Effective grassroots advocacy of in-person meetings and events involves more than reports about millions in monetary value to stakeholders, suppliers and politicians. Following are some touchpoints advocacy organizers have on their to-do lists:
Glean more high-profile advocates. High profile in-person meetings advocates are golden, say dedicated industry advocates, and more are needed. C-level stakeholders who recognize, give lip service to and commit budgetary resources to meetings are high on the industry's wish list.
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This kind of buy-in requires consistent and on-going efforts on more than one front.
Build greater grassroots engagement. Ramp up and encourage individuals, local and national organizations to bone up on the economic and intrinsic values of the often misunderstood meetings and event industry. Effective advocacy requires participation on all levels by individuals, professional associations, professional chapters and suppliers. Gather ideas and resources for effective advocacy like economic surveys and other tools at www.meetingsmeanbusiness.com.
Show value beyond economics. Though in-person events are worth billions to local and national economies, stakeholders need to aware of the less tangible values like increased productivity and job training.
Mitigate effects of meetings boycotts. When political and social issues collide, live events and communities where they happen often suffer. Advocacy preparation for such should be on risk management lists. One good line of defense is confident responses and reminders to media and others involved in the debate that local businesses are not the target of travel suspensions and meetings cancellations but are often the ones to pay the price.
Relieve pressures on government meetings. Budget and other restrictions on government face-to-face meetings that have mounted at all levels in the past several years are taking a toll on employees who have travel-related responsibilities as part of their jobs. Legislators and other key decision-makers need to hear about the importance of in-person meetings, training and travel not just from one organization, but from everyone who unites around this issue.
