introduced the toughest smoking ban to date back in 1994, many other states have jumped on the tobacco-free bandwagon, including many throughout the Midwest: • Illinois • Iowa
• Kansas
• Michigan • Minnesota • Nebraska • Ohio
• South Dakota • Wisconsin The ensuing ramifi cations of these
statewide smoking bans, in terms of meetings business, extend much farther than the possibility of agitated nic- fi tters in your breakout rooms, though. For example, your options from which to select those breakout rooms could be reduced if the venues that house them go out of business due to decreased revenue caused by smoking laws. In South Dakota, for instance, where
a November 2010 vote left many bar, restaurant, and casino owners scrambling to hide their ashtrays before the new law went into effect, American Cancer Society spokespeople still stress that smoking bans have no signifi cant, negative economic impact. Many South Dakota bar, restaurant and casino owners, however, tell a different story. In the city of Deadwood, a tourism-driven gambling hot-spot, offi cials reported a 13% drop in gaming hall revenue for January and February of this year, compared to those same months last year. In addition, across the state, reports have indicated a 20% decrease in state video lottery income, popularly attributed to decreased patronage resulting from the smoking ban. What does gaming revenue have to
In the city of Deadwood, a tourism-driven
gambling hot-spot on the prairie, offi cials reported a 13 percent drop in gaming hall revenue for January and February of this year, compared to those same months last year. In addition,
across the state, reports have indicated a 20
percent decrease in state video lottery income, popularly attributed to decreased patronage resulting from the smoking ban.
do with your meetings? Well, state gaming losses mean less money in the state budget, which means less money to distribute across statewide causes, such as infrastructure and improvement projects, that happen to make destinations more appealing to many meeting
WWW WWW.MIDWEST IDWESTMEETINGS COM
EETINGS.COM
groups. And in South Dakota, where the change has only been in effect for a matter of months now, the blows to state
revenue appeals and
have
already hurt the locals enough to prompt talks of
lawsuits
directed at the smoking ban. For some venues,
though,
it’s already too late: following wave after wave of hospitality and tourism industry setbacks in recent years, some owners just haven’t been able to afford to keep their doors open after yet another hit-real or perceived-to their businesses. Although few can argue the improvements to public health in the absence of public cigarette smoke, many Midwest venue owners struggle to weigh altruistic pros against real-world cons. In some areas of the Midwest, the reality is that the number of “closed for business” signs continues to rise in the wake of statewide smoking bans, and in some cases, the number of venue options for meeting planners could become more limited in exchange for cleaner public air.
Airport body scanners. What will attendees go through to
attend your meetings? Well, thanks to legislation introduced in 2010, many can now anticipate going through a security screening process that some believe to be too… revealing. With the implementation of advanced imaging technology (AIT) at many airports throughout the nation, not only do U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
offi cers have the capability to see into your luggage-many can now see under your clothes, too.
Reminiscent of the old “X-ray glasses” 23
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