Eighteen days ago. I was on LinkedIn yesterday and there, under the WordPress section of my profile, those three words jumped off the screen: 18 days ago!
Yup, it’s been that long since my last blog post. Oh the humanity! By blogger standards, that’s a lifetime ago and I accept any criticism that might come my way as a result of such poor form. How could I have possibly gone under for so long? Well, I’ve been taking British Airways’ advice (http://businessgrants.ba.com/) and spending as much time as possible over the past couple of weeks to “Be There Face to Face” with clients, prospects, vendor partners, and peers. That’s entailed a lot of meetings and networking, and a good amount of travel. All great stuff, but it did take me away from my day-to-day duties…and my blog, for sure.
So why the sudden push to “get out there?” Did I have some leftover travel budget to spend before the year is out? Yes, but what really drove me was a deep desire to re-connect and re-kindle relationships with the people who allow my business to exist, and who help make me better at my job.
We’ve all been waiting for the “Great Recession” to end. Waiting for cutbacks on spending and travel to be loosened. Waiting for telltale signs that it’s OK to get back to business. I decided that I wanted out of the “let’s wait and see” bunker; I wanted to stop worrying about the future of my business and start shaping it.
Of course, many of you have been turning to social media for quite some time now to bypass the bunker, to share ideas and build relationships. I’ve blazed trails in many areas…social media isn’t one of them. Truth be told, I was dragged into it kicking and screaming. Still, I do understand its appeal as well as its power.
Because my objective was to activate new business, it seemed natural that I would take the time to meet with folks face to face. And I’m glad I did. I put faces to the names of some new clients, offering up a smile and a handshake in the flesh. My team shared a room with our client’s executive team and participated in high-level strategy and creative brainstorming sessions. What a huge benefit to hear information unfiltered, “read” body language, measure instant reactions to ideas, and witness firsthand decision makers processing information (vs. interpreting “pregnant” pauses over the phone). To be able to influence new business opportunities and realize heightened credibility and deepened partnerships from such real-time collaboration…priceless.
Before I stand accused of “denouncing” online communications in favor of face-to-face meetings, let me be clear. It all boils down to objectives. In my case, I needed face time with people to accomplish what I was looking to do. As to the ongoing argument of virtual events vs. face-to-face events, I believe both have a role, and they can complement each other.
For weeks I’ve been spreading the word with clients and vendors alike about employing social media and virtual events to not just extend audience reach and leverage tight budgets, but to enhance live meetings and events. While I am relatively new to the world of virtual event technologies, I am a veteran of bringing brands to life and moving people to action through engaging, relevant, and memorable audience experiences. Anything that can further that mission will always find room in my tool kit.
The corporate meeting and events industry has continually re-invented itself through the years, but now the canvas has truly been wiped clean. What an exciting time for creators of brand experiences! It’s amazing that when fears dissipate, opportunities emerge. Yes, it’s good to be out of the bunker.
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