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: Tami Maynard
Company Name: Council on Occupational Education
Job Title: Executive Assistant/Meeting Manager
Years of Experience: 23
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?
By willing to learn and use new tools
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?
Virtual meetings platforms to include hybrid components and safety protocols for stakeholders once approved by the upper management
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 likely to continue and increase over the years until participants are ready to meet face-to-face in larger gatherings with travel mandates enforced for a sense of security
In your opinion, what do you think the biggest value for your attendees is in regards to returning to live events?
Comfortability with a sense of security knowing safety procedures are in place to prevent another pandemic outbreak
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?
Collaboration to include protection clauses in contract for flexibility in terms of having the event happen during a reasonable time when safe to do so
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.