Event planners and industry partners will gather at events around the globe to recognize and celebrate Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID)—an event led by Meeting Professionals International (MPI)—on Thursday, April 8. And right here in Daytona Beach, one of Florida’s largest MPI chapters will welcome 150 attendees to the North Florida chapter’s GMID event, hosted by Daytona International Speedway.
“After having to postpone the 2020 event due to the pandemic, we’re thrilled to welcome such a great group of attendees to this year’s event at Daytona International Speedway,” said MPI North Florida President Elizabeth McKenna. “Global Meetings Industry Day provides a valuable opportunity to not only highlight the impact meetings have on businesses and the local economy, but it also brings meeting industry advocates to connect and gain valuable takeaways.”
This year’s GMID theme is “meetings mean business” and will provide an opportunity for planners to experience Volusia County as a destination and learn about the many facilities and venues that make it the right location for their next event. And thanks to a partnership with the MPI South Florida chapter, the event will be a hybrid, meaning industry professionals from Tallahassee to Miami will have the opportunity to learn about all the county has to offer.
As the sponsor host, the day’s events will take place in the Rolex 24 Lounge and Suites at the Daytona International Speedway. Along with industry-geared presentations, attendees will have the opportunity to meet with exhibitors, including the Daytona Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, West Volusia Tourism Authority and Daytona Beach International Airport, along with other area hotels and event facilities.
“The Daytona Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) staff, along with our hospitality partners, have enjoyed a long-standing relationship with MPI and we are excited to be a part of this global event,” said CVB Executive Director Lori Campbell Baker. “The in-person meeting being held at Daytona International Speedway gives us a wonderful opportunity to showcase the destination and the important impact that business meetings, conferences, conventions, incentive travel, trade shows and exhibitions have on our local businesses and communities.”
And if the event taking place just miles from the Ocean Center wasn’t reason enough to participate, sales managers Lena Hines and Lynn Miles both serve on the MPI North Florida board of directors.
“Our sales team works year-round to ensure potential clients are aware of all that our facility has to offer, and with the pandemic, most of those efforts have shifted from face-to-face to digitally over the past year,” said Ocean Center Director of Sales and Marketing Tim Buckley. “So to have an in-person event is exciting, and then for it be in our own backyard makes it that much better. We’re grateful to the MPI North Florida chapter for selecting Daytona Beach as the 2021 event destination and look forward to the opportunity to connect one-on-one with industry professionals.”
For the safety of attendees, COVID-19 guidelines have been put in place, including social distancing, wearing of face masks and enhanced sanitation.
To learn more about the Global GMID event, visit www.meetingsmeanbusiness.com/gmid-2021; to learn more about MPI North Florida’s GMID event, visit https://www.mpi.org/chapters/north-florida.
