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: Cathy Nolte
Company Name: Events by Design, Inc.
Job Title: Owner, Meeting and Event Planner
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?
Thank you for including me on this interview. I think I am pretty well positioned for the comeback to meetings and events. Reflecting back, I was able to focus on self-improvement. There were several opportunities to take advantage of during the pandemic. Thru the generosity of hospitality industry partners, I was quickly able to complete the education hours needed for my next CMP renewal with education that was provided online. I enjoyed catching up on reading, courses on LinkedIn Learning, and meetings that transitioned to being virtual. Because I like to stay busy and keep my skills current, I also took on a full-time position at my college alma mater. This gave me the opportunity to expand into a new industry and gain new skills. Can you tell I consider myself a lifelong learner?
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?
In regards to Events by Design, we have always tried to run a lean business, but took extra precautions as our clients were not sure if, or when, their events would be able to resume. My colleague and I try to work smarter, not harder but also keep an eye on our bottom line. We’ve tried to take advantage of the ever-changing technology to communicate more effectively between ourselves and our clients. The most significant change was with our website. We had been able to manage and bootstrap our website since we opened our business. We recently hired someone to manage our website. Malware, spam and ever changing technology required us to hire the outside help to manage issues with the site. With my University position, I was able to jump into the world of distance learning, Zoom, Teams and cutting-edge technology. It has been challenging but exciting to be a part a team supporting students and executives who feel like they’re part of an in-person experience whether they are in person with remote attendees or joining a meeting or class remotely themselves. I’ve also had the pleasure of working with some of Houston’s finest restaurants and caterers thru this position. We had to keep up with the changing information on safety, Covid transmission, and how in person events and catering could return to live events in a safe manner. Our team researched processes and used some of the latest technology for keeping guest safety and health a top priority.
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?
From my perspective, there is a definite place for hybrid meetings, but there is no replacing the benefits or needs of in-person meetings. We are in an unprecedented time that has presented new opportunities in the meetings industry. Hybrid meetings have expanded the reach of an event and have the ability to include people that might not have been able to participate due to cost, time, etc. While hybrid meetings have their value, there are benefits that cannot replace an in-person meeting or experience.
In your opinion, what do you think the biggest value for your attendees is in regards to returning to live events?
The return to live events has helped attendees feel that life is returning to normal. I have experienced that people have missed personal connections and events. The biggest value I see is that attendees see the importance of being part of a community.
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’ve found the changes in the last two years have created more respect on both sides of the negotiation table. I’ve worked to educate my clients about realizing the impact - economic and beyond - that their group brings to a hotel and community. The groups I work with have a new understanding about issues such as staffing, communication, and Force Majeure clauses. Wording in our RFPs reflect those concerns in a new way. I hope that the mutual respect and the creativity shown in the last two years will not fade away. Hotels and venues had to be flexible and creative to maintain a level of service and make guests feel safe about travelling. Planners had to adjust expectations and also be flexible in trying to resume their business. My hope is that planners and hoteliers remaining flexible in their RFPs to promote industry recovery, which would lead to increased respect and value for the Meetings & Events industry as a whole.
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.