Advocacy

MMBC Advocates on Parliament Hill MMBC was well represented in Ottawa last month during Hill Days (October 19–21). An initiative of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC), Hill Days is an opportunity for MMBC leaders to meet and raise awareness of business event industry priorities among Members of Parliament, Senators and other decision makers. More than 50 federal government officials met with the MMBC and TIAC delegations, and over 45 Parliamentarians attended a tourism industry-hosted reception. MMBC Chair Laura Pallotta, Vice-chair and Government Relations lead Minto Schneider and MMBC board member David Campbell met with representatives [...]

MMBC Welcomes Six New Directors Meetings Mean Business Canada has expanded its volunteer board of directors with the addition of six new members. The appointments bring MMBC’s total board seats to 16 following a motion passed during the 2021 Annual General Meeting allowing a maximum of 20 board members.  “I’d like to personally welcome our new board members,” says MMBC Chair, Laura Pallotta. “Members of our volunteer board bring decades of valuable industry experience as well as a commitment to MMBC’s mission as a united voice for Canada’s business events industry.” Click here to meet [...]

Minister Boissonnault’s Tourism Growth Strategy Roundtable On May 25, 2022, MMBC Chair Laura Pallotta participated in a roundtable hosted by Minister of Tourism Randy Boissonnault. The discussion focused on tourism attraction investment and was attended by industry leaders from across Canada. The federal government is consulting with the industry as it develops its new Tourism Growth Strategy. During the wide-ranging discussion, participants brainstormed how to overcome existing barriers to investment as well as suggesting incentives that would attract critically needed private investment. Pallotta conveyed why business events need to be a central pillar of the federal strategy, how [...]

New Study To Measure Business Events Impacts Destination Canada Business Events (DCBE) has commissioned a legacy impact study for Canada’s business events industry. “There's no denying the powerful tourism benefits that business events bring to a destination — but their impact extends well beyond that. For instance, [events] can open the door to transformative collaborations, unlock trade and investment opportunities, spur innovation and attract top-notch talent from around the world,” DCBE said in a statement. “While there's plenty of anecdotal evidence on this, we’ve lacked concrete data to prove the long-term outcomes [...]

Federal Supports Still Needed By Hardest-Hit Businesses Meetings Mean Business Canada is gratified that the federal government, in the 2022 Budget released April 7, acknowledges the visitor economy as “a key economic driver and job creator” while also recognizing the devastating effects that the pandemic has had on the tourism industry as a whole. Meetings Mean Business Canada wishes to clarify any misconceptions around a statement made in the budget document that “Canada’s high vaccination rate and the lifting of travel restrictions are providing important relief as the sector begins to turn the corner.” Canada’s visitor economy, [...]