Industry Advocacy: Raising the Profile

In the wake of a financial meltdown, negative rhetoric from Washington, D.C., toward companies holding events after receiving bailout money, and the cancellations of thousands of meetings nationwide, promoting the value of face-to-face meetings and events has never been as critical, especially for industry associations.

Instead of sitting back and accepting the fallout from this crisis, many organizations have rallied their forces and taken steps to defend the business value of meetings. And, for many associations, this crisis has served not only as a wake-up call for the need to raise the profile of the industry, but also to commit to continuing their efforts well into the foreseeable future.

The U.S. Travel Assn., the nonprofit advocacy group that represents the $770 billion travel industry, didn't hesitate in meeting this crisis head on, setting in motion a series of initiatives and lobbying efforts.

According to Geoff Freeman, USTA senior vice president of public affairs, one of those platforms was the Meetings Mean Business campaign, which was launched last March in the effort to lobby on behalf of the business travel, meetings and events industries; change governmental attitudes; and make a public case for the millions of jobs that depend on face-to-face marketing.

USTA partnered with several industry associations in this effort, including the Intl. Assn. of Exhibitions and Events, the Professional Convention Management Assn. and Meeting Professionals Intl., he added.

So far, the campaign has been successful, Freeman said.

“The campaign we launched under the moniker of Meetings Mean Business used every tool in our arsenal to get the point across about the value (of business travel and meetings), to engage the most effective spokespeople and to tone down the rhetoric in Washington, and it succeeded,” he added.

Besides this campaign, the USTA continues to take other steps, including the release of a study that demonstrates the ROI of business travel, support of the passage of the Travel Promotion Act and plans to continue its aggressive efforts to support and promote the industry, even when the economy recovers, Freeman said.

“If people are not convinced that (business travel and meetings) have value, then we'll wind up in this situation every time the economy goes south,” he added. “If we are to succeed going forward, we have to make the case about what makes this industry relevant, serious and credible.”

For the American Society of Assn. Executives & The Center for Assn. Leadership, justifying the value of meetings and events starts from within. According to ASAE & The Center President and CEO John H. Graham IV, the organization not only is more focused on promoting the value of face-to-face to the outside world, but also internally.

One example of this effort is the online Justification Toolkit, created to help members understand the value they'll receive and make that case to their respective organizations for attending ASAE & The Center Annual Meeting & Expo.

In an effort to elevate the industry's profile to the outside world, ASAE intends to join forces with other Convention Industry Council member organizations in collaborating on a white paper that will examine the value of face-to-face meetings and events, Graham said.

In the early planning stages at this point, the completed document later will be available to member organizations as a resource tool, he added.

“This (crisis) was a wake-up call that we need to be prepared to validate the fact that what we do is important … important to jobs, the economy and the conduct of business,” Graham said. “This has caused (industry associations) to recognize the value in working together and making sure that if, and or when such an issue comes up again, we are prepared to be more proactive instead of reactive.”

For the Society of Independent Show Organizers, raising the profile of the industry in this challenging time is about adopting an all-for-one, one-for-all attitude, according to SISO Executive Director Lew Shomer. One major emphasis for SISO has been to work closer with industry organizations, such as IAEE, he said.

In continuing their cross-platform on the state of the economy, IAEE and SISO will co-sponsor sessions at each other's upcoming annual events, SISO's Executive Conference and Expo! Expo! IAEE's Annual Meeting & Exhibition, Shomer added.

“This is about cooperation,” he said. “We have common interests, so let's all serve our constituencies as one voice as opposed to many voices. The more that people see we're working together, the more they can depend on both associations to provide things that are in their best interest.”

Other steps to increase SISO's industry presence have included becoming a USTA board member, cross-networking with other associations to provide positive industry news and information to a wider audience and signing a three-year partnership with UFI, The Global Assn. of the Exhibition Industry.

Amplifying educational efforts is helping MPI drive home the case that meetings make good business sense. Their initiatives include amplified educational efforts, such as its Meetings Matter webinar series, the No Turning Back: The Case for Meetings and Events project and Meetings Industry Crisis Center Web page offering up-to-date information, news and resources to help make the case for meetings in this difficult climate.

According to Brooke Dillier, MPI director of content management, these ongoing efforts have kicked into high gear in response to the current climate. The organization plans to launch more programs in the future to promote meetings and help its membership succeed, especially in challenging times, she added.

“Even though we are currently in a recession, the time we live in provides the meetings industry with a huge opportunity to step up, be heard and, finally, prove the value of our business to those in power,” Dillier said.