How the Meetings Industry Is Getting Ready for the Future of Conventions
Photo Credit: Meeting planners are starting to integrate Airbnb into their room block inventories due to growing demand from attendees. Airbnb
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Since Meetings Mean Business launched in January 2014 with industry-wide representation (except for the airlines), the coalition has become a valuable resource for industry research. The next phase includes getting non-industry CEOs to advocate for the value of meetings, finally ending the millennial conversation, and partnering with new tech and sharing companies.
Since January 2014, more than 50 major tourism and hospitality companies have advocated for the business value of meetings and conventions under the umbrella of the Meetings Mean Business (MMB) coalition.
The group was formed by the U.S. Travel Association to provide corporate, association and third-party meeting planners, as well as the industry at large, the research and tools necessary to educate them about the economic impact of business events. During the recession, many companies and organizations slashed their budgets for meetings requiring travel, and travel suppliers were unprepared to advocate for themselves using empirical research.
In the last 20 months, the coalition members have also developed a few new strategies to expand the reach of their advocacy, including the first-ever Global Meetings Industry Day on April 14, 2016. Orchestrated in partnership with the Convention Industry Council (CIC), the event is designed to provide a world stage for the industry to
