Prevue Meetings + Incentives officially launched Meeting Planner Appreciation Month Monday evening during The Next-Gen Experience Summit at Caesars New Orleans, introducing a new annual initiative dedicated to recognizing the professionals behind meetings, conventions, conferences and incentive travel programs.
Created by Worth International Media, publisher of Prevue Meetings + Incentives, the initiative was unveiled before dozens of meeting planners and suppliers attending the Summit. Attendees also learned that they will be featured in the inaugural Meeting Planner Appreciation Month Yearbook, a new publication highlighting planners and their contributions to the industry.
The launch was held in partnership with Caesars Entertainment Meetings & Events, bringing together leaders from the meetings, hospitality, tourism and events sectors to celebrate a profession that has long been essential to destinations and local economies but has never before had its own month-long, industry-wide observance.
In New Orleans alone, meetings and conventions generate more than $2 billion in direct spending each year and contribute to an industry valued at more than $8.7 billion annually, supporting hotels, restaurants, attractions, transportation providers, musicians, small businesses and thousands of local jobs.
“For generations, meeting planners have created the conferences, conventions, incentive travel programs, exhibitions and business events that bring people together, strengthen organizations and generate billions of dollars in economic impact around the world,” said Andrea Sper, Director of Marketing for Worth International Media, who announced the launch. “Yet the profession has never had a unified observance dedicated to recognizing those contributions. Meeting Planner Appreciation Month gives our industry a chance to celebrate the people behind every successful event.”
Meeting Planner Appreciation Month will be celebrated each September and will include industry giveaways, the yearbook, and Prevue Meetings + Incentives’ Planner of the Year Award, recognizing an outstanding meeting professional for excellence, innovation and leadership.
A dedicated website launching in September will serve as the initiative’s hub, featuring participation opportunities, planner recognition, industry resources and additional program information.
“This is only the beginning,” Sper said. “Our goal is to make Meeting Planner Appreciation Month something the entire industry embraces each year, giving planners the recognition they’ve earned and creating a tradition that grows stronger every September.”
