GMID 2016 event in Austin, Texas
The second annual Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID) is just around the corner. On Thursday, April 6, meetings industry leaders will come together to celebrate the industry’s big day. GMID was created by the Meetings Mean Business Coalition (MMB) to showcase the impact that meetings have on local economies and communities.
Last year, GMID was celebrated on April 14, with more than 100 events held in more than 30 countries across five continents. The event was massive, as indicated by the 7,000 tweets posted with the #GMID16 hashtag. New York City’s iconic Empire State Building was even lit up in blue, the color of MMB, to mark the occasion. Smart Meetings was live on the scene in Las Vegas, which held one of the most prominent GMID events.
This year, GMID promises to be even bigger and better. From Asia to Africa to North America and Europe, local planners and CVBs are organizing networking events, roundtables and more for April 6.
On April 6, Smart Meetings will be reporting from the GMID celebration in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Meet AC and Caesars Entertainment have partnered to put on this event, which will feature a panel of industry luminaries including Jim Wood, president and CEO of Meet AC, and Michael Dominguez, chief sales officer at MGM Resorts International. They will discuss the importance of face-to-face meetings and Atlantic City’s plans for supporting group business. Education sessions on corporate social responsibility, cybersecurity and other topics will follow.
Other notable events include:
– Sky-high meetings in Las Vegas: Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is bringing a twist to GMID. Guests will board the High Roller Observation Wheel and take part in back-to-back meetings. Each pod is staffed with meetings professionals who will provide groups with a hypothetical meeting situation that they must solve within 30 minutes, or one rotation of the High Roller.
– New York City to light up for GMID: On April 5, some of the city’s iconic landmarks will be lit with shades of blue in advance of GMID. The Empire State Building, Four Times Square, One Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan and One World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan will all participate. The city’s largest billboard, in the center of Times Square, will also showcase NYC & Company’s Make it NYC meetings campaign and GMID logos.
On April 6, NYC & Company will host a talk on meetings security strategies and best practices. “NYC & Company recognizes the profound impact that face-to-face meetings have on New York City’s five boroughs every year,” said Fred Dixon, NYC & Company president and CEO. “With safety a new top priority for planners, we are looking forward to our GMID panel discussion on meeting and event security, reassuring planners and businesses that New York City remains the country’s safest large city to host a meeting or event.”
– Honoring women at the first GMID event of the year: Wellington, New Zealand, will host the world’s first GMID event of 2017. Event tech company ShowGizmo has partnered with IACC, Conventions & Incentives New Zealand and the local chapter of the Association for Women in Events to do double duty with a GMID celebration that recognizes the important contributions of women to the events industry.
