2 March 2020
Washington, D.C. (2 March 2020) — To our friends, colleagues and the communities most deeply impacted by COVID-19, I want you to know we are here to help.
More than any other industry that I know, we are truly a global community. We foster relationships and connections in everything we do. We step up with solutions when we, as an industry and as global citizens, need to support each other.
This is a fast-moving issue impacting events worldwide. More important, it is impacting people. People we care for deeply. Many of them may have to make major adjustments just to provide for their families over the next six to 12 months.
At EIC, our focus is two-fold.
First, make informed decisions about our meetings based on sound information and guidance provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As always, health, safety and security are the top priorities.
EIC will help provide you with information and resources to make informed decisions. For a good starting place, you can go here. We also developed a key message/Q&A resource and invite you to use as needed.
Second, reminding ourselves how resilient we are. We are adaptive. Events will continue despite COVID-19. The majority of events around the world are still happening, despite what the media reports. Some will be – or have already been – cancelled or postponed. Most of them will come back just as they did after other major world events.
In the interim, we have a job to do. We must continue to be good stewards of our industry. That includes reminding one another who we are, the value we provide to those we serve and why what we do matters to others.
Our industry has weathered disruptions in the past. Working together, we will weather this, too. Reach out when you need help.
This is a good reminder that we help support people and communities in ways that have a lasting impact. That will continue.
Paul Van Deventer
Chair, Events Industry Council
About the Events Industry Council
The Events Industry Council’s more than 30 member organisations represent over 103,500 individuals and 19,500 firms and properties involved in the events industry. The Events Industry Council’s vision is to be the global champion for event professionals and event industry excellence. It promotes high standards and professionalism in the events industry with the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) programme and signature programme initiatives. The CMP credential is recognised globally as the badge of excellence in the events industry. The qualifications for certification are based on professional experience, education and a rigorous exam. The four signature programmes — Sustainability, Industry Insights, Knowledge and Leadership — represent the key initiatives, assets, services and products for the Events Industry Council. Learn more online at www.eventscouncil.org.
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