The Meeting Means Business (MMB) coalition, the industry-wide initiative focused on raising awareness of the economic impact and value of face-face-meetings, is expanding its international reach and growing the scope of Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID) in 2020.
Co-chairs Trina Camacho-London, vice president of global sales at Hyatt Hotels, and Fred Dixon, president and CEO of NYC & Company, said Tuesday that advocacy and awareness, particularly during the 2020 U.S. election year, will be a key focus in promoting and protecting the value of face-to-face meetings.
One of the initiatives will be expanding GMID, scheduled for April 14, to engage more closely with elected officials, particularly at the local level.
“There’s no doubt that 2020 will be a banner year for Meetings Mean Business,” said Camacho-London, in her second year as co-chair. “Our greatest strength lies in the number of passionate advocates we have.”
The meeting and hospitality industry has a worldwide economic impact of nearly US$3 trillion while in the U.S. generating almost $136 billion in direct spend, 1.1 million jobs and $22.4 billion in tax receipts.
Dixon, who is in his first year as co-chair, said that of the 13 million business travelers to New York City last year, more than half were conference delegates.
“It takes a village to do what we do,” he said.
“Ten years ago, our industry came under attack and we were caught flat footed. We had no data. We had to turn it around. Our work is critical. We must safeguard the industry.”
The village approach has been evident during the annual GMID, now entering its fifth year. There were 275 registered events across 53 countries in 2019, with 88 million social media impressions.
Registration is now open for this year’s event, and the coalition hopes to expand GMID activities to include more government officials, especially mayors and business leaders. Dixon and Camacho-London said that MMB has joined the U.S. Conference of Mayors to gain access to more local leaders to tell the success story about the meeting and hospitality business.
“One of the best occasions of the year was bringing people together and lighting the skyline blue,” Dixon said of the GMID celebration in New York City.
Roger Dow, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, the organization representing all segments of travel in America, said the meeting and hospitality industry must remain vigilant in raising awareness of its impact to the U.S. and global economies.
“Ten years ago, our industry came under attack and we were caught flat footed,” Dow said during a press conference at PCMA’s Convening Leaders conference in San Francisco. “We had no data. We had to turn it around. Our work is critical. We must safeguard the industry.”
Last year, the MMB coalition licensed the brand internationally, expanding to Canada and India. Mexico will launch this year and there are discussions to expand into South Africa, Japan, Australia and Malaysia.
The coalition has grown to more than 60 members, all committed to showcasing the value that business meetings, trade shows, incentive travel, exhibitions, conferences and conventions bring to people, businesses and communities.
Dixon is the second CEO of a CVB elected to serve as a co-chair of the coalition. He succeeded Julie Coker Graham, president and CEO of the Philadelphia CVB.