What does the meeting industry need most right now?

“One voice. Now, more than ever, our industry needs to work together. We are an industry with many different sectors, and we are closely connected to tourism—and together we make an enormous economic impact on our local, provincial and national economies. When we are advocating to government, local and federal, we need to have a unified message. Arguably, there are some events that are more conducive to meeting physical distancing guidelines, capacity restrictions and all the health and safety guidelines related to COVID-19. But whether or not we are involved with consumer/trade shows, galas, live events or meetings and conferences, the survival of our industry needs to be represented by a collective voice and message—it cannot be fragmented. British Columbia is doing a great job advocating to the Federal Government of Canada as a collective voice by joining together as an industry to form a task force called the BC Meetings & Events Working Group. This group is also busy working to prepare best practices and guidelines for our industry to be adopted throughout B.C. Our industry is resilient, and we are what I like to call ‘RESILIANS!’”

Heidi Hughes
Anvil Centre
MPI British Columbia Chapter

“The meeting industry requires an openness and a desire to dance. Meaning that flexibility, an open mind, and an aspiration to create something new is key. The dance is flow. Flow from what is to what could be. And a solo is fun, but the beauty of dancing together generates a new experience that surpasses what one can do alone. We need to work together, appreciate what each brings to the table and value the voice of our industry professionals. This won't be solved—we won't reinvent new meeting opportunities—by a top-down initiative. It will require us each to speak out, offer our gifts and collaborate.” 

Heather Hansen O’Neill
Find Your Fire
MPI WestField Chapter

“Put simply: clarity—clarity as to what we can plan for as far as processes and next steps, teamwork and camaraderie, a greater expanded network of partners/professional relationships and refined skillsets to support our pivot and partnership. Just as a leader is only as good as their team, an industry is only as good as the individuals investing the time, money and resources to refine their core competencies. We cannot solely rely on our own individual passions and positions; we need to branch out, cross over and leverage each other in a way that is mutually beneficial for the business—ours and our clients. What I mean by that is, as much energy as we are spending on bettering ourselves, we should also be empowering others by celebrating their successes and sharing lessons learned. People should be inspired to dig deep and absorb broad strokes of information and understand their work and the work of their peers. Collaborate, communicate, uncover new ways to grow and pivot, show your value, stay informed and always be learning and teaching.”

Renee Radabaugh, CMP
Paragon Events
MPI Greater Orlando Chapter