Meeting Inspire Q3 2020

MEETING INSPIRE Q3 2020            

 M&C PEI eNews September 2020

Over the last few months, the waves of uncertainty in the Business Events industry have been at times so large they have overcome us and other times we think we are able to paddle through them. When the team can help our industry partners with information they are looking for or help them with a little promotion we are quick to jump into action. Or send a meeting planner a little PEI Pick-Me-Up package to their home address to let them know we are thinking of them. We are celebrating the small wins right now.

We will face more waves and more challenges in the coming months but the team at Meetings & Conventions PEI are collaborating with our partners to persevere. Business events are a key factor in helping our economies rebound and our team on PEI has our life preserver ready to help in any way we can.

Working harder than ever! 

Meetings & Conventions PEI has been busy behind the scenes developing a new strategic plan and new marketing and communications plan to focus our activities for the rest of 2020 and beyond. Our focus has been on pivoting to face and embrace the new ways of doing business and how we can best support our members going forward. Here are some of the initiatives we have been part of:

Activate Our Island: Coming together to support local businesses and tourism operators through a targeted marketing campaign that was executed on-island and now off-island within the Atlantic Bubble. https://activateourisland.ca/

Stay & Savour through Food Island Partnership, an industry-led organization tasked with growing the food industry through food company and food cluster development on Prince Edward Island. https://canadasfoodisland.ca

M&CPEI was successful in helping Tourism PEI and SCORE! Sport Charlottetown with the bid for the 2020 Canadian Premiere League (CPL) Soccer’s Island Games, which has brought all 8 CPL teams along with Media, Officials, and Executives to Charlottetown for the 28-game season. https://canpl.ca/theislandgames/

To support our membership in profiling their businesses to the 270 CPL guests staying at the Delta Prince Edward, MCPEI developed a web app so players can easily shop from their room. https://mcpei.opennow.ca

PLANNER, LOCAL CHAMPION & MEMBER SURVEYS

We surveyed over 400 National Meeting Planners across Canada and 117 Local Champions to see whether they are still planning meetings and events. This is what we learned:

• 78% of National Meeting Planners say that PEI is an option for their meetings
• Majority of National Meeting Planners anticipate the need for more virtual platforms, virtual site visits and virtual fam tours to facilitate their planning
• 94% of Local Champions surveyed are considering PEI venues for any off-site meetings taking place within the next 18 months
• For these on-island meetings, 93% of Local Champions would require a meeting room; 68% would require accommodations; 61% would require meeting services such as AV, photography, entertainment, etc.

Our Meetings & Conventions PEI membership survey was created to evaluate whether member venues are ready to host meetings and events. This is what we learned:

• 76% are ready to host a group or function
• 82% believe M&CPEI can best support members through promotion; 59% through information and ideas
• 77% are interested in learning more about taking part in World Travel & Tourism Council’s “Safe Travels” program

You may review some of the highlights of each by clicking on the respective survey link.

CLIENT/PLANNER RELATIONS

Hi Treena

Thank you for the amazing package from PEI – what a nice gift! The cow slippers were immediately stolen by my daughter – she said S/M was her size (my feet are larger) – she rubs it in by saying that she feels like she’s walking on clouds 🙂

The treats were delicious and were eaten quickly. We were supposed to be in PEI in July – so it reminded us of all we missed!
Thanks for sharing! I guess the COWS ice cream would’ve melted!

Stay safe, Elizabeth

Hi Treena,

I wanted to let your know that your PEI pick me up package couldn’t have arrived at a better time. Last Thursday I was having a more than challenging day working from home, and then your package arrived! What a lovely surprise gift at my door. It immediately turned my day around, and definitely made me smile. 😊

I am certainly saddened that I won’t be visiting the Island this year, but understand that safety must come first for all of us. Your package included a great variety of items from local vendors. In my view, you really can’t ever promote the Island enough!

It also reminded me of  BEAUTIFUL P.E.I. and how I spent so many summers on as a child visiting my grandparents. P.E.I holds a special place in my heart, and I can’t wait to visit again.

Many, many, thanks. 
Sheryl (honorary Islander at Heart)

Hosting a Hybrid Conference on PEI

Allan Campbell, Director at ACADA – Atlantic Canada Aerospace & Defence Association hosted a virtual/hybrid meeting in August at the Quality Inn Charlottetown. With a small 10 person delegation from the Atlantic Bubble and attendees from across Canada, he told us how he put on a very engaging hybrid event with some help from Meetings & Conventions Prince Edward Island.

WHAT’S NEW WITH OUR MEMBERS

Many of our members have been finding creative ways to send a little PEI love to those who couldn’t visit this spring and summer.

Here are some of our members who are offering products that can be delivered or shipped:

Guidelines for Organized Gatherings

To help our members and clients navigate the new changes to organized gatherings we put together an information document. You can download it here or view it below.

PACE and CANCELLATION IMPACT

The impact of COVID-19 on the meetings & events sector has been considerable. Cancelled events resulted in a loss of $72-million in revenue to our province. Meetings & Conventions PEI had set a target of nearly $47-million in meetings for 2020/2021, our revised target now sits at $14.5-million.