This post is part of the HopSkip Planner Spotlight Series where HopSkip spotlight's planners across the industry to bring awareness of how they adapted to COVID-19, communicating and lessons learned and sharing how they are viewing the meetings and events industry in a post-pandemic world.
Name: Jill Rasco
Company Name: Attendee Management, Inc.
Job Title: Principal and Event Technologist
Years of Experience: 20+
How do you think you are positioned, after months of persevering with the pandemic, to take advantage of our new and disrupted meetings/events landscape?
AMI is well positioned for the new events landscape. Many of our staff took advantage of the "extra time" during 2020 to upskill.
As our community moves forward with planning in person meetings, what new technologies or processes are you implementing that you may have not looked at before?
We work closely with our planner clients to help them learn of and implement the new (or old) technologies and processes that make a hybrid or virtual event engaging and memorable. Although virtual events have been around for decades, the pandemic forced us to look at virtual and hybrid events with a new lens.
As we see virtual meetings transition back to face to face, hybrid meetings are beginning to be the vehicle to return to normalcy. What are your thoughts on hybrid meetings versus traditional fully in person meetings?
We believe a hybrid meeting is a powerful extension to face-to-face-only events and allows our clients to increase their reach and visibility. We recommend hybrid meetings are planned almost as if they are two events so that all audiences are recognized and can be engaged, educated and entertained.
In your opinion, what do you think the biggest value for your attendees is in regards to returning to live events?
There's something about being face-to-face that makes an event much more memorable and engaging. Humans need connection. I truly believe more business is done in person because of connections that are made when people are face to face.
As the pandemic fades away and we return to face-to-face events what do you hope changes, either for planners or hoteliers, in the traditional RFP and proposal process as a result of all of the learnings from the last 20+ months?
I hope planners and hoteliers are practicing a little patience and understanding with each other. I think there's a lot of grace in this industry and we can be kind to each other and still do business!
This post is part of the HopSkip Planner Spotlight Series where HopSkip spotlight's planners across the industry to bring awareness of how they adapted to COVID-19, communicating and lessons learned and sharing how they are viewing the meetings and events industry in a post-pandemic world.
