Moving Forward

In today's economy, no matter how hard one works or how much one tries to be adaptable or prepare for every eventuality, situations arise over which we have no control.

As event producers this is hard for us to accept, since we are used to always having a Plan B or even a Plan C.

One of the situations that has recently arisen for me, personally, is that my corporate position has just been eliminated. Beyond allowing myself to experience the typical stages of grief over the loss of this position, I find myself more motivated to "move forward" and consider new opportunities and to keep myself open to change.

A friend of mine, Bill Ganz, whom I have recommended in prior posts, has counseled me to consider moving "beyond" the event production world to the online world. He likens the online world to a "well" that we will all be going to for nourishment and sustenance. Just as "all roads lead to Rome," he feels all paths in the future will lead to the online world.

He may be right. In theory, it is possible to reduce all marketing activities to a series of queries to predict human behavior. But the human need for face-to-face interactions, and the many kinesthetic variables that touch upon each of us when we encounter a physical environment, still lead me to believe there is a robust future for the trade show and event world.

I'd be interested to hear your opinions on this.

Meanwhile, I will be hanging my shingle out there as "Bob the Planner" and will be driving folks to this site to discover more of those "tips" I promised earlier. I still remain interested in helping organizations succeed -- particularly in a full-time position. But I'm also open to some project work if that can help us both out.

Perhaps you have a need for a seasoned event professional -- one who can think out of the box and come in under budget. If so, I'd like to talk with you!

If you'd like to carry on a conversation offline, please visit my e-mail at bobtheplanner@gmail.com.