“The Road to Recovery: A Discussion with Meeting Industry Leaders” panel is 11:15 a.m.-12:45 p.m. on Nov. 4 at the MPI World Education Congress in Grapevine, Texas. You can also join live as part of the WEC Digital Experience. Sponsored by Discover Puerto Rico.
How can meetings and events—and the larger hospitality industry—navigate these waters to find solutions for a sustainable future? Join us on Nov. 4 at the MPI World Education Congress for “The Road to Recovery: A Discussion with Meeting Industry Leaders,” a powerful conversation about how live engagement is a powerful vehicle for change the world needs now and in the future.
Participants in the panel—moderated by Annette Gregg, senior vice president of experience for MPI—include Amy Calvert, CEO of the Events Industry Council; Jason Dunn, chair of the National Coalition of Black Meeting Professionals; Nan Marchand, managing director of the Meetings Mean Business Coalition/U.S. Travel Association; and Paul Van Deventer, president and CEO of MPI.
“COVID-19 humbled a lot of organizations and shined a bright light on the industry’s silos,” Dunn says. “It also made us look in the mirror to see our true impact to the world. Our industry has a self-esteem issue. We don’t really believe in our own power and influence. The collaborative spirit has forced us to be vulnerable as an industry and forced us to lean on each other. Collective and equitable empowerment is the future of the industry and we are seeing evidence of that today.
Marchand says what’s incredibly difficult during this time is the constant pace of situational change.
“So, I approach it in terms of, ‘What one thing can you do every day, no matter how small,’” she says.
Gregg says she hopes the panel inspires hope for our industry.
“Each of these leaders has taken this opportunity for broad transformations in their organizations, and these stories show the power of visionary leadership, and of the human spirit,” she says. “Through their stories, we will learn from their decision-making process and what we can do as an industry to support each other.”
Photo by Cherrydeck on Unsplash
