The Meetings Mean Business Coalition (MMBC) has postponed this year’s Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID), which had originally been scheduled for Tuesday, April 14. The MMBC said the decision was due to recent guidance from the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO) and local public health authorities.
GMID is an annual day of advocacy that shines a light on the positive impact that face-to-face meetings have on businesses and the economy.
“In 2019, GMID brought together meetings industry advocates, including key decision makers in business and policy, from across six continents and more than fifty countries,” the MMBC said. “275 registered GMID events were held, including rallies, press conferences, panel discussions, educational events and award presentations. In 2020, we were on track to exceed those numbers and generate record participation online.”
However, the MMBC said that new meeting restrictions, travel bans and social distancing protocols make it impossible to move forward with GMID at this time. “We are living in a world of great uncertainty and while we look forward to the moment when everyone who wants to participate in GMID can do so safely and confidently, we are not there yet,” the organization said.
“We are assured that health and safety experts will continue to point us in the right direction,” the MMBC said. “When the day comes to reunite as an industry, we are confident that the world will exhibit a renewed appreciation for human connectivity and the power face-to-face meetings bring to people, businesses and communities. As a coalition, we are still here to help and are leading the industry’s effort to promote fact-based decision-making and awareness of the industry’s commitment to serving the public.”
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