Originally posted on SuccessfulMeetings.com by Matt Alderton
In 2012, 1.83 million meetings were held in the United States, up from approximately 1.8 million in 2009, according to the Convention Industry Council (CIC), which today published an update to its 2009 study, The Economic Significance of Meetings to the U.S. Economy.
"More meetings bring more jobs," CIC CEO Karen Kotowski said in a statement. "Meetings increased employment at a time when many industries didn't have the same opportunity. In 2012, meetings employed nearly 1.8 million people. That translates to 8.3 percent more jobs created by meetings in 2012 than in 2009, nearly double the average employment growth rate during that time."
Between an incredibly harsh winter (by most standards), budget pressures, and the government shut down, the government event industry has seen more than its fair share of event cancellations over the past 12 months. A number of reports have come out detailing the impact of dwindling face-to-face networking on both event planners, attendees, and the economy in general.
