Orlando joined destinations, communities, and industry organizations around the world to commemorate Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID) on April 7. GMID, led by the industry advocacy coalition Meetings Mean Business (MMB) and the U.S. Travel Association, showcases the proven value that business meetings, conferences, conventions, incentive travel, trade shows and exhibitions bring to businesses and the economy.
This year’s theme, Meet Safe, showed how safe, productive meetings are taking place now—uniting colleagues and reminding them of the importance of face-to-face interactions.
On April 7, the Orlando community, joined by Visit Orlando, Orange County Convention Center (OCCC), Orange County Government, the City of Orlando, and destination partners, celebrated the indelible impact of meetings and events on the local economy with the following activities:
- Mayor Jerry L. Demings issued a proclamation to officially declare April 7 as Global Meetings Industry Day in Orange County, Fla.
- Venues around Orlando were called upon to light up in blue, the official color of GMID, to commemorate the day.
- Orlando destination partners participated in a new #OrlandoIsMeeting social media campaign to celebrate the importance of meetings and events to Orlando, featuring messages from Mayor Demings, Visit Orlando President & CEO Casandra Matej, and OCCC Director Mark Tester.
- Visit Orlando’s Casandra Matej participated on a GMID Women’s Leadership Panel for Meeting Professionals International (MPI).
- Visit Orlando’s Mike Waterman participated in a GMID speaking engagement with the Greater Orlando Chapter of Meeting Planners International.
- Visit Orlando and the OCCC shared social media posts celebrating the power of meetings.
Since summer 2020, working closely with local government officials, health officials, local businesses and leaders in the tourism industry, the destination has hosted more than 200 live events, and has hundreds of events on the 2022 calendar. The destination led the industry with enhanced safety and sanitation measures, and the pursuit of the GBAC Star reaccreditation, the gold standard of safety, for its convention center, as well as accreditation for its airport, hotels and venues.
“This year, as we celebrate Global Meetings Industry Day, we reflect on the tremendous value of face-to-face meetings and the incredible economic impact meetings and events bring to our community,” says Casandra Matej, president and CEO, Visit Orlando. “Thanks to the leadership of our local government, healthcare industry, hotel partners and local businesses, Orlando’s meeting and convention industry is well on its way towards recovery.”
“Global Meetings Industry Day provides a valuable opportunity to highlight the impact that faceto-face conventions, trade shows and meetings have on Orange County businesses and the local economy. It brings our stakeholders, industry partners and advocates together to reconnect and exchange best practices,” OCCC Executive Director Mark Tester says. “We understand that collaboration and health and safety strategies are the building blocks of our industry’s recovery. Our future work together is the key to keeping a robust and prosperous economy, filled with vitality and optimism as we welcome back clients and attendees to the Convention Center and Orlando from across the globe.”
In fiscal year 21-22, the OCCC has 140 projected events slated with 1.4 million estimated attendees and $2.4 billion in economic impact. Approximately 29,300 individuals are employed by activity generated at the OCCC, along with 1,200 area businesses.
Orlando is continually ranked as the number one meetings destination in the country, home to the second largest convention center in the U.S., convenient transportation, hundreds of hotels and resorts, and world-class theme parks, attractions, dining and entertainment options. Welcoming hundreds of events and millions of attendees each year, meetings and conventions have a $3 billion local economic impact and support thousands of jobs in the hospitality sector.
For more information on meetings and events in Orlando, go to OrlandoMeeting.com and Orange County Convention Center’s official website.
