Have you made plans yet for Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID) coming up Thursday, April 12? The hospitality coalition Meetings Mean Business says the annual event is designed to “shine a light on the real impact meetings and events have on businesses, economies and communities” and built a toolkit to make it easy for industry groups to share statistics about the economic impact meetings have every day (spoiler alert, it supports more jobs than auto manufacturing, pharmaceuticals or oil and gas industries). At Smart Meetings, we think it is the ideal excuse to bring people together to talk about how important event professionals are to our daily lives. Following is a list of events going on so you can find a group near you.
New York
Meeting Professionals International (MPI) Greater New York Chapter and Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) New York Area Chapter are pairing up for GMID on April 11. Hosted at the New York Academy of Sciences, speakers include Michael Dominguez, chief sales officer of MGM Resorts International; Jami Stapelmann, executive director of global travel & meetings at The Estee Lauder Companies and current PCMA corporate task force chair; and Carvie Gillikin, vice president of the Fourth Wall Events and former MPI Greater New York Chapter president.
NYC & Company will shine the city’s skyline in blue on April 11. They Javits Center, with a glass-enclosed Crystal Palace equipped with a customized lighting sequence, will activate its lighting system. More than 2,100 LinkNYC screens will display NYC & Company’s “Make it NYC” slogan as well as Meetings Mean Business and GMID logos.
Orlando
MPI Greater Orlando Chapter will host a stream of groudbreaking speakers throughout the day on April 12. Keynote speaker Jim Spellos, founder of Meeting U, will talk about evolving technology in the event industry. Lilly Graziani, director of corporate development at Florida Hospital Nicholson Center, will discuss the necessity of wellness in a professional’s life and Brian D. Avery, managing member of Event Safety & Security Services, will talk about the future of meeting and event safety and security.
Chicago
Chicago Industry Xchange will come together with Choose Chicago for GMID. Jack Johnson, chief advocacy officer for Destinations International will discuss research regarding travel bans and their impact on the events industry. Industry expert Joan Eisenstodt will continue the day with a talk about #MeToo in the industry, and Christy Lamagna, founder of Strategic Meetings & Events, will close the event by discussing how to tell your story to stakeholders.
Las Vegas
Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), which saw a record-breaking year, with 6.6 million people coming in for business travel, understands the importance of the event industry. That is why it is turning up the volume on festivities. On April 12, Venetian Theater will host some 200 people in person and many more through a livestream focused on raising awareness in order to increase support. Paul Van Deventer, president and CEO of MPI, and Nan Marchant Beauvois, SVP of National Councils for the U.S. Travel Association, will be featured speakers.
Los Angeles
PCMA SouthWest, MPI SoCal Chapter and SITE SoCal will be hosting their own event for more than 300 industry professionals on April 12, where Nan Marchand Beauvois will lead an educational session.Following the educational portion of the day, Universal Studios Hollywood will open for professionals to celebrate, network and enjoy the afternoon in Southern California.
San Francisco
Join meeting professionals at AT&T Park on April 12. Ten Bay Area Industry Associations– including International Live Events Association North California Chapter, SITE and MPI Northern California Chapter–will advocate how important the meetings industry is around the world and allow those in the industry to network with local chapter leaders and veteran industry experts.
St. Louis
Explore St. Louis and Maritz Travel are presenting a panel of industry professionals to discuss industry trends, impact and event design. The free event will take place at Ballpark Village in Fox Sports Midwest at 9 am.
Celebrate At Home
For those unable to physically attend, MPI and Meetings Mean Business Coalition will collaborate for a free, 12-hour livestream of GMID highlighting celebrations around the world. Mexico Tourism Board will sponsor the GMID Virtual Event, and following the livestream, an archived recording will be available.
Whatever you do, be sure to join the conversation using the hashtag #GMID18 and tag us @SmartMeetings. We are celebrating you.
