‘We need to talk, meet and learn if we’re going to thrive again’, says mia chief exec

Meetings Industry Association (mia) chief executive, Kerrin MacPhie kicked off the recent mia conference by reminding the audience that “the only certain thing at the moment is uncertainty.”

Kerrin MacPhie Photo Credit: Supplied

Referring to soaring inflation, price increases and a sharp depletion of the talent pool, MacPhie said that in order to get back to pre-pandemic levels, ‘we need to talk, meet and learn. We need to reignite the industry’ – the theme of the 2022 conference. 

More than 100 event professionals gathered at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole on Thursday 17 November, for this year’s mia REIGNITE conference, which saw a roster of keynote speakers including Dr Samantha Hiew. 

Hiew is the director of ADHD Girls, an organisation with a dual mission to empower girls and women with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to thrive in society and improve societal understanding of neurodiversity. She delivered a talk on how having a brain difference can impact the female experience in the world of work. “Whether ADHD is a strength, or a disability depends on your experience,” Hiew said. 

Michael Hirst, former chairman of the Events Industry Board and mia Reignite attended said Hiew’s session was, “a powerful presentation on a topic rarely given the spotlight.”

Michael Foreman of Don’t Waste UK and Laura Capell-Abra of Stress Matters took to the stage to discuss both environmental and social sustainability. 

Foreman said the industry needs to stop only making sustainability pledges that don’t require us to meet targets for another 30 years. “Nothing much has happened in terms of action since COP26 in Glasgow. We need to take action now and be asking the right questions to inform our sustainability choices.”  

Laura Capell-Abra, of mental wellbeing organisation, Stress Matters, explained that when sustainability is on the agenda, it has to include mental health and wellbeing. “75 per cent of leaders claim to have a wellbeing strategy for their organisation but in comparison, only 26 per cent of employees said they felt psychologically safe in their place of work. 

“This must change," Capell-Abra added. 

Following a busy day of meeting, talking and learning, the mia Reignite conference culminated in the annual miaList Awards which saw more than 200 event professionals get glammed up for an evening of celebration. 

The 2022 miaList winners can be found here.

Written By

Holly Patrick

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A desire to travel led Holly Patrick to the business meetings and events world and she’s never looked back. Holly takes a particular interest in event sustainability and creating a diverse and inclusive industry. When she’s not working, she can be found rolling skating along Brighton seafront listening to an eclectic playlist, featuring the likes of Patti Smith, Sean Paul, and Arooj Aftab.