Successful negotiations occur when you have planned for negotiation success. Out October guest speaker, Barb Taylor Carpender, CMM, HSMAI University, reviewed several integral negotiation points and techniques to help us all with the success of our negotiations. Taylor covered the five numbers you should know for overcoming barriers and resolving differences: Three - ways to anticipate negotiation points Four - types of buyer resistance Five - methods for addressing negotiation points Six - responses to win-lose maneuvers Seven - guidelines for negotiation concessions She discussed the importance of identifying what your goal is in the negotiation, what the value of your offering is, how much information you are willing to share, what problems you may encounter and what alternatives you can offer. The first key to success for overcoming barriers and differences is to anticipate negotiation points by really thinking about the agreement from the beginning and looking at it from the side of the other party. It is also important to make sure that you have a balance of emotion and reason, that you develop a degree of mutual understanding, that you understand the prospect's concerns, and that you establish trust and credibility, among other things. Many thanks to the Grace Inn at Ahwatukee for sponsoring our October meeting, accommodating our speaker and our NAU students, to Barb Taylor Carpender for her wonderful energetic presentation, to Bill Johnson for his LCD projector and to SuperShuttle/ ExecuCar for providing transportation for our speaker. Preceding this meeting, HSMAI held its bi-annual Membership Orientation. We had 15 new members in attendance (thanks to a large majority from Best Western International). We thank those new members who joined us to learn more about the benefits of membership in our association.

We also had the bi-annual Committee Promotion Trade Show, where all our committees have a chance to set up a display to promote what they do, and solicit new committee members, sponsors, or donations as needed to make their year successful.

Special thanks to our raffle donors: GES Expositions Services, Destination Arizona, Meetings & Concierge Source, IMAX Theatre, Phoenix Marriott Mesa Hotel, Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, Rawhide and the HSMAI Communications Committee.