Meetings industry organizations around the world are celebrating the power of events on April 11. Here are a few of the many activities on this year’s agenda.
We’re just a few days out from this year’s Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID), an annual celebration of the power of meetings and events that this year is scheduled to be held 11. Organized by the U.S. Travel Association, this year’s celebrations will be held both in-person and virtually by individuals, meeting and hospitality businesses and meeting industry associations. Here are a few ways you can join in the GMID 2024 celebrations.
MPI Goes Livestream
Set your alarm clocks for 7 a.m., ET, to catch the beginning of Meeting Professionals International’s 12-hour broadcast. The livestream will have a new focus for each of the 12 hours, starting with the “event professional’s ordinary world” and running through themes such as “test, allies and obstacles” (Hour 6) and “the final walk through” (Hour 8), before finishing up on Hour 12 with “on to the next event!” In addition to interviews with MPI execs, including MPI CEO Paul Van Deventer, MPI CRO Rachel Benedick and MPI CBO Drew Holmgren, industry leaders will tackle topics from experiential engagement to emerging event technologies. Among these industry luminaries on the MPI GMID lineup are Carina Bauer, CEO of IMEX; Annette Gregg, CEO of the Society of Incentive Travel Excellence; Jason Dunn, CEO of the National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals; and Alice Harrington-Caravello, Marriott‘s Vice President of Account Sales and National Group Sales.
MPI chapters also are planning a plethora of events. Check out what’s happening at your local chapter here.
PCMA GMID 2024 Programming
The Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) also is planning to celebrate the industry in a big way for GMID 2024. PCMA’s Capitol Chapter is taking the lead with a 2.5-hour event at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., that includes a keynote on the state of congress and the 2024 election, led by Melissa Froehlich Flood of Marriott International. There also will be a panel discussion on the dynamics of workforce challenges, labor concerns and other vital topics affecting the meetings industry today.
PCMA’s Greater Philadelphia chapter also is holding an event on Aprill 11 the CYTO | PHL at the Circa Centre. On the agenda is Tim Hines, CMO of Marketing Starter Group, who will lead a discussion on “Gen Y and Gen Z Influencers: How We Can Harness the Power of the New Generations and Work Better Together.” He then will moderate a panel with Kyle Bixby, Meetings and Exhibits Coordinator for the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery; Theresa Barrett, Deputy Executive Vice President of the New Jersey Academy of Family Physicians; Edward Baten, Complex General Manager for the W Philadelphia and the Element Hotel; and Hyatt‘s University Programs Manager Erica Rudy.
PCMA’s Southeast Chapter is planning a GMID 2024 event at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., that will feature a legislative session by the North Carolina Travel Industry Association, as well as educational sessions on AI, air travel’s influence on events, and a panel on how to elevate in-person meetings.
Go to the PCMA website to find what’s happening at a local chapter event near you.
Meetings Mean Business Weighs in on Hot Topics
From politics to AI, the Meetings Mean Business Alliance of North Carolina is exploring some of the hottest topics in the industry today with an event at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Among the sessions on tap will be one of the effects of politics on the industry, hosted by the North Carolina Travel Industry Association; how planners can, and should, be using artificial intelligence; air travel’s impact on the industry; and a panel of planners and suppliers.
But That’s Just a Slice of What’s Happening
GMID 2024 also is being celebrated by a variety of individual hospitality companies and destinations. For example, Caesars Entertainment is adding to its GMID digital communications and social media campaign by participating in GMID events with local MPI chapters throughout the U.S., including sponsoring a digital session on MPI’s mega-broadcast on wellness and resilience conducted by Kelly Gleeson Smith, Caesars Entertainment Vice President of Sales, and featuring Fortune 500 speaker Nolan Nichols, founder of A Million Dreams. In Las Vegas, Caesars is collaborating with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to provide GMID messaging on Caesars resort marquees and lighting up the High Roller Observation Wheel at The LINQ Hotel and the Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas.
Visit Orlando, the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) and destination partners also will be participating in GMID 2024 in a few unique ways. For example, Visit Orlando has collaborated with Orlando’s Poet Laureate, Shawn Welcome, to write a poem showcasing the value of in-person meetings and the positive impact meetings have on the Orlando community, local businesses and economy. The convention and visitors bureau also is working with local destination partners to celebrate the importance of meetings and events to the community with an #OrlandoMeeting social media campaign, as well as offering its Vice President of Sales and Services Stephanie Naegele to participate in the MPI Greater Orlando Chapter event.
GMID 2025 is scheduled to take place April 3, 2025.
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