How to Participate in Global Meetings Industry Day

This Thursday, April 7, the meeting and event industry will come together to celebrate Global Meetings Industry Day, an international day of advocacy and education designed to spotlight the importance and economic impact of business meetings, trade shows, incentive travel, exhibitions, conferences and conventions, along with the power of face-to-face meetings.

Key Industry Issues on GMID

GMID History

Below is key messaging about GMID and ways for you to participate:

Facts

·      Professional Meetings and Events accounted for 42% of all business travel spending and 11% of all travel spending in the U.S. prior to the pandemic (2019).

·      The nearly $130 billion in business meeting and events-related travel spending in the U.S. directly supported 800,000 American jobs, $42 billion in employee payroll, and $19 billion in federal, state and local tax receipts

·      According to Tourism Economics, the U.S. saw a decline of $370 billion in business travel spending in the U.S. in 2020 and 2021—$180 billion of which was due to the decline in meetings, conventions and trade shows. Despite making up 20% of total trip volume, business travelers accounted for 40-60% of lodging and air revenue pre-pandemic.

·      In-person meetings and events are safe to resume and good for business

·      Virtual meetings and events cannot provide the same type of interactive and relational opportunities that come from in-person meetings and events

·      In-person meetings provide significant benefits to attendees—including deeper connections to business contacts, education and training opportunities, access to key information through informal conversations, and improved company morale and job fulfillment

·      According to business travelers, in-person meetings are twice as likely to convert prospects to customers than virtual meetings, according to Tourism Economics.

·      More than four in five decision makers believe business travel leads to increased profit and revenue, according to a report from American Express.

How you can participate

·      Host an event. Highlight the importance of resuming in-person meetings to your community and industry stakeholders and consider inviting local elected officials and the media to underscore the importance of resuming these meetings to your local economy.

·      Post on your social media channels using hashtags #MeetSafe and #GMID2022

·      Engage with the media, local elected officials and Members of Congress to share the economic importance of business meetings and events.

·      Spotlight safe meetings happening in your community

·      Turn BLUE for the day. The official color of GMID is blue and many across the industry recognize the importance of this activation by turning their channels, and in some cases their buildings, blue. Change your cover photo on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn to blue on April 7 to join in the movement.

·      Meeting industry associations are hosting GMID events, including Meeting Professionals International (MPI), Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), and the International Live Events Association (ILEA), as well as numerous local CVBs and business meetings groups.

·      MPI’s GMID 12-hour digital broadcast begins at 6 a.m. CT on Thursday, April 7. Registration is free. Learn more at Event Registration.

·      See a sampling of other events and learn more at GMID.