I don't know about you, but I have a love-hate relationship with social media anymore. The one feature I love most is for sure the timeline, which allows me to so quickly see where my head was at (or who I was with), this time last year (or 10 years ago...eek).
This morning, as I started to sit down to write this, my timeline popped up with a memory that really hit home, as I was thinking about how to start this first personal message to each of you. Exactly one year ago from the time I am writing this, I had just finished with a four-day citywide site inspection in Bangkok, Thailand, that wrapped up with a three-night extension in Koh Samui. As we were planning for the site, murmurs had just started to evolve into warnings as Wuhan was locked down. Before bed the night before our long-haul flight, we got news of China closing its borders. We departed for our site without masks, and ready for a long-haul flight, a weird night of sleep, and a full day of hotel sites. The four days flew by, China felt a million miles away, Thailand had almost no cases, and we were looking forward to wrapping up and decompressing at the resort we had extended at… we were exhausted.
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By Naomi Tucker, CMP, HMCC | Account Director, Meetings & Incentives Worldwide | Founder, Planners on Purpose
The last year has been a struggle for the event industry. Not only have we navigated the rough waters of a global pandemic, we’ve also faced challenges of social justice and civil disturbance. When uncertainty and unrest creep in, our stress and anxiety levels also escalate. As an industry, we’ve pressed the importance of self-care in recent years. Yet the stakes continue to skyrocket, as our industry once again faces a momentous task of starting back up again. Now, it’s ever so important, that even while we ramp up to get back to business again, we also are mindful of our self-care.
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Join the Events Industry Council (EIC) as we honour the 2020 Hall of Leaders inductees and EIC’s new Social Impact Award recipients.
Thursday 25 March from 11:30 - 13:00 EST | EMEA 16:30 – 18:00 GMT
APAC - Friday 26 March | 00:30 – 02:00 HKT
The Hall of Leaders award is the premier recognition programme in events - our industry's "lifetime achievement award." The award recognises outstanding leaders who have undoubtedly shaped the industry. The newly launched Social Impact Award recognises extraordinary effort in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the global events industry. You will be inspired by their stories, their ability to overcome and lead in times of crisis and their contributions that will have lasting effects beyond the recovery of our industry.
Details regarding registration and programming will be released next week. In the meantime, please save the date to join us in celebrating the industry and the individuals who are driving meaningful change within it.
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Elevate. Inspire. Connect.
In this unprecedented year, our global federation of more than 30 organisations has an opportunity to continue creating industry impact and move forward with creativity, conviction and compassion. EIC Advance brought together our global community of CMPs, industry professionals, and experts in a spirit of inclusivity and inspiration as we elevate, inspire and connect the events industry.
EIC Advance featured three days of virtual, innovative education, peer-to-peer connection, on-demand programming and industry recognitions that will cover global time zones.
Daily keynotes, concurrent virtual sessions and panel discussions with industry experts:
- Event innovation, program design, virtual technologies, post-COVID realities
- An opportunity to earn 25 CEs toward CMP or CMP-HC certification or recertification
- Advocacy
- APEX COVID-19 Business Recovery Task Force findings
- Sustainability and social impact
- Wellness and personal growth
- Leadership and professional development
Register here
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By Paola Bowman, CMP, CMM | Arlington CVB Destination Services Manager & ESPA Board Member
In what has been a tough and unprecedented year for everyone in our industry, The Event Service Professionals Association (ESPA) held its annual conference virtually this January 21 & 22. Though we know that ESPA members’ resourcefulness and expertise would be second to none in navigating through running a face-to-face convention with the current protocols, we are aware of the struggles our members are going through with furloughs and budget restraints.
ESPA has continued to provide education focused on supporting our members to help planners face new challenges while planning COVID-era events. ESPA leadership’s commitment to stay true to our primary mission …to prepare members, through education and networking, for their pivotal role in innovative and successful event execution, rose to the top of evaluation and decision process for this conference. ESPA’s objective is always to keep our members connected and to deliver content, education and peer networking in the best way that we can. Given the current economic climate of our industry, it was clear to the leadership that to best serve our members, a Virtual Annual Conference was the optimal way to reach more people and carry out a lower cost for member participation.
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By Scott McKye | CEO | KLEERTECH®
Beginning in the late 90s, the event industry acknowledged the pain of the pollution resulting from holding large events. Post-event reality meant watching ten or more 20-ton truckloads of event waste being hauled from McCormick Place every week and heading for some landfill. While the cost to organizers surely must have been a wake-up call, sadly, little was done to cure this for another decade. The good news is during this time, all events of every size and category came under the same scrutiny for the right reasons as the large ones. Wasteful practices were agreed and ethical best-practices became essential components of both organizers and vendors to the event industry plans.
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The Events Industry Council (EIC) has announced the members of EIC’s Equity Task Force. The Equity Task Force will work in support of the global business events sector, and the work of EIC’s Centre for Sustainability and Social Impact. The task force is charged with addressing systemic racism in the business events and hospitality industry by developing a meaningful framework for action to accelerate inclusion.
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When Surf Expo — the first major B2B trade show in the U.S. in 2021 — opened at Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) in early January, it was more of a deep dive than a dip into in-person events during the pandemic. The show floor was 100,000 net square feet.
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The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) suggests the 10 next steps for getting the hospitality business back on track in 2021.
More than 300 international brand leaders in the European hospitality industry were given valuable insights on how to proactively prepare for and roll-out their business recovery in 2021 and beyond when they attended the HSMAI Europe Day 2021. This included the HSMAI Revenue Optimisation Conference (ROC) Europe and Chief Officers Roundtable (COR) Day 2021 last week.
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A new advocacy organization has been launched to support the trade show industry on Capitol Hill. The Exhibitions and Conferences Alliance, a coalition of eight industry associations, plans to champion the common interests of this meetings industry sector with legislators. The aim is to promote the impact of the sector, drive general industry awareness, initiate legislation on behalf of business events, and work with global partners as needed to maintain a favorable operating environment within the United States.
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Today, the Events Industry Council (EIC) released the Resources for B2B and B2C Exhibitions Accepted Practices Guide. It is the latest guide produced by EIC’s APEX COVID-19 Business Recovery Task Force.
The guide examines the current state of trade shows and exhibitions followed by risk management tools and phases for recovery. Similar to other APEX resource guides, the sections are filled with industry resources, best practices and case studies.
Previous releases of EIC accepted practices guides and supporting materials include the Meeting and Event Design Accepted Practices Guide, a Code of Conduct, Health and Safety for Hotels Accepted Practices Guide, EIC Principles for Recovery, Key Questions for Event Organisers, Resources for Workforce and Wellness Accepted Practices Guide, Business Continuity Guide, and Resources for Destinations Best Practices Guide.
After the release of each guide, EIC hosts a webinar with task force members to review the resources. You can access all of this helpful aggregated content via EIC's website and YouTube channel.
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