From the CEO: Gary Portnoy is right. Who you ask? Read on….

This week I reflect on recent industry events and how if we want to win the game we’re currently playing, there’s a need for collective improvement in match fitness. To see why and to understand who Gary Portnoy is and how he relates to my message, you’ll need to read on!

Over the past few weeks I’ve been out and about getting to a few industry events. And I’m very happy about that. It started back in mid-February with Get Local. I want to dip my hat to Gary, Donna and their team who despite the threat Omicron posed to their event (in the weeks leading into it, it was less understood than it is now), looked risk in the eye and pushed on saying ‘we’ve got your measure champ’. Because they knew they did. They’d thought it through and effected a risk management and mitigation plan that resulted in a safe, ambient, energised event that fulfilled its objective of reconnecting industry stakeholders face to face. I was most impressed.

Last week I was in Melbourne for AIME. How I’ve missed the distinct smell of jet fuel. Silke, Matt and their team did a great job bringing the industry together in educational, social and business environments in a further evolved world – even in just those few weeks – that too fulfilled its objective. Also suitably impressed.

Amidst these 2 occasions I attended MEA’s own NSW Kick off event at ATC’s new Winx stand. Whilst the registration numbers were less than we would have liked, I was very happy with the attendance rate of registrants. And this was despite that being the day of Sydney’s major rain bomb.

Suffice to say that people were very happy to back amongst one another, but that for all 3 events numbers were down on what they have been before. There’s definitely a loss of ‘match fitness’.

As I’ve been talking to people, comments have been made that they have had to make a deliberate decision to participate, where once it wouldn’t have been a second thought. People have become so used to not putting their glad rags on to the point that it’s become an effort to do so. We have a problem when the very people who rely on people doing this are reluctant to do it themselves.

But these same people went on to counter their hesitancy and admonish themselves because they’re so glad they bothered when they got there.

If we as an industry want the industry to rebound quickly, it’s on us to set the example. If you want others to follow, you must lead. If you’re not prepared to attend events, how can you expect your clients to hold or attend them? Through you own storytelling of how you attended an event with lots of people – and survived unscathed to tell the tale – and how risk exposure they’re sensing was managed and diminished, you’ll create confidence. You’ll reap what you sow.

If you think about it, if you spoke to a doctor who was reluctant to have a surgery you also needed, you wouldn’t go through with it. But if a doctor were to talk to you about their positive personal experience of a surgery you need, your chances of saying ‘I’m in’ are considerably higher. It’s the power of positivity.

Sometimes you’ve just got to make the effort. You need to find a reason to say yes. I encourage everyone to get their game faces back on tout suite and out on the warmup tracks that are industry events to rebuild their match fitness.

I’ve shared that I’m more about action than words a few times. I take more confidence from watching how people behave than hearing what they say. Over the few events I’ve discussed here, I’ve truly enjoyed seeing people’s body language and facial expressions as they’ve come back together after so long apart. They’ve missed one another. They’re happy and it’s wonderful to see. They said yes to the opportunity. Time has passed by those that said no.

Some readers might remember the classic TV show Cheers. Those that do might concur that its theme song lyrics (sung by Gary Portnoy) correlate with what I’m talking about here:

Making your way in the world today
Takes everything you've got
Taking a break from all your worries
Sure would help a lot
Wouldn't you like to get away?

Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name
And they're always glad you came
You want to be where you can see
Our troubles are all the same
You want to be where everybody knows your name

We have Evolve coming up in a few months’ time – 29 and 30 June. If you want to be with your people and where your name is known, but you’re yet to reconnect with or re-establish your professional happiness, network or match fitness, I suggest as the next industry big event Evolve 2022 will be the place to do that. The opportunity to register is imminent once we dot and cross the last few I’s and T’s. Keep watching MEA Express and our social channels.

My point this week is find the way to say yes, so that you can get other people to say yes to you. Don’t let anymore time pass you by than already has. If you want to hold events, get to events. Create the energy. Lead.

Source:

Song – “Where Everybody Knows Your Name”

Songwriters – “Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo"