ON THE COVER: The Little Rock skyline with the Statehouse Convention Center and Robinson Auditorium.
When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out I decided to keep a journal out of some hazy notion that I was recording a moment in history.
Honestly, I didn’t think it would add up to much. I thought Arkansas would hunker down with the rest of the nation, we’d work from home for a while and beat this thing within a few months. I only expected to fill three quarters of my notebook at best.
I’m about to start my third volume.
On the inside covers I have been measuring the passing time in terms of the normal, scheduled, everyday events by which we often mark our lives, routine things now made more challenging because of pandemic-related precautions. I have noted the number of haircuts since the outbreak, medical appointments and, especially, quarterly company staff meetings held virtually.
As I write this we recently concluded our third.
Many speculative words have been written and said about the “new normal,” to the point the phrase itself is almost a cliche. But it could very well be the “new normal” isn’t awaiting us sometime next year when, hopefully, the pandemic at last begins to subside; it could be that normal is already here.
The “gee whiz” factor of company-wide Zoom meetings or scheduling a face-to-face on Google Meet has faded. What was once new has become routine.
More importantly, people are realizing just how much they can get done without having to be somewhere live and in person. That includes meeting and events planners, who have quickly learned you can hold a successful function even if no one comes — especially if no one comes.
In this issue of the annual Arkansas Business Meeting Planner we check in on an industry that arguably has changed as radically as any.
In early 2020, there wasn’t even a notion that fundraisers, staff meetings, seminars and recognition and awards ceremonies could be held without people present. But as we see in this issue, events planners are not only warming up to the idea, they see virtual meetings remaining as a permanent option, long after COVID-19 is in our rear view.
Make no mistake, the events industry is itching to get back to in-person events, and you can expect a stampede toward the ballrooms and halls when that happens. Just expect the “new normal” to frequently include virtual, interactive options for out-of-town attendees who remain out of town.
In this year’s issue we have embraced changes as well, updating our listings to do away with fax numbers and include 21st century amenities like Wi-Fi and AV capabilities for each facility.
And, in a nod to an optimistic future, this year’s Meeting Planner guide continues to provide the resources planners can use to plot physical events, from floor plans to facilities listings to caterers and points of interest. Like everyone else, we are looking forward to the days when we can network in person or take a nice sightseeing break while in town for a convention.
Regardless, thanks to technology and innovative events planners, we’ll see you soon.
Thanks for reading,
Todd Traub
Managing Editor
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