The first booking since the onset of COVID-19 gives Greater Miami & Miami Beach cautious optimism for the future of meetings and convention business

Miami, Florida (Dec. 10 , 2020): The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) in partnership with the Miami Beach Convention Center (MBCC), a GBAC accredited facility, has secured its first booking for 2021. The Aesthetic Society will bring its annual meeting to Miami Beach on April 30 -May 3, 2021. The signing, along with the MBCC Ready plan, represents a huge leap towards recovery following a year where events postponed to respond to the impact of COVID-19.

An expected 600 participants and 200 exhibiting companies will descend on Miami Beach for the four day event, marking the first major booking that the MBCC will have in 2021 and will bring an estimated $2.4 million in economic impact, an essential contribution to the recovery of the local economy.

Greater Miami & Miami Beach offers the right climate and opportunities for business events and meeting planners. A mix of warm weather and ample outdoor and public spaces means versatility for events that may previously have been held inside and in colder climates. This serves as a strong selling point as well as the MBCC campus’ ability to customize event layouts that support social distancing for a wide range of guest counts and employing health and safety measures that build confidence in the event experience.

The GMCVB Convention Sales Team partnered with MBCC team to secure this exciting booking and through their strong partnership to ensure unified marketing messaging, sales efforts and memorable options. This collaboration involved an early planning process that allows clients to plan holistically ensuring a safe, productive and successful events, and memorable and positive experience in the destination.

GMCVB CEO & President William Talbert III, CDME is hopeful that this first scheduled citywide event will lead to more. “Meetings are an essential part of Greater Miami & Miami Beach's hospitality business, and while we will be rebuilding back slowly, it’s exciting to see that hope still reigns and event planners are already thinking to the future and choosing Greater Miami & Miami Beach. This will be a first step on the gas pedal to rev up our local economies again,” he said.

While Greater Miami & Miami Beach is thrilled to be moving forward in this business events and meetings sector, the destination is doing so in a responsible matter with safety and secure as a foundation. Greater Miami & Miami Beach will be setting the tone for the future of the meetings industry. The Aesthetic Society will be adhering to all social distancing and mask mandates, and will keep occupancy at the MBCC under 50%. The event will be a hybrid, allowing organizers to welcome attendees in person and virtually.

Sue M. Dykema, CAE Executive Director, is thrilled to be holding The Aesthetic Meeting 2021, at the Miami Beach Convention Center. “Working with our partners at the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Miami Beach Convention Center, we have been impressed with the attention to detail and commitment to ‘going beyond’ in implementation of safety measures and protocols for our attendees. Of course, the beautiful South Beach weather and distinctive culture will serve as a spectacular backdrop for our social events as we look forward to gathering and reconnecting with friends old and new…all at 6 feet apart!” she said.

“Meetings and Convention business are a top priority for the City of Miami Beach. We have made an extraordinary investment to our newly reimagined MBCC and a new Grand Hyatt Headquarter hotel is on the horizon. With plans to revitalize our Art Deco Cultural District, expansion of the convention center district with a focus on art & culture and family programming, Miami Beach truly offers something for all convention attendees,” said City of Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber.

For media inquiries about the event, please contact Chiara Peretti, chiara.peretti@aboutdci.com.

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ABOUT THE GMCVB

The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB) is an accredited not-for-profit sales and marketing organization whose mission is to attract visitors to Greater Miami & Miami Beach for leisure, business and conventions. For a vacation guide, visit our website at www.MiamiandBeaches.com or call 1.888.76.MIAMI (US/Canada only) or 305.447.7777. To reach the GMCVB offices, dial 305.539.3000. Meeting planners may call 1.800.933.8448 (US/Canada only) or 305.539.3071 or visit www.MiamiMeetings.com. To get further engaged with Miami and the Beaches, join the conversation by following us on our social media channels at Facebook.com/visitmiami, Twitter.com/miamiandbeaches, Instagram.com/miamiandbeaches and Pinterest.com/miamiandbeaches.

ABOUT MBCC

MBCC Ready reopening plans detail the rigorous venue health and safety measures deployed to reduce the risk of transmission and return to live events. MBCC’s customizable event layouts support social distancing for a wide range of guest counts, while venue health and safety measures build confidence in the event experience as part of the MBCC’s return to live events. The Miami Beach Convention Center (MBCC) is proud achieve Global Biorisk Advisory Council® (GBAC) STAR™ Facility Accreditation, the gold standard for facilities and venues worldwide. Under the guidance of GBAC (a division of ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association), MBCC has implemented the most stringent protocols and staff training for cleaning, disinfection and infectious disease prevention. To facilitate the event planning experience while remaining in-line with venue measures and local public health recommendations, MBCC designated Health Ambassadors to support the pre-event planning process. All MBCC full time staff is committed to the City of Miami Beach’s MB Standard, a COVID testing, prevention and contact tracing program. The MBCC’s commitment to fundamental practices recommended by the CDC are reinforced with new physical and digital, permanent and portable signage deployed throughout the venue’s front of house and back of house areas. Additional wall-mounted and portable hand sanitizer stations, as well as touch-free and environmentally friendly restroom features, are other physical measures that promote healthy practices. New health and safety practices align with the MBCC’s LEED® Silver Certification achieved as part of the venue’s $620-million-dollar expansion project which includes many environmentally-friendly features.

ABOUT THE AESTHETIC SOCIETY

The Aesthetic Society is recognized as the world’s leading organization devoted entirely to aesthetic plastic surgery and cosmetic medicine of the face and body. The Aesthetic Society is comprised of more than 2,600 members in North America and internationally; Active Members are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (USA) or by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and have extensive training in the complete spectrum of surgical and non-surgical aesthetic procedures. International Active Members are certified by equivalent boards of their respective countries. All members worldwide adhere to a strict Code of Ethics and must meet stringent membership requirements. The Aesthetic Society is at the forefront of innovation in aesthetic plastic surgery and cosmetic medicine globally. For more information, please visit www.surgery.org.