Meetings Build Business!
Over the past few months, the meetings industry has been highly visible in the news. Unfortunately, much of the coverage has been either inaccurate or just plain mean. On this page, you'll learn what the meetings industry is doing to stand up and defend itself with facts and guidelines that prove meetings build business. We'll also explore how you can join the cause and Keep America Meeting!
(Content originally presented as "Feeling the Heat: Meetings Put to the Test" session at KCMPI's annual Professional Education Conference, May 5 & 6, 2009)
(Content originally presented as "Feeling the Heat: Meetings Put to the Test" session at KCMPI's annual Professional Education Conference, May 5 & 6, 2009)
The importance of meetings
In the US alone, the meeting and event industry:
- Generates 15% of all travel
- Creates an estimated $100+ billion in spending annually
- Provides over 1 million jobs
- Contributes approximately $16 billion in tax revenue
- Generates 15% of all travel
- Creates an estimated $100+ billion in spending annually
- Provides over 1 million jobs
- Contributes approximately $16 billion in tax revenue
It all began with a careless spark ...
The industry under attack
While sparks may actually have been tossed around the industry for some time, everything came together to create a "perfect storm" when one company held an ill-timed event. Visit these pages for more details on what happened when.
- Call it the AIG effect ...
- This LA Times article details how one news story about an AIG meeting held days after receiving billions in bailout funds sent the meetings industry into a tailspin.
- The President said what?
- In February, President Obama made the comment that companies who received bailout money "can't go take a trip to Las Vegas or go down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayers dime." This sparked outrage throughout the meetings industry, but particularly in Vegas.
- Senator Kerry wants to ban conferences
- In late February, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry announced plans to create legislation that would ban all TARP-recipient companies from holding ANY conferences or events. Congress is obviously out of touch!
I don't typically write to government officials, but this time felt I had to speak out. Click here to read my letter, "Don't take away our freedom to meet!", which outlines why meetings are important to the nation's economy. - Las Vegas = Ground Zero
- While cities across the country felt the "AIG effect," places like Las Vegas and Hawaii were hit especially hard. Companies canceled 340 meetings in Vegas within a 90-day timeframe.
Battling the raging inferno
The industry responds
Within what seemed like hours after the escalating media attacks, industry leaders began rallying a response ... perhaps even faster than after 9/11. Both associations and companies came together to educate Washington, the media, and the general public on the importance of meetings to the national economy.
- USTA's Response: Meetings Mean Business
- The meeting industry associations joined forces with the US Travel Association to create a site that educates on the strength of the industry.
- MPI's Response: Meeting Industry Crisis Center
- The industry's largest association created a one-stop resource for its members. Check here for:
- TARP regulations and the industry guidelines created in response
- Ideas of what you can do to support the industry
- Industry news updates - Hotel Execs Unite
- In an unprecedented move, 10 of the nation's largest hotel companies teamed up to take on Washington. Jonathan Tisch of Loews Hotels became a spokesperson, appearing on MSNBC and other news outlets. Click here to watch the clip.
- Ben Stein's take on things
- Even the legendary Ben Stein weighed in on the importance of meetings, first on a CBS video, then in the New York Times.
- Hawaii's Lt. Governor Defends Travel on CNBC
- Learn more about how hard Hawaii has been hit by the reduction in corporate travel, and how they are responding.
- Peabody Little Rock's video response
- The Peabody Hotel in Little Rock created this clever video on who the faces of travel really are.
- Maybe Biden should move to Vegas ...
- As if the meetings industry wasn't taking enough heat over the TARP issue, in late April and early May we also had to battle the H1N1 flu scare. Vice President Biden made a careless comment that you wouldn't catch him in a confined space like an airplane, again setting off a round of panic. Las Vegas responded with a tongue-in-cheek ad in USA Today -- priceless!
- Vegas leaders weigh in on the future of meetings
- Successful Meetings magazine assembled a panel of industry leaders from Las Vegas and asked them about the impact of all the negative media attention and how they're fighting back. You can watch actual videos of the interviews here.
- Three meeting success stories
- In a climate of "all meetings are bad," these three companies ignored public opinion and forged ahead with their meetings. Here are their stories and some amazing results.
Surviving the firestorm
What you can do
There are a number of ways to get involved in the meeting industry response. You can also find resources that will help you educate people within your own organization on the importance of meetings and the results they bring to both companies and associations.
- LinkedIn discussion: Keep America Meeting!
- If you're already a member of LinkedIn, you can join in this discussion.
- Igniting the Energy of Many
- Bruce MacMillan outlines what MPI is doing to help members thrive.
- Keep America Meeting!
- Join over twenty thousand meeting and event industry professionals who have signed this petition that will be sent to members of Congress and business leaders.
(This was delivered to Congress in May with 21,000 signatures. To read more about it, click here.) - Proving the Value of Meetings
- This article from the February 2009 issue of MPI's One+ magazine outlines what planners can and are doing to demonstrate how meetings enhance the corporate bottom line.
- How to Get Involved
- Check here for links to sample letters to Congress and the media, as well as social media groups you can join to stay updated on the industry response.
- MPI's Webinar - "No Turning Back: A Revolution in the Meetings Industry"
- This April 21 MPI webinar has been archived so you can listen in. Also be sure to download the white paper, "The Case for Meetings & Events: Four Elements of Strategic Value."
- Surviving TARP
- What is TARP? How can companies still hold meetings? This page on the Meetings Industry Crisis Center includes guidelines developed by leaders in the meetings industry to help define what makes a legitimate business meeting.
- Don't Cancel that Meeting
- This Harvard Business article explains why meetings are even more important in bad times than in good times.
- Top 5 Reasons to Meet in a Down Economy
- Need some ammunition to prove why you should keep meeting? Show your boss this article.
Let's Meet, America!
Show your support for the industry
Tired of hearing about companies canceling meetings? Show how you feel with this button! (A portion of every sale is donated back to the meetings industry.)
Let's Meet, America! - 2.25" Button (10 pack)
Wear your support for the meetings industry! This set of buttons allows you to share with your entire staff.
Price: 30.00
After the fire ...
Please share your ideas!
Good things can come out of a wildfire. Land that has been burned often becomes a great canvas for new growth. Let's do the same within the meetings industry. Please share what you and your organization are doing to survive and thrive. Together we can keep America meeting!
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by MarlysKA
Having been both an exhibitor and trade show organizer, Marlys Arnold now educates exhibitors. She is co-founder of Kansas City's "Y.E.S. - Your Exhib... (more)
