Just days after leaders from seven industry associations released best practices for recipients of government bailout money, members of the meetings, events and incentive travel industry have collaborated in order to initiate a new grassroots campaign that's designed to promote meetings as an important business practice and as a critical component of the U.S. economy.
Known as "Keep America Meeting," the campaign's centerpiece is an online petition—available at
www.keepamericameeting.org—that individuals and organizations may sign in support of the meetings industry. Petition signatures will be collected by Keep America Meeting and delivered to the U.S. Travel Association and other industry associations so that they may use them in order to advocate on behalf of meetings, events and incentive travel during ongoing discussions about corporate responsibility with the Obama Administration and with Congress.
Created by New York-based advertising agency TBA Global in partnership with the U.S. Travel Association, with support from the Event Marketing Institute, Keep America Meeting has already attracted a wide variety of endorsers, including the Society of Incentive Travel Executives (SITE), the Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO), the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau, PGA National Resort & Spa, DGO and HotelBlox, among many others.
To sign the Keep America Meeting petition, and by so doing agree to fully promote the meeting industry's cause, visit
www.keepamericameeting.org.