Government

U.S. Study: In-person Business Events Are Safer Than Most Daily Activities Despite concerns about the Delta variant, a new U.S. study has found that face-to-face business meetings and events are actually safer than typical daily activities such as going to the grocery store. Even so, the study found that uncertainty will impact attendance at upcoming events, with some gatherings already pushed to early 2022. More events are opting to implement proof of vaccination policies for attendees and participants. The study—Planning Through Uncertainty: What You Need To Know About COVID-19 and Events—is a research [...]

Australia Rallies For Events With Pro-Vax Campaign Tourism Australia is rallying in support of its MICE industry with a pro-vaccination initiative called “It’s Our Best Shot For Events.” A Meetings & Conventions Asia article reports that Australians are encouraged to support the business events industry by getting vaccinated against COVID-19. The industry has been significantly impacted by ongoing lockdowns across the country and increased vaccination rates will allow travel restrictions to be eased and enable the industry to get back on track. The initiative supports the Australia government's four-phase approach to reopening, with each phase [...]

We Need a Coordinated Approach to Vaccine Mandates Mandatory vaccination is a hot topic, with a rising number of Canadian businesses saying they will require employees and visitors to their premises to be vaccinated against COVID-19. We’re seeing a growing number of universities and colleges, some companies as well as venues such as Winnipeg’s Canada Life Centre and Burton Cummings Theatre, implementing their own mandatory vaccination policies. The Travel Corporation (TTC) just announced that, beginning September 1, all adult guests travelling [...]

$500M Federal Tourism Relief Fund Canada has launched the Tourism Relief Fund (TRF), a $500-million national program that is part of a broader $1-billion package to support the tourism sector. The funding was first proposed by the Trudeau government in its 2021 federal budget. The goal of the TRF is to help Canada’s tourism industry welcome back domestic travellers by creating new or enhanced tourism experiences and products, and to attract international visitors by repositioning Canada as a world-class destination. The fund will also be used by tourism businesses and organizations to adapt their operations to meet public [...]

Rebuilding Our Industry: We're in it Together MMBC is the voice of Canada's meetings and business events industry, but did you know that we also support advocacy initiatives by fellow industry groups? Besides our own Meet In Canada campaign, here are the activities we are currently supporting: #OpenTheBorder: The Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) is calling on the federal government to accelerate the safe reopening of the Canada-U.S. border, including setting a firm reopening date, sharing its plan with the travel/tourism industry and clarifying Canada’s policy on vaccination certification. MMBC is an active [...]

We Need a Plan to Reopen the Canada-U.S. Border As Canada heads into the post-COVID recovery stage, Meetings Mean Business Canada is calling on meeting and event planners and their corporate, association and incentive clients to #MeetInCanada when restrictions are lifted. And while domestic travel will certainly give our industry its much needed kick-start, the business visitor economy won’t return to pre-pandemic levels without international visitors. New data from the World Travel & Tourism Council reveals the dramatic collapse of Canada’s Travel & Tourism sector. During 2020, the pandemic erased US$59.2 billion of industry contribution to [...]

Ottawa Extends Programs for Hardest Hit Businesses Meetings Mean Business Canada applauds the federal government's intention to extend support programs for businesses hardest hit by COVID-19. Included in Ottawa’s June 2, 2021 announcement: Wage Subsidy, Rent Subsidy and Lockdown Support programs are extended to September 25, 2021. The Business Credit Availability Program (BCAP) and Highly Affected Sectors Credit Availability Program (HASCAP) are extended to December 31, 2021. The government said the extended timeline for the Wage Subsidy and Rent Subsidy and Lockdown Support programs would see a gradual decrease in the rates, beginning July 4, 2021, in [...]

Let's Meet In Canada During national Tourism Week (May 23–30, 2021), Meetings Mean Business Canada is recognizing the important contribution made by business visitors to Canada’s overall tourism economy. Did you know that business travellers in Canada spend 4X more than leisure travellers and each business participant spends an average $668 per event? Business visitors attend meetings, trade shows, exhibitions, conferences, conventions and incentive programs. Face-to-face business events connect people and are a catalyst for collaboration and investment. These connections spur high-value jobs and inspire innovation among academic thought leaders for the advancement of all industries. [...]