• Ad Age, Wednesday, February 25, 2009 10:30 AM

The American Association of Advertising Agencies Media Conference and Tradeshow (March), followed by its Leadership (April) and Account Planning (July) conferences, will run as usual, if a bit subdued, Max Lakin reports.

Similarly, the Word of Mouth Marketing Association's two-day program (May), which is being billed as a recession-relevant exercise, is "full-steam ahead," says Tarah Remington, the group's member-relations director. But it will be "pretty bare-bones," she says, without even an opening reception unless it's completely sponsored.

The Association of National Advertisers says it will opt for more Webinars and call-in models for its conferences. Its Integrated Marketing Conference, for instance, most likely will be put on ice.

The Outdoor Advertising Association of America announced last week it would cancel its National Convention and Trade Show, which was scheduled for May 17-19 in Miami Beach, Fla.

According to a survey released last month from trade group Meeting Professionals International, 7% of business conferences scheduled this year have already been called off, and those expected to be held will see an estimated 5% drop in attendance.

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