Just a few more days and we will have survived the teen years. Again.
As we prepare to bid adieu to the end of a decade, join me in a trip down Memory Lane and the year that was 2019.
Our annual “Year in Review” is one of our favorite projects to produce. We capture those milestones and achievements that helped define the meeting and event industry over the past 12 months and, most of all, have the opportunity to look back at the members who shared of themselves either on the cover of The Meeting Professional or in our monthly member profile, “Who We Are.”
The newest members to be so recognized are Samme Allen (MPI Netherlands Chapter), who will be the emcee at MPI’s European Meetings & Events Conference (EMEC) in Sevilla, Spain, in February, and Sheila King, who tells us in “Who We Are” that she loves the people in this industry.
“I love all the different people that we are able to interact with on a daily basis,” she says. “Their heart and passion for this industry fuels my passion and makes me want to be the best partner and meeting planner I can be.”
What a great testimonial to the power of our business and the power of face-to-face. It’s a theme you’ll find with all our members who were featured in “Who We Are” this year.
MPI’s 2019 events resonated through designing shared experiences. Who can forget the powerful messages from Dear World, Vinh Giang or Jade Simmons at the World Education Congress (WEC) in Toronto, or sharing the city’s streets with 2 million people celebrating the Toronto Raptors’ National Basketball Association championship?
We were inspired by the RISE Award recipients, moved to tears by Anne Hamilton, who received MPI's Industry Leader Award, and left in awe by the energetic Michael Wohlmuth, who received the Chair’s Award.
The year was filled with challenges, too. Diversity and inclusion, a topic we’ll report on in-depth in 2020, and safety and security were top-of-mind issues. So was the economy, as members shared their unease and concerns through our quarterly Meetings Outlook research. Interestingly, we began our coverage this year by reflecting on how our industry has changed since the Great Recession a decade ago.
Before we watch the sands of time run out on 2019, a special thanks for Carole McKellar, our outgoing chair of the MPI Foundation Global Board of Trustees (GBOT). We welcome Chandra Allison to the leadership role in 2020. Thanks, as well, to Steve O’Malley, who stays on for another year as chair of the MPI International Board of Directors (IBOD). Finally, a heartfelt thank you to April Ferguson (MPI Carolinas Chapter) for her leadership of our Media Advisory Committee.
To our MPI community, friends and families, we wish you the very best this holiday season.
Godspeed 2019 and thanks for the memories.
Until next year…
Rich Luna
Editor in Chief
rluna@mpiweb.org
