EVP/COO International Association of Exhibitions and Events, CEO, Center for Exhibition Industry Research

Chairperson, 2022 Events Industry Council

I am past the mid-year of my term as Chairperson of the Events Industry Council, and we are reaching one of my favorite times of the year. Here in the Northern Hemisphere, fall is rapidly approaching and with it the unbearable heat we have experienced here in Texas, and other parts of the world, will end and cooler temperatures will arrive.

Montserrat Núñez gained her CMP accreditation in 2020 and is a passionate advocate for developing leadership skills, as well as contributing the global business events industry.

By Montserrat Núñez Badilla, CMP

Meeting and Events Lead, Boston Consulting Group

When describing a leader, adjectives such as strong, determined, knowledgeable, popular, and visible come to mind. Leaders are always heard, seen and imitated. Vulnerable would probably seem like the direct opposite of leadership.

M. Theresa Breining, CMP, CMM, CED, President, Breining Group, Inc.

I have been extraordinarily fortunate to have landed in the meeting industry – I had no idea that when I started working with a small state association in California many years ago, facilitating the meetings and trade show for the group, as well as managing the membership details, newsletters, and all of the other details necessary for a staff of two people, that this job would open the door to an unexpected journey.

I learnt about the intricacies of planning and realised that I had an interest and some skill in the area.

Pat Satkhum, CEM, CIS, CED, SEPC, Senior Manager – Sustainable Development Section, MICE Capability Department

Tell us about the work of the Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau
Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) is the government agency tasked with promoting and developing business events in Thailand.

Who are you & which organisation do you work for?
Megan Solomon (maiden name Wolszczak), and I am an Events Manager at King & Spalding.

How long have you been a CMP?
I received my CMP certification in May 2019.

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in a suburb of Rochester, NY.

The Events Industry Council is delighted to introduce its brand new Foundations Certification Programme, which provides guidance to event industry organisations on how to launch their own sustainability and social impact programmes. It is also suitable for organisations with established sustainability and social impact programmes and can be used to review existing policies and plans and help to identify gaps.

The Centre for Sustainability and Social Impact is a representation of EIC’s vision, mission and values. It provides globally relevant resources that champion the adoption of sustainable and socially impactful practices.

The EIC Advance Collections, an exciting addition within EIC’s robust Knowledge Hub, are available in EIC’s Learning Management System (LMS).

EIC welcomed 17 professionals who earned their CMP designation in July. Welcome the newest CMPs to our community.

Have you joined the LinkedIn group for CMPs? Log in and connect with more than 7,800 fellow CMPs from around the world. Click here and request to join the group.

EIC's valued member, Meeting Professionals International, recently celebrated its 50th Anniversary. Amy Calvert, CEO of Events Industry Council said “MPI has been a long-standing and engaged member of the Events Industry Council, and we would like to wish our friends and colleagues at MPI our warmest congratulations on the Association’s 50th anniversary milestone.

The EIC Sustainable Event Standards, a set of eight standards have been designed to assess events and industry suppliers in support of environmental and social responsibility. They provide specific guidance for event organisers and partners, including accommodations, audio visual and production, destinations, exhibition services, food & beverage, integrated properties, and venues.

According to the 2022 Q1 Barometer, 80% of global companies surveyed resumed domestic travel in 2022 Q1 (up 16% from 2021 Q4), and more than half (55%) had resumed international travel (up 77% from the previous quarter) following the easing of COVID travel restrictions across the world.

However, recovery across the business events sector eased in 2022 Q1, in part due to the impact of the Omicron variant in key markets. The slight step back in the recovery was indicated by both RFPs (down 2% from 2021 Q4) and hotel group room nights (down 10% from previous quarter).

Download the full report here.

In conjunction with the release of the Resources for Workforce and Wellness Accepted Practices Guide, EIC launched a Career Centre on its website.