Another great assembly of members of the meetings industry for an informative discussion on our industry today and where it is heading tomorrow. The National Meetings Industry Day (NMID) Influence Award was presented to Richard Elliott and Debbie van der Beek for creatively presenting relevant content in their industry publication, Ignite.
Moderated by Paul Bridle, a panel made up of Bruce MacMillan, CEO of MPI, Jim Carroll, International Futurist, Jarrett Young, Operations Manager for Oliver & Bonacini and Mickael Damelincourt, General Manager for Trump International Hotel and Tower Toronto gave an attentive audience an overview of where they see our industry heading.
Bruce MacMillan spoke of the shifts in the industry. The message: meetings are a part of business that drive initiative and enthusiasm among attendees. Planners need to be able to show the value of an event with measureable economic results. Strategic Meeting Management is here to stay.
Paul Bridle commented that the meeting industry contributed $336 billion dollars to the GDP last year and employed 552,000 people. That being said, the industry has to change with the times and technology, and he mentioned the growing use of virtual meetings and widening audiences. All in all, great change brings great opportunity.
James Carroll talked about the pace of change today and how fast it is. We all have experienced that with the increase in short booking cycles. Technology has to come into the meeting; it is now a two-way conversation between the speaker and audience. Using Apple as an example, Jim pointed out that 60% of its present revenue comes from products that didn’t exist four years ago. Rapid change is happening in all industries and it is happening in the meetings and events industry now. What to do? Innovate and adapt, think big and keep up with the speed of change.
Looking through a supplier lens, Jarrett Young and Mickael Damelincourt spoke along similar lines. Jarrett described how we all need to work together to serve the business, thinking about the total guest experience from the time they arrive at their destination to the time they leave. This is what they are taking home with them and will tell their friends. Collaboration on all fronts is critical. Mickael discussed the building of a team of equals and a culture in which excelling at service and delighting the guest bring its own rewards.
Microsoft predicts that soon 50% of the GDP will come from the delivery of knowledge and training. So overall, we came to understand that we need to pick up our game and run with it! We must be more creative, produce measurable results and lead into the future.
Congratulations to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for providing the meal and a great dessert conversation piece. Also thanks to our industry partners for making this event possible: