Did you know that each year there are 40 million victims of sex-trafficking globally? As meetings and events professionals who travel regularly throughout our careers, we are in the unique position to help combat the commercial sexual exploitation of children in the United States and around the world.

The news is in. The gig economy is going strong. According to the latest Deloitte study on Global Human Capital Trends, self-employment is expected to triple by 2020. That means 42 million independent workers will be available for hire.

MPI Blog // If meeting professionals have learned anything from the Great Recession, it’s that the travel industry is hit hard during an economic downturn. Throughout the recession, companies made significant cutbacks on corporate travel expenses. As a result of the reductions in spend, major meetings were canceled and non-revenue-generating departments such as meeting planning were downsized.

The Meeting Professional magazine // In case you haven’t heard, the gig economy is here to stay. Small businesses and freelancers alike are reaping the benefits of a modern-day labor market that celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit. In a recent LinkedIn study, 70 percent of small businesses surveyed had hired freelancers in the past. Of those companies, 81 percent plan to hire freelancers again in the future.

How do we confidently place freelancers with our customers to deliver on our brand promise? We looked beyond work experience and developed a model based on massive amounts of research and detailed conversations with HR professionals, behavioral scientists, business leaders, employees, and freelancers.