Tourism Safety & Security Conference set for Nov. 21

Arizona State University's Megapolitan Tourism Research Center has announced the official opening of registration for the 2008 Arizona Tourism Safety & Security Conference, to be held Nov. 21 at the Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale.

The theme of the conference will be ROI: Securing Your Return on Investment, with the conference sessions focused on how tourism and meeting industry professionals can apply sound safety and security practices to protect, and even improve, their business ventures' bottom line in the current economic landscape.

The conference, now in its third year, is geared toward all professionals who are active in the convention and tourism industry, including meeting and event planners, hotel security and sales directors, public safety members, conference services personnel, related vendors, venue personnel and anyone involved in the planning and execution of small-to-large-scale public and private events. The event is open to attendees from across the nation, as the content will address topics in Arizona and throughout the U.S.

"In this challenging economic climate, safety and security measures are often the first line items sacrificed when it comes to event budgets," said Conference Chairman C.J. Wren, detective for the Phoenix Police Department's Homeland Defense Bureau. "This can have a devastating impact on a program's overall expense in terms of financial, public relations and, in the worst case scenarios, human costs.

"The purpose of this conference will be to educate attendees on the latest methods and tactics for providing safety and security components that will protect them, their constituents and the public, at a minimal cost but with maximum results," Wren added. "This is essential information for anyone who is involved at any level in the tourism, hospitality, conference services and event management areas."

Participants will hear from leading industry experts. (A copy of the conference sessions is attached, including relevant biographical information for the speakers/presenters.)

To conclude the conference, attendees will have the opportunity to witness and participate in a real-time response exercise that will challenge a panel of professionals from various segments of the tourism industry to respond to a crisis as it develops-unscripted and unrehearsed-to see how the concepts presented during the day's earlier sessions can be applied in real-world setting.

Attendee registration for the 2008 Arizona Tourism Safety & Security Conference is priced at $99 per attendee with group discount packages available.

Sponsorship opportunities are available for the conference and can be arranged by contacting Andrée Brennan at (602) 496-1191 or andree.brennan@asu.edu.

The Megapolitan Tourism Research Center is a part of the School of Community Resources & Development in ASU's College of Public Programs, located at the ASU Downtown Phoenix campus. The Center is devoted to studying the role of tourism in community development in order to strengthen its contribution to viable economic, social, and environmental systems. Its mission is to support and enhance tourism for the public good by harnessing tourism as an engine for community and social development.

For information about the event, visit: http://mtrc.asu.edu/portal/aztss.

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