On Thursday, April 8, Global Meetings Industry Day 2021 will be unlike any of five GMID events that came before. The first four happened during years of growth for the meeting, incentive, convention, and exhibition industry, while the 2020 event focused on the emerging pandemic catastrophe.
For 2021, GMID will offer both celebration and education, as the industry sees hope for the resumption of in-person events.
The Meetings Mean Business Meet Safe website lists more than 30 GMID events, from Denver to Orlando to Mexico, as well as many online. Here’s a sampling of eight activities set for April 8.
• Meeting Professionals International and the Meetings Mean Business coalition will host a 12-hour marathon of free educational sessions that offer continuing education credit towards the Certified Meeting Professional program. The sessions start at 7:00 a.m. ET and conclude at 7 p.m. More.
• Twitter: At 11:30 a.m. ET, a conversation about meetings and conventions will be hosted by Huntsville/Madison County, Ala. Follow @MeetHuntsville or #GMID21 to join the Twitter chat.
• From 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. ET, the Philadelphia chapters of Meeting Professionals International and the Professional Convention Management Association will have a GMID keynote speaker, Dr. James Smith, followed by a panel discussion on finding inspiration in a pandemic. More.
• Clubhouse: On the live-chat social media app Clubhouse, the #GMIDParkingLotParty will be happening between other GMID events from 11:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. ET. Tune in for a discussion of industry trends and GMID experiences.
• At 12:45 p.m. ET, Caesars Entertainment is celebrating GMID by livestreaming a panel discussion with five Las Vegas meetings industry executives. More.
• A hybrid event organized by MPI’s Minnesota Chapter is expecting between 50 and 75 in-person attendees at the Omni Viking Lakes Hotel in addition to 75 virtual attendees. More.
• The hospitality video podcast Hospitality Today Live, broadcast on Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube, is planning a special edition for GMID with a lineup of industry leaders that include Carina Bauer, IMEX Group at 12:30 a.m. ET; Sherrif Karamat, PCMA at 1:15 a.m. ET; Jason Dunn, Cincinnati Convention & Visitors Bureau at 2:00 a.m. ET; and more.
• From 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. ET, the PCMA Southeast chapter will host an in-person event for up to 75 people at The American Hotel Atlanta Downtown, as well as a virtual audience. Education will be around safe, healthy meeting spaces and hybrid-meeting design. More.