05/06/2026
In honor of Earth Day, Northern California chose to celebrate Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID) a little early this year, calling it BAMID (Bay Area Meetings Industry Day), on April 22nd.
WE partnered with PCMA Northern California to bring the meetings and events industry together at the historic Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco. The afternoon focused on education, community, and meaningful industry connections.
Global Meetings Industry Day recognizes the undeniable economic, educational, and social value that meetings, conferences, and exhibitions bring around the world. Our gathering served as a reminder that we also can deliver that same impact in climate-conscious ways.
Our speakers brought real-world experience from the music, touring, and live events industries:
➢ Maggie Baird, Founder of Support + Feed, and mother of multiple Grammy & Academy Award-winning artists, Billie Eilish and FINNEAS
➢ Madeline Weir, Director of Impact at REVERB, and leader within the Music Decarbonization Project
➢ Alyah K., Founder and Principal at Carry On
Together, we explored what it looks like to move “from concerts to conferences” through practical sustainability strategies that can translate directly into meetings and events.
We're also proud to celebrate SFSE Board Member, Jody Brandes, as the recipient of the GMID Pillar Award, recognizing leadership and impact within the meetings and events industry.
The event also included:
➢ Fully plant-based lunch
➢ BYOB (Bring Your Own Badge)
➢ Lanyard recycling through Earthlight
➢ Measuring our carbon reduction in real time
➢ Carbon reduction reporting and shared best practices
➢ Our SFSE Call to Action QR code for access to our community, guidelines, and resources around food systems, sourcing, and materials
Thank you to our speakers, volunteers, partners, sponsors, and attendees for helping make BAMID 2026 such a meaningful industry moment!
