10 Jan Happy New Year 2022- Moving forward, by looking back.
Good Morning 2022 – Happy New Year! In-person and virtual events in the New Year!
It’s the dawn of 2022 and we find ourselves in a familiar place (school in our district was canceled on the first day of the New Year), rising numbers, service disruptions, and loads and loads of uncertainty.
Today I find myself looking back at the lessons of 2020/2021 to help moving forward in 2022. Not just in our business and professional lives, but at home I’m finding value in taking a quick peek in the rearview mirror.
We have borne the brunt of a global pandemic that has altered the way we live our lives and do business- for parents of school aged kids, it has completely upended the way we parent, the way we relate to our kids, and the way we are involved with our kids lives. To say we have all dealt with a crush or emotions and anxiety would be a colossal understatement. It has not always been pretty or graceful, but we have made it this far, certainly with our share of scars.
Those scars have become reminders of the trials in our collective rearview mirrors. Sometimes those scars hurt- sometimes the hurt is acute and other times it’s a dull throb.
Looking in the rearview shows me what succeeded and what failed, how to recover from the failures and how to expand upon the successes. From a business perspective we tried new things, talked in a deeper way with clients, and tried to evolve into the best partners we could be moving forward in a sometimes in-person, sometimes virtual, and sometimes hybrid- live events world. Bringing people together to share an experience is what we have always loved doing, I look back and see that we succeeded far more than we failed, and that gives me hope.
In 2021 we booked rockstar Sammy Hagar for a virtual chat, mixology session and performance for a client event, and it was epic. World renowned poet, writer and thought leader Nikki Giovanni took part in a fireside chat for a few customers and the likes of Nikole Hannah Jones and Heather McGhee spoke to our education space clients about diversity, equity, and inclusion. Leon Logothetis entertained clients with his storytelling prowess and Greg Gumbel motivated clients with storied form his storied past as a TV personality. Soledad O’Brien broke down communications and relationship during these most trying times, in a stunning virtual session. These in-person, virtual, and hybrid experiences were just the tip of the iceberg.
When I look in the rearview mirror to help us find our path forward in 2021- I see that we can do this, create value based experiences at events while being flexible, creative, and able to roll with the punches in an equitable way to all of our partners, as situations ebb and flow.
Here’s to 2022, I’m sure with more trials and more opportunity to succeed!
