October 17, 2022: This week, MMBC Chair Laura Pallotta, Vice-chair and Government Relations lead Minto Schneider and MMBC board member David Campbell, are in Ottawa for in-person meetings with Parliamentarians and federal department officials. An initiative of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC), Hill Days (October 19–21) is an opportunity to advocate for business events industry priorities and communicate directly with federal decision makers.

Over the past several weeks, Laura has been busy meeting individually with members of Destination Canada’s Board of Directors to inform them on MMBC’s advocacy priorities. In late September, she provided the Convention Centres of Canada conference in Edmonton with an update on MMBC’s advocacy work. During IMEX America in Las Vegas last week, members of MMB Canada met with representatives of Meetings Mean Business USA to explore potential collaboration opportunities.

Board of Directors Meeting: During the Board’s October 4 call, members discussed MMBC’s future growth. A committee is being struck to consider how MMBC can diversify revenue and hire additional resources. It was also suggested during the meeting that a committee be struck to focus on sourcing new data around the impact of business events on Canadian destinations, which would help bolster MMBC’s advocacy efforts.

Committee Reports

Nominations: The call for nominations to fill five board positions closed on October 7. The Nominations Committee is reviewing candidates and those chosen for an interview will be notified. The final slate of candidates will be presented at MMBC’s Annual General Meeting, November 21, 2022, in Ottawa. Click here to learn more about the nominations process.

Government Relations: The committee is working urgently with TIAC on strategies to resolve concerns regarding the Canadian Border Services Agency’s planned changes to the Assessment and Revenue Management (CARM) project that are expected to negatively impact conferences and trade shows.

Communications: MMBC is planning to hire a PR firm to help create a dedicated PR strategy and campaign for the winter period. The campaign will target federal Members of Parliament, departmental leaders and senior staff and will focus on ways the government can help accelerate recovery within the business events industry. In preparation for Hill Days, the committee has provided talking points for inclusion in TIAC’s leave-behind information packages. The committee has created further collateral outlining MMBC’s advocacy priorities, which will be shared with decision makers in the days and weeks following Hill Days.

Member Supporters Update

The Membership Committee continues its outreach to engage Member Supporters across the country. Grant Snider attended the Meetings Mean Business USA board meeting at IMEX in Las Vegas last week and held follow-up discussions with their member organizations that should be supporting both coalitions.

The committee is working hard to collect outstanding Member Supporter dues for 2022 as we approach our AGM in November. If your organization hasn’t made payment yet for 2022, please consider making this a top priority.

To view the full list of Member Supporters, visit the Member Supporters page. If you are interested in supporting the advocacy work of MMBC or would like to enhance your current commitment, please contact Grant Snider, VP of Membership & Engagement.

Annual General Meeting + Tourism Congress

MMBC’s Annual General Meeting takes place November 21, 2022, 3-5:00 pm, in the Maple Room at The Westin Ottawa. The meeting will be followed by a networking reception.

MMBC is partnering with Convention Centres of Canada and the Canadian Association of Exposition Management (CAEM) to co-sponsor an important plenary session on the Future of Business Events at TIAC Tourism Congress 2022. The session takes place November 22, the first day of Congress, directly following the opening keynote speaker, which is typically attended by elected officials. Click here to learn more about the session and to register for Congress.

Upcoming Events

October 19-21: Hill Days, in-person meetings with Parliamentarians and federal department officials; Ottawa

October 26: SITE Canada Education Day. Grant Snider, MMBC’s VP of Membership & Engagement, will participate in a panel discussion: “The Great Rebuild: Industry Stress Points.” Click here for more information.

November 21: MMBC’s 2022 Annual General Meeting; 3-5:00 pm in the Maple Room at The Westin Ottawa.

November 22: MMBC, Convention Centres of Canada and the Canadian Association of Exposition Management (CAEM) will co-sponsor a plenary session on the Future of Business Events at TIAC Tourism Congress 2022. The annual Congress takes place at the Westin Ottawa, November 22-23.