For the meetings industry, we’ve got an interesting mix of good/interesting news for next year.  According to Meetings Trends 2010 survey, planners are optimistic about the return of meetings.  Yep, the era of canceled meetings is over.  The newest threat on the horizon for speakers:  meetings are back, but the budgets are flat.  About 45% of corporate planners report no increased budgets for their meetings.  This matches a lot of antidotal information out there — every expense will be scrutinized.  Be prepared to negotiate everything:  speaker fees, travel, even for books.