Grateful #EventProf Thoughts

POV: Me in April 2020 after moving halfway across the country for a new #eventprof job in January 2020.

As I write this is the first few days of July 2021. The past two weeks have felt great with work picking up, book club starting, and sunny days for days. So much to be thankful for! I know the pandemic and lock down changed so much for so many, myself included. Quick-ish share: End of 2019 I made the decision to take a job in a new area of the events industry in Ohio, and watched New York fade into my rear view mirror for hundreds of miles. A few weeks into the new job and address, the shelter in place orders began. Then lockdowns and rising cases/death numbers, and like as we knew it changed forever.

Not only did it slow my job but also, but I couldn't visit home and my partner had longer work days on the front lines. I found myself with a lot of time, no familiar faces, and my ambition on pause.

If you know me, being productive is a hobby in itself for me. From constant meetings and events, all the travel, conference calls from hotel ballroom closets and airport terminals, meals eaten while walking, endless catering orders and talking points written... Suddenly I was sitting with my empty inbox at my kitchen counter. While the year stuck at home led to Bookstagram (yay!) it taught me a lot about what's important to me, my family, my career, and my overall health. The advocate and professional I want to be in this life and the partner I'm becoming grew so much this last year.

I took a lot of time to learn everything I could. Not only for the return of events but whatever else I could absorb in general.

• I earned my CMP,

• Became a certified COVID compliance officer,

• Researched ways to be a better ally and advocate for marginalized groups,

• I became a better dog owner (wait until this blog post haha),

• Made the most of my book obsession (thanks for joining it!)

• And did the best I could to be a more patient and caring partner.

Everything I could to make sure time wasn't wasted, that I would come out of lockdown better than when I went in. Thankfully events are back and I feel like a new an improved version of me. I've loved sharing my reads, books, jokes, and life on here and I can't wait to continue doing so!

For those interested in learning more about the event industry innovators I follow, check out my Career Inspo page and this Bookstagram post for more social media accounts. Continuing laughs and education in the hardship this industry has experienced deserves all the kudos.