March 30 is Global Meeting Industry Day (GMID 2023), when organizations around the world plan to rally to showcase the economic and societal importance of face-to-face meetings to elected officials and business leaders.
Get ready to celebrate Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID 2023), an international day of advocacy centered on the value that business meetings, trade shows, incentive travel, exhibitions, conference and conventions bring to people, businesses and communities around the world. GMID 2023, which will be held on March 30, will concentrate on a “meetings matter” theme, meaning the economic and societal benefits face-to-face meetings and events bring to attendees, businesses and the communities in which they’re held.
GMID began as the brainchild of Canadian chapters of Meeting Professionals International (MPI), as a more geographically oriented event called Canadian Meetings Industry Day. In 2016, the newly formed Meetings Mean Business Coalition (MMBC) took the event global as GMID to bring visibility to the value face-to-face meetings and event bring to a larger forum. Last year, MMBC was integrated into the U.S. Travel Association (USTA) to leverage its platform and broader reach. A quick skip through USTA’s GMID 2023 Toolkit includes everything you need to get started planning your own GMID action day, including a social media guide, ways to grow engagement, LinkedIn messaging tips, an economic impact fact sheet, ways to pitch the industry’s story to the media, and sample op-ed and press releases.
A number of organizations from everywhere from the U.S. and Canada to Italy and Japan already have announced plans for both virtual and in-person events to celebrate GMID 2023, according to the Meetings Mean Business GMID Event Tracker website. For example, Hard Rock International has a Global Meeting Rockstars Rock and Roll Trivia virtual event ready to roll out globally on March 30. Meeting Professionals International (MPI) also is planning a virtual event — a 12-hour broadcast featuring industry leaders sharing insights and experiences on the impact of meetings on the global economy, including a state-of-the-industry panel that will discuss both recent observations and emerging trends that will shape the future of the industry. MPI also is partnering with other industry organizations and related companies, including IMEX, CEIR, Cvent, SITE, IAEE, Hilton, Webex Events and Sports ETA, for live broadcast sessions on everything from top B2B exhibition trends to the future of incentive travel. Many local industry organization chapters also are already planning more regionally focused events.
U.S.-based industry professionals also can follow up and amplify their advocacy work from GMID 2023 on June 1, 2023, when the Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA) will host its 2023 Legislative Action Day. This is a day dedicated to bringing advocates and leaders from across the face-to-face business events industry to Capitol Hill to meet with their members of Congress about the ECA’s federal policy priorities and the vital role that the industry plays in helping to spur economic growth, support job creation, and empower small businesses across the United States of America.
“After four long years, I can’t wait to finally welcome the industry back to Washington, D.C. for ECA Legislative Action Day,” said Vinnie Polito, ECA Co-President. “Nothing beats meeting face-to-face, and that goes for advocacy, too. That’s why it is so important for us to be in Washington, D.C. on June 1 to meet with our elected officials about the policy issues that matter.”
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