Our Industry's Reunion

I vividly remember my first large live meetings industry event that I attended, MPI’s World Education Congress in San Diego. I was nervous. I stayed outside the block (that still makes me smile, at the young version of me) because I loved Kimpton. The memory of having coffee spilled down the front of my nervously pressed, pristine white shirt when I went to collect my badge early, killing one of my costume changes, at a time in my career where quickly popping out to get a new one could mean no coffee for a few months on the way to work. I remember walking into my first event, I knew one face (one of my mentors, Thom Ward, who had been texting me to meet him, so he could introduce me to “my new family”) and the crowd seemed so large and intimidating to me… but the excitement and the sense of reunion was something I knew I absolutely wanted to be a part of.

Thom found me quickly and wove us through the deck of a warship, through performers and cocktails and the crowds of future industry giants, with his arm around my shoulder as he brought me into circles, introducing me to his groups of friends and associates that had gathered to catch up – leaders from across the Americas and from around the world. It was a stream of faces, and names, and wonderful conversation. I left that night feeling a bit overwhelmed (closet introvert), wishing I had stayed in the block so joining in on the post-party fun would have been easier (never made that mistake again), and with the knowledge that I was going to learn far more from that community, than sitting in a lecture hall.

I had quickly figured out that were two pathways of knowledge at live meetings, the classroom pathway, and the face-to-face hallway conversations… and for me, at that stage in my career, I couldn’t get enough of either type. It was at that conference that I learned about the CMP and decided it was step one for me.

Fast forward many years, lots of career experience, and many conferences annually – I can say that the industry events I have attended over the years have given me some of my dearest friends, some of my most treasured (and funniest) memories, some of my strongest “ah-ha” moments and have been my biggest source of inspiration to grow and reset my learning pathway.

When IMEX started in Europe, I was so excited. I had just started with Experient (now Maritz Global Events), and half of my accounts needed meeting placement in Europe. I needed to get up to speed quickly. Globalisation  was happening at breakneck speed, and my clients were on that train. I filled every appointment and made an entirely new set of industry connections, absorbing what I could in a set of four days that seemed both impossibly short, and incredibly long. Over 10 years, it was always an annual show that I knew I had to make time for… every decision-maker was under that roof, in nearly every destination I could need in an upcoming year. It was three or four days of the best professional learning tool I could have at the moment – getting an inside track on new developments, trends, destinations and revisiting markets that were rapidly evolving from year to year.

None of us saw the train that was coming. We knew it would be something. We sat in years of disaster and risk mitigation sessions. We sat in years of contracting sessions. I don’t think any of us believed we would experience the tumult that COVID-19 brought to our industry, as it truly seemed like something from a far-fetched disaster movie. We got a taste of it with SARS but never thought we would see something in our lifetime that would shut down the world, shuttering thousands of hotels, grounding hundreds of thousands of flights, and killing millions. Live meetings were literally all but canceled for a year and a half.

It’s why this year feels extra special. As we reconvene to start face-to-face learning and connecting again, none of us take for granted the status quo now. We may be busier than ever, stretched thinner than we ever have been, a bit tired after the marathon of cancels and rebooks, and a bit nervous about the mechanics of what this next year is going to look like…. But we get to see each other again. We get to connect in person again. We get to feel the gratitude of business sputtering back to life again. We get to try to work together to navigate the new face of our industry that is trying to recover and is now heavily influenced and impacted by Wall Street investors, share price and quarterly profits – but is still deeply rooted in hospitality, collaboration, and creativity.

I can’t wait to see you, my friends. Come and say hello. I’ll be in the block, and ready to widen any circle I am standing in to connect again. To my new friends that I haven’t met yet – I can’t wait to get to know you. I look forward to making memories…

Best Wishes,

Alisa Peters, CMP, CMM

Senior Global Event Strategist

Chair, CMP Governance Commission - Events Industry Council