Planners You Should Know - Brittany Clark, Theta Lake
Brittany Clark, of Theta Lake, discusses how she honed her skills over the pandemic to now be in position to overcome the challenges that the new meetings/events landscape brings.
Luke Whalin
Feb 15, 2023
This post is part of the HopSkip Planner Spotlight Series where HopSkip spotlights 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: Brittany Clark
Company Name: Theta Lake
Job Title: Senior Events Manager
Years of Experience: 8
How did you get your start in the events industry? What made you pursue this role?
Watching The Wedding Planner as a young girl...no seriously. Eventually, after working as an assistant to a wedding photographer, I realized that the wedding industry was not for me. My passion for events, however, remained and was soon after realized when one of my Executive Assistant roles entailed planning company events.
How do you compare planning your first in-person event post-pandemic, to planning meetings/events pre- Covid? What was different and unique? What was similar?
What was your number one challenge in hosting your first in-person event(s) and how did you overcome it?
In some ways, it feels completely different, and in others, it's like nothing ever happened. There is certainly a heightened sense of awareness around cleanliness and making sure attendees are healthy and safe that I don't see going away anytime soon if ever, thanks to the pandemic. Having a plan b is now an absolute "must-have" in the planning process that I think was more of a "nice to have" historically. Lastly, there is a newfound appreciation for in-person events that perhaps was taken for granted before. We proved we could accomplish many of the same things virtually, but one thing that will never change is the power of physically bringing people together.
My first in-person event went from 600 attendees to 75 attendees + a virtual live stream for the rest less than 3 weeks out due to a COVID case spike. So now not only am I having to deal with the anxiety that came with my first in-person event and keeping those attendees safe, I have to QUICKLY implement an engaging and exciting virtual aspect for those that are now told they are not able to travel to this event and are without a doubt, very disappointed. One thing the pandemic taught me was that there is usually a solution to every problem with the right mindset, so after my 5 minutes of crying, I picked myself up and accepted this new challenge being thrown my way. With a new calm state of mind, I was able to pull off a fantastic hybrid event.
What is the top learning that you uncovered from the last two years that you’re implementing in your planning process today? (any other tips or tricks you want to share?)
How to create a pretty awesome virtual event ;) This is great because, as I think we all know, virtual is here to stay. As much as I love in-person events, having a virtual aspect allows you to reach a larger audience and creates more opportunities for networking and engagement for those that maybe aren't so comfortable doing so in person.
Be patient and kind! I know we all want things to immediately go back to how they were, but it's not going to happen overnight, and we're all doing our part to get there. Give yourself additional time to collect this information, so you're not stressed out when you don't immediately hear back. Also, be specific about what is a must for your group, it will help speed up the process.
I'm certainly reading clauses more carefully. A rebooking clause is an absolute must going forward.
Flexibility with attrition numbers and cancellations.
Since education and relationships are two major pillars in the meetings and events industry, any suggestions on how other planners can learn and network with their peers across the industry?
Join forums and associations, there are so many to choose from! Start attending events and talking to those planners. So many of us just "plan events," and don't attend. You learn a lot being on the other side