WASHINGTON, DC — Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID) was launched in Canada in the mid-1990s by the Greater Edmonton Chapter of Meeting Professionals International and was then known as Meeting Planners Day. In 2015, leaders met with the US Travel Association’s Meetings Mean Business coalition and the Events Industry Council and decided to include the United States and Mexico. A year later, Global Meetings Industry Day was launched.
At this year’s GMID on April 11 in Orlando, Poet Laureate Shawn Welcome composed a poem about the tremendous value of in-person meetings and the positive impact meetings have on the community, businesses and local economies. Hilton’s “The Meeting That Meant Everything” contest asked the question, “What was that ONE MEETING, that incredible memory where everyone came together and everything fell into place?” The lucky grand prize winner (who has yet to be announced) will receive one million Hilton Honors points for their event. In Chicago, the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) Midwestern Chapter hosted Industry Xchange 2024 at Convene, Willis Tower, featuring training on the latest trends in event technology.
There were an estimated 50 celebrations and activities across multiple cities, but the focal point of the day was the all-day virtual event from Meeting Professionals International, with sessions ranging from “Planning Beyond the Comfort Zone” to “The Power of Strategic Partnerships in Diversity and Inclusion.” Interspersed with interviews from MPI CEO Paul Van Deventer with industry leaders such as IMEX CEO Carina Bauer; posts from meeting professionals from their home offices; and live streams from various GMID celebrations, including in Toronto, where presenters were so excited they literally couldn’t stop laughing.
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Highlights of the conference included a keynote address by Ishma Haider, who joined the US Travel Association in November in the new role of vice president of group travel, tasked with strengthening the association’s work to increase group travel/meetings to and within the United States. “Every day, I focus on protecting and growing travel in the United States,” she told an online audience of several hundred. “My goal is to serve as a dedicated resource for members in this space, working to overcome the barriers to group travel and advance this critical segment of the industry.” Among the developments she is working on are the creation of a “group of global subject matter experts” and plans “to innovate within our existing event portfolios, identifying opportunities to increase value by giving you the resources you need to stay informed and engaged.”
Michelle Mason, FASAE, CAE, who joined the American Society of Association Executives last September as president and CEO, discussed the impact of meetings, trade shows, conventions and other events on the global economy. “In the United States alone, meetings and events generate nearly $100 billion in travel spending and directly support 600,000 American jobs,” she said. “This is a critical sector for economic growth. It drives advances in industries and professions that improve our society and quality of life. Policymakers must fully understand the impact of our industry and develop policies to accelerate business travel spending.”
Nicole Bowman, MBA, IAEE vice president of marketing and communications for CEM-AP, identified eight trends for 2024, including workforce development. “There has been a shift on multiple fronts, with professionals coming and going within the exhibition ecosystem,” she said, highlighting the creation of the Exhibition Industry Collective with several other industry associations to foster, educate and provide career pathways for key segments of trade show production.
Another trend: tech disruptors. “Leverage technology to your advantage and improve your efficiency to deliver a quality experience,” she said. “Spend time with your department crafting the best digital experience for event stakeholders. It’s worth having all those meetings to get it right.”
Global Meetings Industry Day took place during Business Events Industry Week, presented by the Professional Convention Management Association and Destinations International.
Contact Ishma at ihaider@ustravel.org; Michelle Mason at mmason@asaecenter.org; Nicole Bowman at nbowman@iaee.com.