DALLAS, April 15, 2022

Meeting Professionals International (MPI), the world’s largest meeting and event industry association, aired this year’s Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID): Virtual broadcast on April 7, 2022, to nearly 4,500 registered industry meeting professionals worldwide, with live segments from across North America, Latin America, Europe and Africa.

This year’s GMID provided a window into the range of possibilities available for connecting human-to-human. From virtual, broadcasts and streams to in-person and hybrid organizations responded in hundreds of different ways using all the tools available (live stream chat feature, the wall, polling and survey) for connecting and collaborating.  

“Connecting with others in a meaningful way is an essential part of making business happen,” said Paul Van Deventer, president, and CEO of MPI. “By creating more opportunities for people to come together and share their ideas, we help to spur innovation and drive economic growth. GMID did just that.”

Following are key stats from MPI’s 2022 Global Meeting Industry Day: Virtual: 

• GMID continues to drive high satisfaction. A total of 4,465 meeting and event professionals registered, of which 2,064 attended, giving it a 97% satisfaction rate and a Net Promoter Score of 52.   
• Engagement from attendees was strong. Cumulatively, attendees consumed 222,083 minutes of programming. Throughout the broadcast, there were 2,610 chat entries between the attendees. 
• In total, MPI delivered 39 individual program segments with topics ranging from the pandemic’s impact on the industry to moving forward, changing perceptions of careers in hospitality/meetings to diversity and inclusion and so much more. 
• The MPI Foundation, the philanthropic arm of MPI, announced its commitment to assist Ukrainian students at Vistula University in Poland with scholarships to continue their hospitality studies. The MPI Foundation Global Board of Trustees directed US$10,000 to this cause and by the end of the GMID broadcast, nearly $7,000 had additionally been raised. The Foundation agreed to match funds raised up to an additional $10,000.
• The Women in Leadership panel featured women in c-suite leadership positions representing some of the best organizations in the industry including Encore, Visit Orlando, Hilton Worldwide and The Center for Association Leadership. Topics centered around the value women bring to all levels of the organization, mentorship, programs for the advancement of women, education in relationship building and attention to the individual strengths of team members.  
• This year MPI celebrates 50 years of providing community and inspiration to the meetings and events industry. MPI is offering 20% off new MPI memberships and membership renewals all month long (code: MPIGMID2022). 
• Notable this year, wellness breaks were incorporated throughout the 12-hour broadcast, encouraging participants to take a moment to relax, breathe and stretch.  
• A link to the recording of the GMID broadcast will go live on the MPI website later this month.  

“GMID brings together thousands of members of our community to connect, share insights and strengthen our events industry,” remarked Lisa Vogel, Lead, Field and Event Marketer for WebEx Events (formerly Socio), the end-to-end event management platform which hosted MPI’s GMID. “MPI members from around the world were able to connect in one immersive virtual event experience, allowing them to network and communicate in real-time, while also driving engagement between attendees and sponsors.” 

About MPI:

Meeting Professionals International (MPI) is the largest meeting and event industry association worldwide. The organization provides innovative and relevant education, networking opportunities and business exchanges, and acts as a prominent voice for the promotion and growth of the industry. MPI has a global community of 60,000 meeting and event professionals including 13,000 engaged members. It has 70 chapters and clubs with members in more than 75 countries. “When we meet, we change the world.” mpi.org

Media Contact: Peggy Foley, communications@mpi.org