Today, the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) Chesapeake Chapter and event organizer, C&LC’s Chief Operating Officer Janeé Pelletier, were honored with a proclamation from Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, recognizing the positive impact of meetings and events on the city’s economy. Mayor Rawlings- Blake has officially designated April 14, 2016 as Baltimore Meetings Industry Day, in recognition of the work that the PCMA Chesapeake Chapter has undertaken “to showcase the real impact that business meetings, conferences, conventions, incentive travel, trade shows and exhibitions have on people, businesses and communities.”

“[T]hese contributions go beyond the event itself as attendees drive revenue into host cities as they frequent local attractions, dine at local restaurant, rely on local businesses and services, and use local travel and hospitality providers…” read the mayoral proclamation.

The proclamation will be unveiled as part of the first-ever Baltimore Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID) event, which includes a rally and educational panel at the Baltimore Convention Center. The sold-out Baltimore event is one of nearly 100 events taking place on April 14 across the world. “GMID will unite the meetings industry in a way that has never been done before,” said Robyn Hulvey, CMP, President of the PCMA Chesapeake Chapter. “The growth and success of our industry are critical to the local economy and we look forward to communicating our value on the global stage.”

Baltimore’s GMID event, sponsored by the PCMA Chesapeake Chapter, is designed to showcase the human and financial impact of the meetings industry in Baltimore and across the state. The event, titled “The Real Value of your Meetings” features notable speakers from Baltimore’s hospitality community including moderator Janeé Pelletier, Chief Operating Officer of Conference & Logistics Consultants, and speakers as Peggy Daidakis, Executive Director of the Baltimore Convention Center; Greg Brown, General Manager of the Hilton Baltimore; and Liz Fitzsimmons, Managing Director, Division of Tourism, Film & the Arts, Maryland Office of Tourism Development.

“With the help of organizations such as the PCMA Chesapeake Chapter and the Baltimore Convention Center, we will demonstrate the critical role our industry plays in building personal relationships, driving positive outcomes and supporting strong communities,” said Hulvey.

GMID marks the expansion of North American Meetings Industry Day (NAMID), held last year in the United States, Canada, Mexico and parts of Latin America. NAMID included 88 events across the continent as well as robust conversations online and 3.2 million social media impressions. Proclamations of support were issued by the governor of Wisconsin and mayors of Toronto, Buffalo and Washington, DC. A NAMID billboard was featured all day in Times Square and Caesars Entertainment “Turned the Strip Blue” in Las Vegas with NAMID logos and signage. In Mexico, a collaboration agreement was signed between the federal government, the tourism board and all 11 Meetings Industry Associations.

To learn more about the PCMA Chesapeake chapter, visit  http://www.pcma.org/chapters/chesapeake. To learn more about GMID, visit http://www.meetingsmeanbusiness.com/GMID.