Networking 101 says you should have a 30-second elevator pitch about yourself perfected and ready to recite at any moment. After all, you never know when the next potential employer, partner, or client might come your way, or someone who can connect you with them. But what about the value of your meetings? The meetings industry as a whole? Do you have a prepared elevator speech for that?
Meetings Mean Business (MMB) — the broad coalition of meetings and events industry organizations formed in 2009 — can help. It was created to unite the industry in promoting the value of face-to-face meetings, equipping everyone in our sector with powerful data and messaging about the meetings industry’s role in making personal connections, driving business outcomes, and building strong communities.
MMB’s inaugural North American Meetings Industry Day (NAMID), held on April 16, was a significant step toward this goal. On that day, MMB coalition members, in addition to industry leaders across Canada and Mexico, staged events to shine the spotlight on face-to-face meetings. These events ranged from education programs and news conferences to recognition ceremonies and rallies, or some combination of these. I was proud to take part in a rally that also recognized Chicago-area industry professionals who are going above and beyond to help meetings make an impact.
Having an elevator speech ready for anyone you encounter in your own community is step one. Next, we need to proactively take that message to decision-makers in government and business.
That’s why PCMA and IAEE members will be visiting Capitol Hill this month. On June 8–9, we’ll be meeting directly with lawmakers to educate them on the real power of business meetings and what they collectively do for people, businesses, and communities. We’ll also take it a step further by asking them to support legislation that helps — not hinders — our industry’s ability to drive economic value and job creation in markets across the United States.
As an industry, we’re just starting to get some traction on our efforts to speak in one voice — loudly and definitively — on the power of face-to-face meetings. PCMA vows to be a leader in making progress on these efforts, but we need your help. To help craft your pro-meetings elevator speech, check out all of the valuable data and resources at meetingsmeanbusiness.com or download the Meetings Mean Business app today.
Could you use more information, tools, or assistance? Please contact me or any of the leaders in the MMB coalition. Together, we can drive change. Together, we can make a difference.
