The Joint Meetings Industry Council today released a Meetings Industry manifesto that sets out a series of arguments as to why business events such as meetings, conventions and exhibitions can and should be utilized to drive economic recovery and renewal in the post-COVID-19 era.
The manifesto was assembled with the advice and input of a broad range of industry leaders through an online forum process the results of which were captured in a two-part webinar held in 4 regions around the world last week under the auspices of 4 global industry trade shows AIME,IBTM, IMEX and Meetings Africa and supplemented with advice and commentary from global cities advisor Professor Greg Clark.
“COVID-19 has again highlighted a core weakness on the global business events industry: We struggle to share a joint message, to stand as a united industry, when it matters”, said JMIC President Kai Hattendorf.
The manifesto is a resource for industry professionals and representatives world-wide who advocate for the re-opening of business events in their respective communities. While the industry and many business events themselves are global, the decision processes around re-opening events are typically made locally – and can be tied to local economic recovery strategies.
“With policymakers, this puts us at the end of the queue of industries seeking to showcase their respective roles for economies and societies. The core of the document is a list of 15 reasons why business events should get priority attention from governments as a vehicle for economic recovery and renewal” said JMIC President Kai Hattendorf.
