A small group of politicians and event industry leaders gathered for a breakfast meeting on the final day of NEMICE, the annual meeting of the New England chapter of Meeting Professionals International, to discuss how meetings and events can help the economy recover and to get the message out to corporations that it is safe to invest in events.

Before leaving, the group signed a wall set up in the NEMICE exhibit hall intended to show President Obama and national lawmakers that “meetings mean business.” The wall, created by Krisam Group and Global Event Partners, will be set up next at MPI's World Education Congress in Salt Lake City, July 11-14, to collect additional signatures before it is delivered to the White House.