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: Carina Stihl, CMP, DES
Company Name: Pragmatic Institute
Job Title: Senior Events & Experience Manager
Years of Experience: 6+
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?
I think that I am positioned to take advantage of our new and disrupted meetings/events landscape by my diligence in furthering my education and remaining positive during a less than ideal situation. After our pivot to virtual events my company stayed extremely busy, but I decided to get certified as a CMP and DES, which has helped me advance my career. Rather than dwelling on the fact that the world shut down and my entire industry changed in the blink of an eye, I decided to proactively prepare for our return to in person meetings and events, but also learn about virtual and hybrid events while managing a team.
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 will continue hosting virtual events even after we return to in person meetings. Some of our market may not be ready to return to face to face, or they may simply have constraints in place, so virtual events are here to stay. If we host any private meetings with teams streaming in from different locations we will incorporate everything from updated computer systems, audio, video, and lighting to provide the best possible experience. During the pandemic I have learned more about event technology than I thought I ever would and I am looking forward to implementing some of it moving forward.
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?
Hybrid meetings are opening an endless number of possibilities as we return to fully in person events. Teams from overseas can now join team events that would have otherwise not been possible. Events can also satisfy markets that previously may have had time or budget constraints. I have attended hybrid events virtually and in person and so many planners have been doing an incredible job defining the two experiences, but also connecting them into one overall event. It’s encouraging to see what is now possible.
In your opinion, what do you think the biggest value for your attendees is in regards to returning to live events?
I believe that face to face connection is more important than ever as we return to live events. The pandemic has had a major effect on mental health, and human interaction is so crucial. People need the space to network, learn, and grow. It is often the small side conversations and the new connections at events that can prove to be so powerful and this is impossible to mimic.
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 that both the planners and hoteliers will provide a higher level of understanding and flexibility as a result of the learnings from the past 20+ months. Both sides have suffered loss and changes in their professional and personal lives. I think that this experience has humbled everyone, so we are just grateful to be in business and have the opportunity to work together again.
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.
