The meeting industry will come together to celebrate Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID) on March 30, but did you know that a day now recognized and celebrated by meeting professionals around the world began in Canada?

The first official National Meetings Industry Day was held in Canada in 1999. This followed local and regional events hosted by Canadian MPI chapters and conversations about elevating the celebration to a national level by the MPI Canadian Council—eventually leading to the first GMID in 2016.

As we get closer to GMID 2023, we’re honoring some of the MPI members in Canada who led volunteer efforts in the 1990s and understood before many others why the importance of our industry and its monetary and intrinsic value needed to be understood by governments and business.

Today, we chat with Marie-Louise Doyle from the MPI Ottawa Chapter.

Tell us about your role (chapter or regional) in MPI Canada in the 1990s. 

I sat on the board as director, special projects, concentrating on NMID. I was in that role for eight years and then I became president-elect, president and past president for the next three years after that.

What is your role in the meeting industry today?   

I currently work as executive director for a local breast cancer charity. My role in the industry today is not as vast as it used to be, but I do oversee the organization of board meetings and events for those who are living with a breast cancer diagnosis.

Can you share a fond memory about your MPI involvement from that era? 

I think the most fun part of my involvement with MPI were the annual strategic planning weekends. We would work hard during the day making plans for the upcoming year and then head out to have a great time with a bunch of great colleagues and great friends. I remember laughing so hard my stomach hurt. It’s the people that are my fondest memory. Knowing many of these people from the 1980s, we have gone through first marriages, divorces, second marriages, birthing our children and now many of us are blessed with grandchildren. We have witnessed each other’s lives develop and mature along with our careers in the industry.

Another big memory was winning the MPI WEC RISE award for NMID. Standing on the stage in Las Vegas with my provincial colleagues accepting the award was incredible. Winning that award was actually the kickstart to NMID becoming GMID. Our American counterparts became very interested in how Canada had taken this event and made it work across our country. The result was GMID.

What was a big misconception about the meeting planning profession in the 1990s that has changed (or hasn’t changed) over the years?  

I think the biggest misconception was that event planners had great jobs because all we did was plan parties all the time. What they didn’t realize is that many of us planned events that sustained organizations via major revenue generation. I was working on $1 million budgets, that if the event failed, people could be laid off. The job was much more than simply planning a party. It was project management at its best.

Why was it a priority to you to raise awareness of our industry’s importance?   

It was a priority for me to raise awareness about our industry’s importance because most people simply didn’t get it. When I first started my career in the late 1970s, the question was, “What color should the tablecloths be?” Then the question became, “Strategically, is this the right type of event to reach the organization’s objective?”

“We have witnessed each other’s lives develop and mature along with our careers in the industry.”

How has the industry changed as a result of advocacy efforts?   

I think the industry has changed in that we are recognized as professionals. My title used to be “events planner” for years, my last title before becoming an executive director was “events strategist.” We’ve gone from making sure the board table is set up properly to having a seat at that same board table.

What change would you still like to see? 

I’d like to see our roles continue to evolve. COVID regulations taught us that, at the flip of a switch, our sector can be decimated. We’ve learned that there are many ways to hold conferences and meetings and I like to see our new roles as a hybrid event and virtual event producers grow. I am MPI!