Since we launched the Leading by Example series last year, we have made an effort to profile individuals from other walks of life who have demonstrated remarkable leadership. It's part of our effort to look outside of our immediate industry and bring different perspectives to the magazine. j We've made few exceptions so far. But this month, for the first time, we interview the president and CEO of a CVB.

For those of us who live in the New York City area, the fifth anniversary of Sept. 11 was an especially somber day. The news that Cristyne Nicholas was leaving her post as head of NYC & Company came shortly after. The timing seemed right for Leading by Example to stick close to home. Here was someone who was instrumental in bringing visitors back to a city made raw by that unspeakable act of terrorism. We wanted to hear from Nicholas what it took to heal the city - emotionally and economically. What she told Andrea Doyle speaks volumes about the importance of meetings (p. 78). Her story makes a fitting close to the forecast focus of this issue, which is all about quantifying the value of meetings and conventions. This is the sixth year this special November edition of Convene has been produced in cooperation with Destination Marketing Association International (DMAI).

We broke precedent this year by soliciting the feedback of a wide range of industry veterans as well as those outside our industry (there's that focus on bringing in other perspectives again). Essentially, we asked them the same question: What would you identify as the single biggest challenge, issue, or opportunity for planners and meetings in the coming year?

When I say we reached out to industry veterans, I mean the people in the trenches … like exhibitors, who shared their concerns about the rising costs of association trade shows and the return on their investment. We hope you'll find this issue insightful and provocative. And as always, we welcome your feedback.

Michelle Russell
Editor
mrussell@pcma.org