase one complete, he’s found that the industry is great at operations but lacks clarity and consistency when it comes to strategic thought and action. So how do you, as a meeting planner, move your organization forward? Read the recommendations.

Here’s your chance to ask three international meeting planning experts—one from a major international association, one from an insurance company, and one who is an independent planner—any and all questions about holding events outside the U.S. Join us June 30 for the virtual version of our popular international meeting planning supplement, Beyond Borders. We’ll start out with the most commonly asked questions from previous Webinars—working with foreign currency, knowing what’s negotiable overseas, international site selection, and more—while collecting and answering questions you submit as you listen. Check out our panelist bios and registration information.

Check out the new MeetingsNet LinkedIn group, a place to share challenges, thoughts, opinions, and best practices with your peers and colleagues. With separate subgroups for corporate, association, financial and insurance, medical, and religious meeting planning and hospitality professionals, there is a place for all, whatever your market niche. And don’t miss the links to the latest job postings, as well as news and blog feeds from our MeetingsNet Web site.

Come on down and connect, network, and share!