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: Krissy Raghina
Company Name: We Crush Events
Job Title: 12
Years of Experience: Corporate Events Manager
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 feel well-prepared and in a great place to hit the ground running now the pandemic is finally coming to an end! The pandemic was a great time to reassess and expand on my personal skills and talents, re-adjust events (into virtual via We Crush Events), and prepare for a new world who is ready and eager to get back to seeing each other in person again. I'm excited to be a part of creating that experience for everyone who's ready for it!
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?
Hybrid Meetings/Conferences are increasingly popular right now! Establishing close relationships with your AV companies is crucial to give our clients the best experience during these transitional and new times for Corporate Meetings and Events. Also taking advantage of virtual venue tours is a great way to give your clients the best viewing experience while also avoiding exposure risks, and this saves on ample time and convenience!
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?
Haha! I was already talking about this in the previous question. I think hybrid meetings are a GREAT way to connect attendance throughout the country and world. With all this technology at our finger tips, we simply have to take advantage of it. It's great to have another option for attendees who may not feel comfortable/or are not allowed to attend in-person events yet, but they may still value being a part of the whole experience. As a Corporate Event Planner, it is very important to make sure all guests are receiving the best experience, even if it's via a virtual platform.
In your opinion, what do you think the biggest value for your attendees is in regards to returning to live events?
There is nothing like meeting in person! Nothing beats it. The need for human connection will never be lost, no matter how great technology gets (this is my personal belief and I'm sticking to it).
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?
A lot of my clients are still concerned about COVID related cancellations in the upcoming year. Ideally, venues and vendors are cooperative on force majeure clauses and will be openly communicate this upfront so I can be fully transparent with my clients. Also, I've noticed the timeline to get responses to RFP's has significantly increased during this time (no doubt due to shortage of staff, sales reps wearing many hats, etc.) but I'm hoping to get these responses in a timely fashion so I can relay and pitch the best venue options to my clients in a decent time frame
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.