The Meetings Mean Business Coalition has announced “Meetings Matter” as the 2023 theme for Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID) to be held on March 30. The international day of advocacy showcases the economic and societal importance of face-to-face business meetings, trade shows, incentive travel, exhibitions, conferences, and conventions.
Following the recent years of canceled in-person meetings and virtual meeting replacements, one of the main purposes of GMID is to remind businesses and elected officials why meetings matter to more than just those who attend. Local communities and small businesses benefit financially, and the hospitality industry is dependent on the full return of meetings and events. Also, meetings advance progress in critical areas facing the United States and beyond and drive education, knowledge, and collective understanding of critical topics.
Prior to the pandemic, meetings and events accounted for 42% of business travel spending and 11% of all travel spending in the United States in 2019, according to the U.S. Travel Association. The nearly $130 billion in meetings-related travel spending in the U.S. directly supported 800,000 American jobs, $42 billion in employee payroll and $19 billion in federal, state, and local tax receipts. These numbers are gradually returning.
Examples of GMID activities from around the world in 2022 include Global Meetings Industry Days held by Professional Convention Management Association chapters at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Vancouver Convention Center, and Fenway Park in Boston; cocktail events at JW Marriott Sao Paulo Brazil and Sheraton Puerto Rico; and a meeting planner reception at Sheraton Buenos Aires.
The U.S. Travel Association is producing a toolkit in early 2023 to provide key messages, video, a social media guide, a sample press release, sample LinkedIn copy and more.
