“Following what has likely been the most difficult year in the history of meetings and events, industry professionals remain eager to share their own experiences, approaches to this transitionary time, personal challenges and views for a successful path forward.”

That’s how my colleague, Senior Editor Michael Pinchera, begins our annual “State of the Industry” report, a narrative driven this year by 14 meeting professionals from around the world who discuss issues such as the shift to virtual/hybrid events, dealing with pandemic uncertainty, preparing for the return of in-person events and much more.

Included among the industry experts are Valeria Serrano (MPI Caribe Mexicano Chapter), who is on the cover this month, Heike Mahmoud (MPI Germany Club), Darren Green (MPI Southern California Chapter), RISE Award Young Professional Achievement recipient Zaman Ishaad (MPI Toronto Chapter), Michael Massari (MPI Sacramento/Sierra Nevada Chapter), Anthony Molino (MPI Potomac Chapter) and Christine “Shimo” Shimasaki (MPI At Large).

Those are just a few participants from the all-star lineup who contributed to this annual report—its primary focus this year, to no surprise, the impact of the COVID pandemic on our industry.

WEC Vegas, June 15-17, 2021. Make your future.

“Over the past year I have learned that there is no trying you must be in the now because with daily changes as to who and how we gather it might be a while before you can be with people so cherish it when it happens,” Colleen Ritchie (MPI Atlantic Canada Chapter) told us.

We also asked about optimism for the next 12 months, and Akshar Patel of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association is confident live events will come back “no matter what.”

“Our business relies on face-to-face interaction—frankly, the world relies on human interaction,” he said.

We also heard insights about diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in our industry. And speaking of DEI, in this issue we commemorate Pride Month by asking MPI members to discuss LGBTQ inclusiveness—how far we’ve come and the work left to be done.

Another insightful report is Annette Gregg’s monthly column, in which MPI’s senior vice president for experience discusses how the impact of long hours, low pay and the pandemic are giving the hospitality industry a new PR problem—staffing up. This is a critical issue as our industry gets deeper into recovery and a topic we’ll be following in The Meeting Professional.

Finally, spend a few minutes getting to know Patrick Colomer (MPI Greater New York Chapter) in “Who We Are,” our monthly member profile.

Thank you for reading the digital edition of The Meeting Professional. Come back in July for in-depth profiles of all of this year’s RISE Award recipients.

Our members have never been shy about sharing their perspective, making our State of the Industry one to be proud of and excited about. Be safe.

Until next time…

Rich Luna
Editor in Chief
rluna@mpiweb.org