These are indeed troubling times to which there will not be an easy solution.
Just months into a new decade, we are facing a crisis of potentially epic proportions as coronavirus spreads its poison around the world.
Lives have been lost and I don’t care if the victims were high-risk or not. I care that fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters and friends of the world have unwillingly paid the ultimate price, and I am saddened each time the numbers change.
I am saddened, as well, to see the meeting and event industry caught in the crossfire.
We all believe passionately that face to face is and will continue to drive important relationships that inspire, that contribute to the global economy and that enable us to better understand one another.
While the vast majority of events are still taking place, we are also understandably overwhelmed with the news of cancellations and postponements, and the impact in those communities. We are being bombarded in a world saturated with information that is unsettling, and at times confusing.
As a voracious consumer of news and information, I seek out multiple sources for information, and encourage you to do the same. No one outlet has all the facts; no one government or entity has all the authoritative information.
This is not the time for irrational decisions, but a time for measured responses. We must keep the faith that in time, we can get back to the business we know best—that of bringing people together for a common goal. MPI and our industry partners stand united in our steadfast support of our meeting industry professionals and our craft in every corner of the world.
Our mission at The Meeting Professional has not changed. We will provide news and information, tools and best practices from our members and the meeting industry community in the pages of the magazine, on MPItv and in our e-newsletters MPI NewsBrief, MPI NewsBrief Weekend, MPI Pulse, MPI Pulse Canada and MPI Pulse Europe. I also encourage you to go to mpi.org/coronavirus for updates and resources.
Stay strong friends and colleagues.
Rich Luna
Editor in Chief
rluna@mpiweb.org
