Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1503289
W hen it came to deciding where Kappa Alpha Psi fra- ternity would hold its next national event in 2024, it was a no-brainer for Ryan E. Tucker, deputy executive director of the group. The Baton Rouge, LA native said New Orleans was a perfect choice with all that it has to offer to visitors. "This includes hospitality, customer service, excellent cuisine, and the historic landmarks of Louisiana. In the last 15 years, the fraternity has met in New Orleans approximately 3 times, and its National Founders Day meeting in January 2024 will bring between 5-8,000 mem- bers to the city," said Tucker. But there was another reason that Tucker finds New Orleans appealing: That is the opportunity to offer mentorship and service projects one-on-one in a city that has faced a variety of challenges in recent years. "We are a social and civic organization and for us to be able to mentor our next generation and provide services to the community, many times requires in-person interaction. For Founder's Day, we want a service project that will help a group impacted by Katrina or Covid." Recently, Tucker was one of 3 panelists for Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID) 2023, held March 30th at the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans. The city's meetings and events indus- try joined colleagues from across the globe who marked the occasion in their own destinations. The event is the largest and most important event of the year for meeting professionals around the world. This year's theme, "Meetings Matter," highlighted the numerous benefits of in-person, face-to-face meetings with people, businesses, and communities, par- ticularly, after the Covid lockdown. Although many individuals resorted to online meetings during Covid, data showed that while these virtual meetings were conven- ient, face-to-face meetings bring intangible ben- efits that a spreadsheet may not always show. For instance, in 2022, there was nearly $100 billion in meeting and events-related travel spending nationwide, which supported 600,000 American jobs, billions in employee payroll, and billions in federal, state and local tax receipts. Beyond that economic impact, however, a study showed that stronger business relation- ships are forged through face-to-face interac- tions where the sharing of knowledge and ideas B M & T ••• July/August ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 17 NEW ORLEANS CELEBRATES BY EDITH BILLUPS GMID 2023 AND ITS THEME, "MEETINGS MATTER" from left to right: Ryan Tucker, Stephanie Turner, Lauren Parr, Sherrif Karamat, Walt Leger III