NYC SKYLINE TO BE LIT BLUE IN CELEBRATION OF GLOBAL MEETINGS INDUSTRY DAY

4/4/17


NYC SKYLINE TO BE LIT BLUE IN CELEBRATION OF GLOBAL MEETINGS INDUSTRY DAY

—Empire State Building, One World Trade Center, Four Times Square and One Bryant Park Spires to Go Blue April 5, The Evening Before GMID—



—More Than 150 NYC & Company Member Businesses to Attend Meeting & Event Security Panel Discussion on April 6 —



New York City (April 4, 2017) — NYC & Company, New York City’s official destination marketing organization, is proud to support the Meetings Mean Business Coalition during its second annual Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID) on Thursday, April 6. Tomorrow evening in advance of GMID, several spires across the City’s skyline will shine blue, the color of the Meetings Mean Business Coalition, to send a message about the importance of the meetings industry to New York City. In addition, NYC & Company will host a special NYC Talks panel discussion with its membership on Global Meetings Industry Day.



“NYC & Company recognizes the profound impact that face-to-face meetings have on New York City’s five boroughs every year,” said Fred Dixon, NYC & Company’s president and CEO. “With safety a new top priority for planners, we are looking forward to our GMID panel discussion on meeting and event security, reassuring planners and businesses that New York City remains the country’s safest large city to host a meeting or event.”

Tomorrow, NYC & Company will kick off lighting activations on the eve of Global Meetings Industry Day. The spires of the Empire State Building, Four Times Square and One Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan will be lit blue, along with One World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan. This Thursday for Global Meetings Industry Day, NYC & Company will convene its membership for a NYC Talks: Improving Security, Ensuring Success panel at Manhattan Center. In partnership with event security firm T&M Protection Resources, the panel discussion will focus on security strategies and best practices for public and private meetings and events of all sizes.



“New York City continues to lead the way in new development that amplifies the delegate experience, from the 1.2 million square-foot Javits Center expansion to an additional 25,000 hotel rooms expected by 2019,” said Jerry Cito, NYC & Company’s Senior Vice President of Convention Development. “As a founding industry supporter of the Meetings Mean Business Coalition, we thank the more than 6 million delegates that choose to Make It NYC each year.”

Additionally, Vornado Realty Trust’s Times Square billboard, the largest digital billboard in the City located on Broadway between 45th and 46th Streets outside the New York Marriott Marquis, will display NYC & Company’s Make It NYC meetings campaign and GMID logos. NYC & Company has also provided a social media toolkit to its member base and clients to join the conversation about the meetings industry. To follow and join the conversation about the importance of face-to-face meetings, supporters can use the hashtags #MMBNYC, #GMID17 and #MakeItNYC on Twitter and Instagram.



For more information on planning a meeting or event in New York City, go to nycgo.com/makeitnyc. To learn more about Meetings Mean Business, visit meetingsmeanbusiness.com.



About NYC & Company:



NYC & Company is the official destination marketing organization for the City of New York, dedicated to maximizing travel and tourism opportunities throughout the five boroughs, building economic prosperity and spreading the positive image
of New York City worldwide. For more information on meeting in New York City, visit nycgo.com/makeitnyc.



About Meetings Mean Business:



The U.S. Travel Association’s Meetings Mean Business Coalition was created in 2009 to showcase the incredible value that business meetings, travel and events bring to the US economy. Its members span all facets of the face-to-face meeting and events industry, which have come together behind a common goal: providing the resources, tools and information to show the real impact the industry has on businesses, economies and communities. For more information, visit MeetingsMeanBusiness.com                                                               



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Contact: NYC & Company / Chris Heywood / 212-484-1270
Sean Altberger / 212-484-1270