The seventh-annual Global Meetings Industry Day on April 7 will unite event professionals around the world for a day of advocacy, celebration and collaboration. This year’s theme, Meet Safe, will focus on the value of face-to-face gatherings and how successful, safe meetings are possible.
Meeting Professionals International will host a 12-hour virtual broadcast, which runs from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT. On the agenda are panels on the state of the industry, women in leadership, critical event trends, supplier-planner relationships and more. Local chapters of various industry organizations are also hosting live events throughout the country.
Below, we've rounded up some of the face-to-face GMID gatherings taking place, as well as other ways to get involved and show your support for the meetings industry.
Where GMID Events Are Taking Place
Nationally:
- Boston: Hosted at Fenway Park by the New England chapters of MPI and PCMA
- Charlotte: Hosted at the Charlotte Convention Center by the North Carolina Travel Industry Association
- Dallas: Hosted at the Omni Dallas Downtown by Visit Dallas
- Orlando: Hosted at the Amway Center by MPI Greater Orlando and NACE Orlando
- Philadelphia: Hosted at the Pennsylvania Convention Center by PCMA's Greater Philadelphia chapter
- San Francisco: Hosted at the Westin St. Francis by ILEA Northern California
- Washington, D.C.: Hosted at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center by PCMA's Capital Chapter
Internationally:
- Canada: Hosted at the Vancouver Convention Centre by PCMA Vancouver
- Mexico: Hosted at Expo Guadalajara by COMIR
- Spain: Hosted at Oviedo Congress and Exhibitions Center by Oviedo Congresos
How to Show Your Support
The U.S. Travel Association has released a collection of resources that can be used to spread the word about GMID and the positive impact live events have on people, businesses and communities. The Global Meetings Industry Day Tookit includes fact sheets and social media graphics with statistics, such as 85 percent of American workers view in-person meetings as irreplaceable and 64 percent have felt the effects of Zoom fatigue. Also in the toolkit is a list of ways to get involved in the day of advocacy. Among the tips:
1. Host a GMID-Registered Event
Don't see an event happening in your city? Organize your own safe-to-meet GMID event and fill out this survey to share your event's details. The gathering should highlight the importance of resuming in-person meetings to your community and industry stakeholders. Consider inviting local elected officials and the media to highlight the value to your local economy.
2. Market Your Gathering via Social Media
Whether you’re communicating to business leaders, industry colleagues or members of Congress, this guide provides messaging points, data, copy and graphics to use on social media. Remember to tag #MeetSafe and #GMID2022 to join the industry-wide conversation.
3. Spread the Word to Media and Elected Officials
Use the sample press release, key messages document and sample op-ed to gain media attention surrounding the safety, significance and business value of in-person meetings to your community. Localize these messages with your own data, what you are seeing in the market around the resumption of live events, and why they are so critical to filling jobs and generating travel spending.
4. Spotlight Safe Meetings Happening in Your Community
In-person meetings are happening now, with more expected in the coming months. In fact, results from our March PULSE Survey show 64 percent of planners said they will hold their next event in Q2 of 2022 and 86 percent expect to produce as many if not more meetings next year than they did in 2019.
Get the message out on business coming to your city and share case studies of recent events that were a success. Together, these examples can demonstrate that meetings of all sizes from all industries are being booked and held, which can accelerate the industry's recovery.
5. 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 social channels, and in some cases their buildings, to the color blue. Change your cover photo on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn to blue on April 7 to join in the movement. Blue headers are provided in the tookit for your use.
The complete GMID tooklit also includes fact sheets on the business value of in-person meetings and the economic impact of business events.