Concerns about flying have prompted Penguin Putnam to cancel its winter sales conference. Rather than hold its annual December gathering in Boca Raton, Fla., the house will convene two regional meetings in New York and California.
Reps from the two halves of the country will attend the meeting closest to them, where they will watch videotaped presentations by editors. There is a possibility the New York conference will feature some live showcasing, but the company is as yet undecided.
Select sales and marketing executives from New York will make the trip to California. "We're not doing Florida because we thought we could effectively accomplish our goal without asking [a lot of people] to fly," said Penguin spokesperson Marilyn Ducksworth, who added that no decisions had been made about next year's conferences.
When Random shelved its winter plans several weeks ago (News, Oct. 15), some speculated that it was only a matter of time before the dominoes fell. Both houses say their moves are, for the moment, one-time decisions that have everything to do with safety and nothing to do with cost savings or an attempt to move away from the three-season system.
