Destination Toronto is stepping up to help meeting professionals in Canada who continue to grapple with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Scott Beck, CEO of Destination Toronto, said Monday the organization is donating US$50,000 to the MPI Foundation to support the association’s members in Canada throughout 2021.

MPI has more than 1,000 members in Canada, a quarter of whom have sought aid from the Foundation’s current distressed member financial support provided from April through December 2020.

“It’s vital that planners across Canada stay connected with other meeting professionals and have the opportunity to stay engaged in educational opportunities within our industry,” Beck said. “MPI plays a critical role in that connectivity. Our hope is that this investment in the Foundation keeps our Canadian meeting professionals informed and connected with the broader community so that we as an industry can recover together and build back better.”

The donation is a restricted gift towards ensuring distressed MPI members sustain their membership throughout the Canadian provinces. Funding provided for the extension of a finite number of scholarships is available to planners.

In addition, Destination Toronto has earmarked three supplier scholarships to each Canadian chapter.

“It’s vital that planners across Canada stay connected with other meeting professionals.”

“This has been an immensely difficult time for meeting professionals and the industry as a whole,” Beck said. “When times get this challenging, it can be hard to see through the weeds. It may not be obvious today, but the inevitability of our industry’s recovery is just that—inevitable. And we as an industry are navigating it together.”

The donation is the second major contribution to the MPI Foundation. The IMEX Group, the longtime strategic partner of MPI, donated $250,000 in September. Most of that donation was offered as a grant to the Foundation, which will direct funds to distressed members. Additional funding will support MPI’s 11 European chapters for initiatives to sustain education and country-specific programs that can re-engage industry awareness and commence recovery.

Together, the donations have helped support the Foundation’s “1 Million To Meet” campaign, focusing on the global effort to help industry recovery, which to date has raised more than US$700,000.

“The global pandemic has hit our industry the hardest, and that’s especially true for the meeting and event industry and all of the planners throughout Canada struggling with a crisis like no other,” Beck said. “Meeting and event planners need the resources that come through their involvement with MPI—both in terms of skills development and partner relationships. This is an investment towards our industry’s recovery and for those who will lead it. Meetings mean business in Canada, and planners will play a vital role in building back the meeting and event industry—a cornerstone of our visitor economy in Toronto and throughout Canada.”

Kevin Kirby, executive director of the MPIF, said the “timing of this donation is perfect.”

“Considering the positive news regarding vaccine distribution, so many individuals are still facing tough economic decisions,” he said. “Destination Toronto’s generous donation will affect over 150 Canadian members across the provinces and assist them in sustaining their professional network and continued learning and reskilling. What a wonderful holiday surprise.”

Beck said meeting professionals in Canada have “certainly displayed a positive and hopeful perspective about our industry during this crisis.”

He added that Canadian meeting professionals were surveyed this past fall to see where their focus was, and the vast majority were “laser-focused on rescheduling and rebooking events. Professionals are doing what they do best right now, working tremendously hard to bring events to life whether in-person or virtual. They’ve adapted, kept their foot on the gas, and are persevering.”

The crisis has also been a learning lesson for Beck.

“I’ve learned that optimism must be tempered by realism,” he said. “An overly optimistic view of the pandemic led to early disappointment and the development of ineffective strategies. An outlook that incorporated more realistic, not pessimistic, observations created an environment and willingness to adapt as an industry. This ability to adapt is going to play a key role in our recovery efforts.

“I’ve seen some of the boldest innovation and creative thinking stemming from this challenging year and it’s been inspiring. That level of adaptability is going to serve us well moving forward.”

For those interested in learning more, contact help@mpi.org.

Photo by Alex Shutin on Unsplash