Book Review: Succeed - How We Can Reach Our Goals by Heidi Halvorson

Meetingmax’s July book of the month was Succeed: How we can reach our goals by psychologist Heidi Grant Halvorson, Ph. D.

“The book tackles attainment of goals in every area of life from relationships to sports. Extensively reviewing past studies on self-esteem, motivation, and pursuit of goals, Halvorson sidesteps conventional notions about achieving success, particularly the idea that one should imagine oneself achieving goals easily. She cites studies showing that those who think the path is difficult invest more effort and work harder: for instance, people who believed that getting a good job after college would be easy sent out fewer applications. The ideal, Halvorson says, is to think positively about achieving one's goals but to think realistically about the effort that will be required to achieve them. Halvorson then goes on to advise readers on how to set appropriate goals, avoid obstacles, and exercise self-control to stay on track. Don't visualize success, instead visualize the steps you will take in order to succeed."  - Publishers Weekly

Meetingmax staff enjoyed the psychological standpoint of the book and appreciated the facts that supported the reasoning. As blogger, David Seah, states “If you are of an introspective nature and enjoy understanding the differences in mindset that give rise to certain behaviors, you’d find this book fascinating. If you’re looking for a DO THIS THEN THAT book, probably not.” 

All in all Meetingmax rated this book at 8.2/10 where 1 equals a book with little value one would not wish to read again, and 10 equals a fantastic book with the ability to grow an individual personally, professionally or both. We do recommend purchasing a hard copy of this book (versus an audio book) as there are some insightful questionnaires, but they are quite difficult to answer without writing down! 

DMAI 2012 - Meetingmax's Booth with a Moose

Third Party Housing Help... Would It Benefit Your Event?

Check out the article "Third Party Housing Help... Would It Benefit Your Event?" in the June edition of Sports Events Magazine featuring Meetingmax President, Jeff Duncan. 

From full management services to licensing our software, Meetingmax will help you find the best fit for your event accommodation needs.

"While third party housing options are the right choice for some event planners, industry professionals said that there are times when it may make more sense to keep management functions in-house." Jeff Duncan, President & COO of MMX.

"If the infrastructure is available to effectively track and manage this part of the event it makes sense to run it in-house. But, the more complex the event, the more resources will be required to run it in-house; outsourcing might be the best option then."

Read on to hear what USA Fencing, T3 Lacrosse, USA Lacrosse and Triple Crown Sports have chosen and why it works for them. 

International Gravity Sports Association Rolls With Meetingmax

We are very excited to announce our partnership with the International Gravity Sports Association (IGSA), world leaders in skateboard and street luge racing!

Through the agreement, we will contract and manage hotel room blocks for 11 IGSA World Cup Downhill Skateboarding events on five continents.


"Given the complexity of organizing an IGSA World Cup event, accommodation often falls down the priority list for our event planners," says Marcus Rietema, President, IGSA. "With Meetingmax taking care of our housing needs and simplifying the booking process for our participants, planners and competitors will be able to focus on the events, not on finding hotel rooms."

Using our system, competitors will now be able to click one link to easily search for a participating hotel, explore its features, and book a room. IGSA will make a small commission on each booking and will be able to offer sponsors additional profile on the central booking page.

"Our system is designed to help our clients build better events," says Jeff Duncan, COO Meetingmax Systems. "For some clients that means that we hand the system over to them to manage, while others want us to handle the whole process including negotiations with hotels. We are delighted to be able to help IGSA will the full spectrum of our services."

IGSA oversees a world tour of 11 downhill skateboarding events in big cities and remote rural locations. This year's tour stops include Australia, the United States, Czech Republic, Italy, France, Canada, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, and South Africa.

View the full release on hospitality.net

Book Review: If Aristotle Ran General Motors by Thomas Morris

“There is nothing noble in being superior to another man, true nobility is being superior to your former self.”

Meetingmax June Book of the Month was If Aristotle Ran General Motors by Tom Morris. This book was recommended to us by one of the thought leaders at this year’s MIT Entrepreneurial Masters Program for the Entrepreneurs Organization, which Jeff Duncan, MMX President, attended this spring.

This philosophical novel applies everyday business practices to the wisdom of Aristotle, as well as the thoughts of other great philosophers. Morris notes how companies most valuable assets are people and their relationships determine the success or failure of a business.

The novel speaks of 4 guiding principles: Truth, Beauty, Goodness and Unity and the corresponding 4 dimensions of human experience: Intellect, Aesthetic, Moral and Spiritual.

Meetingmax scored this book 9/10 on a scale where 1 equals a book with little value one would not wish to read again, and 10 equals a fantastic book with the ability to grow an individual personally, professionally or both.