Dear IAEE DC members and the DC area event community,

Summer has officially begun, and it has been an intensely busy meeting season as meeting planners are getting back to in-person events while at the same time having to figure out this new event reality.

I just got back from a couple of days in San Diego at a major international tradeshow and conference, and while I don’t have the official numbers, I can tell you that there were literally thousands of more attendees there than the planners projected at the beginning of the year. They described the experience as being “like changing your tires while driving.”

I think that we’re all in that same position to some extent and the good news is that, although this COVID-driven transformation of our industry has been tough on everyone, it has also created some exciting new opportunities for us as event organizers and suppliers to the industry.

One very interesting topic we are hearing a lot about these days is how planners are thinking about leveraging some of the new digital tools to deliver online content and more value to their members and the industry.  “Hybrid” has almost become a dirty word, but even with planners who don’t intend to live-stream any content at their events are using new technologies to offer networking and on-demand content outside of the actual days of their in-person event

Extending event content to new audiences and other challenges will be addressed in the Chapter’s new “Technology Challenge Virtual Series” launching in August. These sessions will give you a focused look at two or three companies and how their solutions can be applied to overcome specific challenges you may be facing right now. These are fast-paced formats that deliver ideas and answers you can use immediately without going through hours of exploration and discovery to get the same information.

I hope you’ll join your colleagues at these new webinars as well as our lunch & learns and other fun networking events we have planned for the fall.

Finally, as you may know, our Chapter is supporting the local charity, A Wider Circle, this year. The organization’s goal is to help end poverty through some very practical efforts, including providing furnishings for homes and helping people gain the skills they need to be competitive in finding meaningful work.

We held a fantastic volunteer day at their main facility in June with several members lending a hand to help sort donated items to place in their store where participants can select anything they need at no cost to them. Stay tuned for more information on another volunteer day in the fall to help this marvelous and vital organization.

Thank you for your membership and your participation, and we look forward to seeing you at one or several of our next events!

Best,

 

Rob

Rob Hamlin
IAEE DC 2022 Chair