The Convention Industry Council (CIC) with 29 member organizations representing more than 81,000 individuals as well as 13,000 firms and properties involved in the meetings, conventions and exhibitions industries, today announced “Operation Cancellation Rescue,” a joint initiative with StarCite, Inc. to support the industry in the aftermath of the terror attacks in New York and Washington, D.C.  

“Operation Cancellation Rescue has one main objective, to re-book and fill cancelled hotel rooms and meeting space, easing the economic burden on those whose meeting space was booked and now cancelled,” said John Pino, founder and Chief Executive Officer of StarCite. “Together, we are creating an industry-wide inventory of cancelled space,” Mary Power, CIC’s President and Chief Executive Officer said.

“We are aware that anyone planning a meeting obviously has his or her choice of venues right now. We are encouraging those people to utilize this inventory, support their industry, help pick up the pieces, and fill cancelled space first.” “There is tremendous value in bringing people together, especially now,” said Pino.

“Certainly many people want to stay home, but as we begin to go back to our schools, offices, shopping centers, and sports arenas, we also need to get back to our global business, which is face-to-face interaction,” Power said. StarCite will suspend all fees associated with its on-line “Cancelled Space” service through December 31, 2001 for “Operation Cancellation Rescue.”

The service will allow any planner, hotel, conference center, or property faced with cancelled meetings to enter their particulars for search by planners and organizations in need of meeting space. Anyone interested in posting or searching cancelled space can access “Operation Cancellation Rescue” via CIC’s web site, or at StarCite’s web site. User instructions are available at both sites, and additional assistance is available through StarCite.

Both Power and Pino advised planners to act judiciously and address all factors when considering the future of their meetings. Instead of cancelling, planners are encouraged to postpone and re-book. In the meantime, the first step to getting back to business is registering cancelled space with “Operation Cancellation Rescue.”