Next Thursday February 17^th Chairman Eric Rozenberg and I will join leaders from 14 other meeting industry organizations and experts from PricewaterhouseCoopers (“PwC”) at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. to release the long-awaited study on “The Economic Significance of Meetings to the US Economy.” PwC was hired to prepare and manage the year-long study, yielding some staggering findings on the magnitude of GDP, employment and taxes generated by the US meeting and events industry.

The study, the first of its kind in the United States, was inspired by the depth and credibility of a study undertaken in Canada. The Canadian study was conducted in 2008 and paid for by the MPI Foundation Canada. The study became a model around which further studies around the world were designed.

Immediately preceding the press conference at 130PM EST, an industry webinar will be held at Noon EST to brief members of our entire industry on the findings in the study. MPI members can get more info here and we encourage you to sign-up online. It's important that our members and all industry stakeholders tune in to understand the powerful national economic story our industry can tell. The study, webinar and other resources will be housed on a website maintained by the funding partners and the Convention Industry Council.

Following the release of the study next Thursday, participating industry organizations through the Convention Industry Council will begin to disseminate tool kits to constituents to support the delivery of key messages at the local and grass roots level. MPI will activate our powerful chapter network to help carry message. We will also work our own business media contacts. Funders are also exploring ways to sustain a long-term messaging program.

As a companion to next week’s announcement, MPI will release our bi-annual Getting Business Done – How and Why Meetings and Business Events Bolster Your Overall Strategy insert , in conjunction with American Business Journals. More than 300,000 business leaders in 26 metropolitan areas across the US will receive this insert in their local Business Journal. The content, provided by MPI's One+ magazine, provides case studies and business insights on how meetings and events drive business performance. It will also be posted on our websites and disseminated through our digital channels.

As you can see, lots of story-telling going on to support the continued recovery of our members and the public understanding of our industry.

Announcement Webinar:
The Economic Significance of Meetings to the US EconomyThursday, Feb. 17
12 p.m./12.00 Eastern Standard Time

Press Conference:
Thursday, Feb. 17
U.S. National Press Club
Washington, D.C.
1:30 p.m./13.30 Eastern Standard Time