Events Industry Takes on Homelessness
January 16, 2019According to PCMA, homelessness is not easy to talk about. But, addressing the issue is “critical to the future of this industry and the sustainability of travel and tourism communities,” Joe D’Alessandro, president and CEO of San Francisco Travel, said Jan. 8 at Convening Leaders.
Homelessness “is not just a problem just in my part of the country, it’s a national problem that’s getting worse,” said D’Alessandro, who presented at the session, “Finding Solutions to Social Justice Issues From Homelessness to Human Trafficking.” “Issues surrounding homelessness are having a negative effect on the brand of all of our destinations and the brand in the United States, frankly.”
As reported by PCMA, taking on the tough topics along with D’Alessandro were William Thomson, founder of Barcelona-based Gallus Events, and David Peckinpaugh, president of Maritz Global Events Inc. Under Peckinpaugh’s leadership, the company has taken an activist role in training employees in how to recognize and report suspicious activity related to sex trafficking. Maritz was one of the first industry organizations to sign the Code of Conduct for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation in Travel and Tourism, in partnership with ECPAT-USA. PCMA announced Jan. 7 that it had signed the Code.