Nearly 700 MPI members gathered in Grapevine for Meeting Professionals International’s World Education Congress (WEC). Held at Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center, the hybrid convention’s in-person attendees were joined virtually by 1,000-plus additional participants, all coming together under the theme “Reunite for Recovery.” The 2020 WEC set the tone for future events and raised the bar with its Duty of Care health and safety procedures. These included sending name badges, lanyards, masks and personal hand sanitizers in advance to attendees, requiring temperature checks each day as delegates entered the event, incorporating responsible F&B/seating/ barriers precautions, and having social activities with made-to-order and individually packaged food items.
After about 15 months of Zoom happy hours and countless virtual meetings, events, and conferences, it’s clear that virtual gatherings don’t hold a candle to the magic that in-person gatherings can spark. People are excited for in-person events again.