From Edmonton to Nairobi, from Cleveland to Austin, in Europe and in Asia, April 12, 2018 was Global Meetings Industry Day.  In our little corner of the world, which is Northern California, this multi-continental, multi-association event was held at AT&T Park in San Francisco.  The sun was shining, and the breeze was brisk, but the record setting attendance of 425 attendees spent the afternoon and early evening right on the baseball field.

Ten different Bay Area industry associations participated in the event.  In years past, registration fees were split between each different association involved, but this year the spirit of charity was in the air.  $4,333.00 was raised and donated to the SEARCH Foundation (www.searchfoundation.org), an association dedicated to providing financial aid to special event industry professionals in times of crisis.

Our gracious hosts were the good people at Giants Enterprises, who not only provided the venue, with all of its bells and whistles, but also catered the affair, with gourmet ballpark food and an open bar.

Batter up!  Strewn along the first and third baselines, were several activation stations, providing lots of options for guests to play and interact with one another.  A photo booth here, a batting cage there and silent disco wherever one decided to wander entertained the attendees throughout the four-hour event.

The main act was a mini-concert sponsored by Rock and Roll Team Building and headlined by Ciaran Gibbons, former lead singer of INXS, who performed for the crowd atop the third base dugout.  He had the crowd singing right along with him, which was a true highlight of the event.

A gathering of such proportions demands a group photo, which can be shared with the truly global community.  So having one taken on the baseball field  of the San Francisco Giants added an extra level of excitement to those of us in attendance.

On behalf of the planning committee with members representing MPI, ILEA, SITE SF NACE, GMIC, SPIN, CEMA, IAEE, HSMAI and of course PCMA, we’d like to thank all the generous sponsors that made the day possible.  They are:

Giants Enterprises, Freeman, Bauer’s Intelligent Transportation, AFR, Bright Event Rentals, Denon & Doyle, Rock and Roll Team Building and Orange Photography. Please be sure to check out each of these companies and consider using their products and services with any upcoming events on which you may be planning.  Because with GMID – meetings mean business.

Neil Adams
Business Development Manager
Bright Event Rentals