Written for The Oregon Festivals & Event Association (www.https://www.oregonfestivals.org/)
| As I write this, it is Friday the 13th in November. As with any Friday the 13th, there are superstitions and talk about it being an unlucky day for it to occur in 2020 … well, what can we say about that. However, November the 13th is also World Kindness Day. To me, this is important on many levels to our industry and as event professionals. To jumpstart 2021, we need to see what is possible and focus on what we can do and not get distracted and discouraged by what we cannot do. It is essential that we not get distracted and lose our focus on the ultimate goal, the safe and responsible return to live events. These events create engaging face-to-face experiences that drive commerce, allow for human connection, and empower the exchange of ideas resulting in learning. While there are currently many obstacles in our way (isn’t that a typical day for an event organizer), there is none more important than showing local government officials that our events are not mass gatherings but controlled experiences run by experienced professionals. As a result of this, we have the ability to drive behavior as a condition of attendance. In doing this, we can effectively produce events consistent with local, national, and CDC guidelines that will allow our stakeholders to get back to work, conduct business and positively impact the economy safely and responsibly. Now is also a time for changes in our industry that, in many ways, are long overdue and will help slingshot us to tremendous success in the future. The future is infinite, and it never runs out. At Fern, we have taken this time to look at several processes in our business. None of these have been more important than the changes we have made related to the exhibitor experience. Our company is reliant on the success of the exhibitor experience at an event. While we know our policies are not the reason an exhibitor chooses to participate in an event, we do not want any of our policies to be why they choose not to participate. As a result, we made significant changes to our exhibitor refund policy and material handling policies. At the core of these changes is the thought that uncertainty should not be unsettling. In doing this, we have given our event organizers clients a path to help exhibitors feel confident in committing to events. Jump starting the future is not about getting back to where we were; it is about exceeding the past and excelling well into the future. RESOURCES: Fern Forward: https://bit.ly/fern_forward The Don and Mike Show: https://bit.ly/don_mike_interview Exhibit City News Article: https://bit.ly/ecn_nov_dec_2020 ELI_MPI Pandemic Meeting & Event Design Certificate: https://bit.ly/2IKh0u1 |
