I moved house last week. As I was packing, I came across a calendar from 2014. It was a National Trust calendar that had hung in the kitchen, and we had marked all our plans underneath grand views of stately homes and gardens.
Before shoving it into a box with all the other bits and bobs from the back of the cupboard, I had a quick flick through – and it was like peering into a different world.
In May 2014 alone, for example, I visited five separate countries. First, I went to Belfast and Dublin on a fact-finding mission for a destination feature, the highlight of which came when I was forced to dress up as Jon Snow from Game of Thrones in the foyer of the Titanic museum, much to the amusement of a visiting class of schoolchildren.
The following week I went on a two destination incentive-based fam trip, where I spent three days in Abu Dhabi before flying over to spend three days in Jaipur. In Abu Dhabi, I went on the world’s fastest rollercoaster, and in India, I visited the Taj Mahal and rode on an elephant (not at the same time, I hasten to add).
Then finally, in the last week of May 2014, I went to IMEX in Frankfurt. I remember it well, it was my first visit to the show, and I was overwhelmed by the sheer size of it, the bright bustle of people meeting, connections being made, business getting done. Not to mention the limousine journeys to hosted dinners, yet more networking and the thrilling buzz of the show spilling over into the long, warm evenings.
As well as all those trips there were four or five dates marked simply with “London”, no doubt for all the industry drinks receptions, networking events and panel discussions that were happening once or twice a week.
Fast forward to 2021 and we haven’t even got our kitchen calendar up yet. Because really, what’s the point? Unless you’re going to write “Stay at home” on every date from now until goodness knows when.
Taking its toll
I mention all this because I think it illustrates well the extent to which event professionals have had their entire world turned on its head. Staying at home is not in our DNA. And there’s no doubt it's taking its toll – how could it not?
A One Industry One Voice survey from November of more than 1,600 event businesses - including company and event owners, suppliers, freelance event owners, freelance agencies and freelance professionals - revealed the pressures caused by the Covid upheaval.
Among the key findings were that 83 per cent of respondents said they had struggled with stress or anxiety. The survey also showed that 57 per cent had experienced feelings of loss or failure, 41 per cent had experienced symptoms of depression and 7 per cent had experienced suicidal thoughts or thoughts of self‐harm.
Given that survey was conducted in November, before the announcement of the current lockdown, I wouldn’t be surprised if those figures were now even higher. We've had our entire world turned upside down in the last year. Who wouldn't feel stressed about that?
However, while my peek into a different world made for sobering reading in the current context, it also gave me strength.
Remembering all the positive experiences that I’ve had as an event professional has made me all the more determined to work even harder to make sure that we can have those good times again. Not only that, it will help us to build back better, using all the new skills that we have learned in the last 12 months.
And so I encourage you to do the same. Stories are how humans make sense of the world, we always have done. Look back, think about your favourite events, the places you’ve been, the things you’ve seen as an eventprof. Because it is those very experiences that will give you strength over the coming weeks and months, whatever happens.
M&IT editor Paul Harvey is a journalist with more than 15 years of experience. He began his career in the local press, working for various titles across the north. Since joining M&IT in 2013, he has become a trusted and respected voice in the sector, championing event professionals and reporting on all aspects of the events industry for the brand.
