In just a few short weeks on May 25, 2018, the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) officially goes into effect. It’s been big news for EU-based companies for several years now.

But what about U.S. companies without business operations in the 28 member states of the EU. Nothing to worry about, right?

Not true.

GDPR is changing data privacy for both EU countries and the rest of the world, and is set to shake things up for everyone – especially for those involved in planning meetings and events.

We’ve compiled a list of industry resources to help you better understand what GDPR means and steps to take to prepare.

(Note: this article is intended to provide information, not legal advice. Contact your organization’s legal/compliance director or Data Protection Officer to specifically understand how GDPR applies to your organization.)

Articles

• Convene: Coming to Grips With GDPR A 10-point checklist from Cvent’s David Chalmers to help get you ready for GDPR.
• eTouches: GDPR and The Event Industry: Get the Facts Understand the key facts for meeting and event planners, and learn more about common GDPR myths.
• Realbuzz Registrations: The Definitive Guide to GDPR for the Events Industry Everything you need to know about GDPR as an event professional.
• Eventsforce: Industry Insight: The Impact of GDPR on Meetings & Events Here’s why GDPR is one of the most important changes facing the events industry today.
• Meetings & Conventions: How Will GDPR Impact Event Planners, Their Suppliers and Event Attendees? An easy-to-understand, bulleted list of what’s changing for event planners and their tech-solution suppliers as well as for the attendees who will now have greater say and ownership over their personal data currently used for meetings and events.
• MeetingsNet: The Meeting Professional’s GDPR To-Do List Nine things planners need to do now to prepare for the GDPR implementation.
• Eventsforce: Top 10 GDPR Red Flags for Meetings and Events Based on conversations with event professionals across a number of industries, these are the top red flags around GDPR.
• MeetingsNet: Why GDPR Is an Unprecedented Opportunity for Global SMMP Compliance For global strategic meetings management program leader, a data governance gap audit can expose all areas impacted by GDPR.
• Eventsforce: Will GDPR Change the Rights of Your Attendees? Compared to current data protection regulations, what will actually change when it comes to the rights of attendees?

Other Resources

• The EU web portal for GDPR
• BrightTalk Webinar: Are You Ready for GDPR? The Top 10 Things to Know for GDPR Compliance Ten key considerations that need to be made for controlling how data is accessed, stored, kept up to date, transferred and deleted.
• Eventsforce Infographic: Are Your Events Ready for GDPR Key findings from the Eventsforce “Are Your Events Ready for GDPR” study.
• Glisser eBook: Preparing Event Planners for GDPR A step-by-step workbook with practical actions to complete to implement the change.
• LinkedIn Group: GDPR for Event Professionals
• Facebook: What is the General Data Protection Regulation? Facebook’s take on GDPR and their commitment to compliance.
• LinkedIn Marketing Solutions and The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

These resources are intended only as a starting point for understanding GDPR issues. Before making any changes or plans, confirm with your company compliance expert or get legal advice to know what makes sense for your specific meeting or event.