Global Meetings Industry Day: More Handshakes, Fewer “Nice to E-meet You”s

Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID), the annual celebration of the $2.65 trillion meetings and events industry, will take place on April 4. 

Led by the Meetings Mean Business coalition, GMID was developed to highlight the tremendous positive impact face-to-face meetings have on people, businesses and the economy. Emails and video chats are prevalent in our high-tech world, but in-person interactions—the connections you make without the glow of a screen—are what drive business and deliver real results. The ability to discuss business and share ideas face-to-face creates a personal connection that cannot be obtained virtually.

These successful face-to-face meetings benefit not only the participants, but also the overall economy. In 2016, 1.9 million meetings in the U.S. generated $845 billion in economic impact and supported 5.9 million jobs. Additionally, every dollar spent on face-to-face meetings and events returns $1.60 for the American economy. 

Register for GMID
In 2018, there were a record 206 registered GMID events around the world. Registration numbers have already surpassed that this year. Events are scheduled across six continents in more than 40 countries—including several registrants in countries that have never hosted a GMID event before. 

It’s not too late to plan your event—and it takes only two minutes. Click here to register your event, and click here to see where in the world we are celebrating GMID.

Spread the message outside your sphere
After you register your event, tell those outside your immediate circle about GMID and the power of the meetings and events industry. The economic impact of meetings is felt across a multitude of industries, and it is important that we share that message with elected officials and other organizations.  

How to use the GMID toolkit to get others involved in the celebration:

• Promote your event on social media using #GMID19.
• Recruit local business leaders to be your event speakers or sponsors.
• Invite elected officials to your event or use our resources to solicit an official proclamation from an elected official in your area.
• Customize our template press release to alert media in your area about your event.
• Reach out directly to local reporters and invite them to participate in and/or cover your event.

Need some more inspiration? Check out our GMID 2018 recap video, or take a look at last year’s recap blog to see how the world celebrated. 

If you have any questions while planning your GMID 2019 event, please email the Meetings Mean Business coalition at [email protected]. Happy planning, and we look forward to seeing how the world celebrates GMID.