Half-time rituals at sports events include marching bands, time for spectators to stretch and grab refreshments and for the athletes, time to rest and review what is working and what is not working. It is June and we are nearly at half-time of 2022. During the first half of our “season,” we have flipped the switch back on for live events, assured many attendees we can meet safely, endured labor and supply chain issues, reimagined budgets due to rising costs and witnessed a shocking war rage in Ukraine. Let us take stock of the first half of the year.
Many of us have now produced a live event or will be holding a live event later in the year. Safety is still a present concern, but attendance trends range from meeting or exceeding pre-pandemic levels to just below pre-pandemic levels. At the same time, the planning process has been turned upside it’s head with a lot of “hurry up to catch up” amidst rising costs and labor challenges. This can be bewildering to even the most veteran of planners and event partners. As the saying goes though, we are all in this together, so the more open the lines of communication are, the better we will all get through these times together.
Half-time for the PCMA Capital Chapter includes a busy June with EduCon in New Orleans, June 5-8, and our June Sparkler Education Program, “Weird is ok. So how weird are you?” at Freeman’s new Alexandria Headquarters on June 29. In looking back at the first half of the year, it is safe to say we are all suffering from some kind of burnout so looking at mental health is a timely and appropriate subject. At the Sparkler program we will have an esteemed panel of industry veterans discussing how they are adapting to the changing dynamics of the industry and address the stigma of mental health within cultures. Joining our panel will be Shelley Brown, author of “Weird Girl Adventures” and a self-proclaimed “Belonging Ambassador.”
As we get ready to take the field again for the second half of 2022, I wish I could find my inner Knute Rockne and share a half-time speech to inspire you to dash through the tunnel with fists pumped in the air and energized to take on everything the rest of the year has in store for you. I think if you look at yourself, your close friends and colleagues and think about everything they have gone through and achieved this year, together we are all that inspiring half-time speech. Break!
Marcus Eng, CMP, DES | 2022 PCMA Capital Chapter President
