Spring in NYC: Things are Looking Up!
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Spring is officially upon us and MPIGNY has entered into the home stretch of our calendar year. As we begin to thaw out from winter, the hospitality industry is beginning to see positive signs of a recovery. Last Friday, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new guidance allowing fully vaccinated adults to travel safely once again throughout the United States. Those individuals will not require testing before or after travel unless mandated by the rules of their intended destination, nor will they need to self-quarantine. Combine that great news with the (partial) reopening of Broadway this past Saturday for its first live performance in 387 days and the fact that comedy clubs are coming back into the fold, New York is showing great signs that we are heading in the right direction. New York City is emphatically resilient, and we are all seeing strong evidence that brighter days are ahead. All of this is, unquestionably, positive for the hospitality industry and the perfect segue into one of the most ambitious programs our chapter has ever produced.
Global Meetings Industry Day is taking place tomorrow across the country. I think it is safe to say that this year's GMID is possibly THE most important in the history of this worldwide initiative. MPI Global Headquarters is providing a full day of free content once again this year, and if you are interested in registering for their programming, you can do so here. However, later in the day, MPIGNY is producing our first hybrid meeting alongside our friends at New York PCMA, SITE Northeast, and EventFluence. "Behind the Curtain: Planning a ‘Meet Safe’ Hybrid Meeting" is taking place at the Conrad New York Downtown tomorrow night beginning at 4:45 p.m. We have an all-star lineup of panelists who will pull the curtain back on how to execute a hybrid meeting safely while also providing tips on creating event experiences that are clean, flexible, safe, and socially responsible. We will also be hearing an update from Fred Dixon, President and CEO of NYC & Company and Co-Chair of the Meetings Mean Business Coalition. Last week, I had the opportunity to visit the hotel alongside my fellow association presidents Jimmy Le, Missy Madden, and Debra Reichman to film a short video highlighting tomorrow night's program.
We closed in-person registration requests on Monday and today is the last day to register as a virtual attendee. Virtual registration will close at 4:00 p.m. today, so if you have not yet registered, please click here and join us for this landmark event.
This event has been a labor of love for many of us in the New York City events community, but I would like to especially recognize our Vice President of Education, Elaine Morena, for the fantastic job she has done in bringing this together alongside our friends at New York PCMA, SITE Northeast, and EventFluence. There are more than a few moving parts, and she, along with our Director of Education, Lauren Gilbert, have truly done an incredible job creating an event that I hope all of you will enjoy.
Not to be outdone, we have another especially important program taking place later this month. On Thursday, April 22nd, we are hosting a preview of MPIGNY’s Annual Auction & Mixology Madness. For those of you who have been members of our chapter for several years, you know how big of an event this typically is for us. We had to postpone the Auction last fall and were hoping to be able to provide you with a second hybrid event this month, but it just was not meant to be. We made the difficult decision to postpone the Auction until this coming fall, but we are using this opportunity to provide you with a fun, fully virtual networking event, as a preview of what is to come later in the year. Our Vice President of Finance, Michelle Marie Adams, alongside her entire Auction Committee, have all done a phenomenal job continuing to pivot (sorry, to use that word) as we've had to modify our plans for this important annual event several times due to COVID-19. Rest assured, this will be one virtual event that you will not want to miss. Registration is open, and the full details are outlined below.
Finally, I would also like to mention that we are still looking for more members to join the MPIGNY Cycle For Survival Team. This is the second year that we have created a team in support of this fundraising effort for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go directly to research and innovation in the battle to eradicate rare cancers. We are all raising money on our own but will be coming together as a team for a walk in Central Park on Saturday, May 1st. You can help make a difference. If you would like to join our team, click here and enter the password MPIGNY21.
Well, that is it for April. I look forward to seeing some of you tomorrow night at Global Meetings Industry Day!
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Best,
Patrick Colomer
MPIGNY President
patrick.colomer1@gmail.com
