The Meetings Mean Business Canada (MMBC) board members and leaders from across the meetings and events industry globally celebrated for the fourth annual Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID) on 4 April 2019.
GMID is an international day of advocacy that highlights the proven value that business meetings, conferences, conventions, incentive travel, trade shows and exhibitions bring to businesses and the economy. GMID was created in 2016 to raise the profile of the meetings and events industry, and this year, involved meeting professional organizations, association chapters, corporations, destinations, elected officials and business leaders.
On April 4th 2019, more than 258 GMID events spanning 44 countries took place, a significant increase in the number of events that were held in 2018.
A number of famous buildings and structures across Canada lit up in celebration of the immense economic success that the meetings industry has achieved whilst shining a light on important advocacy work carried out by the Meetings Mean Business Canada coalition. The buildings lit up included – The CN Tower, Toronto Sign and Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Enercare Centre and Sheraton Centre in Toronto, the Olympic Cauldron & District Markers in Vancouver and the Reconciliation Bridge in the East Village and Stephen Avenue Galleria Trees in Calgary.
According to the recently launched Global Economic Impact Study, Canada ranked in 6th position out of 50 countries within the business events sector. Within Canada, this means direct spending of over $33 Billion, $19.3 direct GDP along with the creation and sustainability of over 229,000 jobs. The meetings and business events industry is an important economic driver.
“Global Meetings Industry Day is all about highlighting the power of what business meetings, conferences, conventions, incentive travel, trade shows and exhibitions collectively do for people, businesses and communities across Canada and around the globe. Outside of the results driven by business meetings, the events and meetings industry creates hundreds of thousands of jobs, generates billions of dollars of revenue and supports communities across the country.
I was privileged to be speaking at GMID event in Vancouver this year as my colleagues also spoke across Canada on behalf of Meetings Mean Business Canada. It truly was a global occasion as 230 GMID events spanning 42 countries took place all over the world.”
– Heidi Welker, Chairperson of Meetings Mean Business Canada.
Future GMID celebrations are set for April 2 in 2020, April 8 in 2021 and April 7 in 2022. Like this year, we hope to exceed the record numbers this important day achieves
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