The Joint Meetings Industry Council (JMIC) is looking to prove that meetings actually do mean business with the launch of a new program aimed at identifying and documenting the broader economic, academic and professional achievements of global meetings, conventions and exhibitions.
The program will be overseen by a group of academic partners led by the University of Technology Sydney and will incorporate an academic panel comprised of leading researchers in the field.
“For a number of years, the focus of our value proposition as an industry has been shifting from one based on delegate and organizer spending to the value of what these events actually achieve for organizers, participants and host communities,” said JMIC President Joachim Koenig. “The collective view of the industry—and certainly those who develop and carry out these events—is that these are the real purposes and value of such events. However, they are often challenging to quantify or monetize.”
The information to be identified and quantified in the study will potentially cover a wide spectrum, from the value of business transactions arising from an event to medical and scientific advancements. The program will also look to explore the benefits that hosting events can deliver to the host community.
The JMIC says it is already begun seeking out events that have or can be measured for case studies to promote the benefits of the meetings industry and also is leaving the door open for others to join.
“Now is the time to get these [examples] on the table and capture [them] in ways that will enable us to demonstrate the broader value [of meetings] to the rest of the world,” Koenig said.
JMIC was established in 1978 as a vehicle for exchanging information and perspectives among international associations engaged in the meetings industry. It’s primary goal is to build awareness of the meetings industry and the value it delivers in serving economic and professional development.
Several major U.S. associations, including ASAE, DMAI, MPI, PCMA and SITE, are JMIC members.
More information about the program and key contacts are available on the JMIC website.
