With many meeting departments cut to the bone, third-party planning firms are thriving like never before. M&C examines the growth strategies of three big companies, with perspectives from clients, hoteliers and others.

After a challenging few years, things are looking up for a number of destination marketing organizations (aka convention and visitor bureaus). Here's how five high-profile DMOs have weathered the storm.

The top 10 medical/pharmaceutical meetings are attendance powerhouses whose success offers lessons for most other kinds of meetings, too.

Here's how five major groups have implemented strategies to cope with leadership shifts, better define themselves, grow their memberships, and retool for 2012 and beyond.

How to transform a space with lighting, props and trendy pops of color.

Some talented, energetic, under-30 meeting professionals talk about why they chose to enter the industry, what they think of it and how they expect their generation will leave its mark.

Dawn Penfold, a 25-year industry veteran and president of Meetingjobs.com, offers advice to young job seekers on how best to join the world of meeting planning.

How young professionals are influencing the meetings industry in hotel and venue sales functions, destination marketing organizations and many other industry segments.

Lunchtime forums, after-hours parties and volunteer committees are just some of the strategies outlines here.

Here's what a number of major meetings-related organizations -- including ACTE, ASAE and MPI -- are doing to target young professionals.