Community Over Competition

I love participating in or watching groups of people sharing ideas, tips, tricks, and lessons they’ve learned with each other. I have gleaned some incredibly creative ideas and received warnings of pitfalls to avoid over the years. Sometimes I didn’t even know I had an issue until someone else asked a question, then I realized I needed to know the answer too. Recently I have seen this play out in a couple of different scenarios in a beautiful, community-building way.

Private Facebook groups can be incredibly helpful. I am part of one for event planners from around the world. There are some very hands-on, practical, need-to-know-right-now types of questions like needing an extra 500 badge holders for an event tomorrow, or asking if anyone can recommend a photographer in a specific city; to seeing if someone can make a recommendation for a venue in a certain part of the country for an event being planned in a couple of years. This group has been particularly enlightening to me as here is where I have found out so many things I didn’t know I didn’t know until someone else posed a question.

I have also found roundtable discussions to also be a great source of useful information and community. Sitting with a group of like-minded people, discussing a specific topic, and hearing from others at different stages in their event career can be very helpful. Sometimes a little witty repartee ensues as we regale our war stores from working on the frontlines of events. Being able to contribute from my years of experience and help someone else with their concern also brings me joy as I love to share what I know others and watch the lightbulb go on. That’s actually the reason I started this blog.

Association calls or meetings can span a wide variety of uses and subjects, but I was on a call recently where the community came together to brainstorm what types of educational breakouts would be most helpful for planners at different stages in their career for a future conference. Uniting a group of planners who will be attending the event to hear from them what issues they are facing, what they are experiencing in the workplace, and what they would benefit from, is a great way to craft a successful event for the attendees and strengthen the community of the association.

I feel that event planners, in general, are incredibly helpful and hospitable. There is a real sense of community not only in the different circles I engage with, but the industry as a whole. Every time I attend an industry event, even though I get great education, meet wonderful suppliers, eat delicious food, and visit interesting off-site locations, the best part is meeting other planners and getting to know them. Hallway and elevator conversations, accidental meetings in a session, and intentional networking at lunch produces a lot of incredible connections.

I have said before…. we need each other. I heard in a movie once, “Two heads are better than one. Five heads are better than two…” In a dog-eat-dog world, it’s nice to know that even though planners are all looking for new business, there is enough to go around that we’re able to be a community instead of compete with one another.

Do you have a story of community within the events world? Is there a place you regularly visit, whether in person or digitally, where you get helpful information? Share it here or
send me an email!

Don’t forget to comment, and share this blog on your social media and with those you know who plan events!

Check out tracybaer.com for free resources….and Tracy was just a guest on Joanne Dennison, CMP’s podcast “Sit in the Attendee’s Chair” also available at tracybaer.com and on most podcast platforms.