Special Events
December 15 is national Wear Your Pearls Day in the U.S. Far from a frivolous salute to a gem that is the unofficial symbol of the protocol profession, the day has a deeper meaning whose symbolism correlates nicely with what we do. The observance was started in 2016 by motivational speaker and author DeAnna Bookert…
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I’ve noticed many restaurants in our area have taken advantage of the time they’ve been Covid closed to redecorate, update, and re-do infrastructure such as parking lots, projects that have likely been on the “to do” list for a long time, but that would be disruptive to perform under normal circumstances. Their investment demonstrates confidence…
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Overflowing self-serve buffets are likely going to be one of the victims of Covid-19, and that’s fine with me. Who wants to touch serving utensils and eat food that has potentially been contaminated by someone else (never mind this has always been the case)? Conversely, no one wants buffets where everything from fresh fruit to…
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Campus closures have forced a crash course in something that most events planners don’t really do—audio and video conferencing. After all, our business is creating ways to get people together, not working with technology to keep them separated. Our staff was sent home last week with a directive to download several types of virtual meeting…
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Franklin Roosevelt famously said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” He was trying to calm the nation by pointing out that fear was making things worse as people struggled to find a way out of the Great Depression. His words are certainly applicable today. We need to calm down! Yesterday,…
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Spring semester often includes employee recognition events honoring years of service which means people are given thank-you gifts of ad specialty products ranging from coffee mugs to key rings to cheap watches. This year, supplies may be disrupted because coronavirus has idled factories in China, the place where many logoed tchotchkes originate. The cut-off of…
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January has brought a vivid reminder that special events planners are often the first line of defense in emergencies. Last week started with a woman having chest pains and ended with another having a seizure. This week, a guest’s parking lot fall required six stitches and a colleague’s office space heater caught on fire. The…
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Do you work with a volcano? I’m talking about an irascible person whose irrational adult temper tantrums explode on all bystanders at the most inopportune moments causing fear, confusion, hurt feelings, and embarrassment just when the team most needs to pull together. The deadline pressure of special events in particular seem to provoke these people.…
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New years in academia comes in August and one of my resolutions is to make this year’s events as eco-friendly as possible. As the planning cycle starts, now is the time to work on this. Fall begins with a series of outdoor picnics and tailgating that are by their nature, messy and wasteful, generating a…
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I love the peace of campus the Monday after commencement. Everything is quiet, no traffic, no parking challenges, no stressed-out students rushing from place-to-place. Faculty are gone and those of us involved in commencement can enjoy a long, quiet cup of coffee at our desk for the first time in weeks. Campus has the feeling…
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