This month we celebrated Global Meetings Industry Day on April 7. MPI hosted a global 12-hour live broadcast featuring speakers and industry experts as well as captions from chapters around the world. At THCC we had a Watch Party and created a video to be shown during the broadcast. For my part, I talked about the theme I gave this year: Create your Future. I chose this theme a little more than a year ago when we were coming out of the pandemic and things were opening back up. Groups were starting to have meetings; here in College Station for the first time groups were not canceling. Figuring out what the next steps were top of mind to all my colleagues. During the pandemic many people took the time to earn certifications and learn new skills. People needed guidance and information on how to meet safely or how to meet creatively. We seemed poised to shift and not do things the way we had. This was all very positive and there is nothing I like more than being the creator of my situation, of my future. GMID this year celebrated the return of meetings; they highlighted the many ways that the meetings and events industry contributes to a vital economy. They stressed that we as people accomplish more with face-to-face interaction and that “when we meet, we change the world”.

I love the return of meetings, overall, it is great. I love the influx of visitors to my community supporting our hotels, spending money in our restaurants and shops, and providing jobs. But I will also say that I am busier than ever and that there is a downside to the ferocious return of meetings and events. We are faced with shortages of supplies and people and somedays I can’t get my head above water. I am trying to do everything right, to be the most organized person I can be, and many days I can’t get it all done. Meetings that haven’t happened for a couple of years are happening, new meetings (because we can!) are happening, events have to be bigger and better because we are celebrating. I love all of this, but it also feels heavy. My To Do list is getting longer with tasks that all seem urgent. My heart is racing, I feel the adrenaline, and I know I need to stop and take a moment to evaluate. We all need to pull our weight for the survival of our workplace, and I don’t want to feel like I am not. Is that guilt? Guilt for emails and phone calls not returned yet? But when I take a moment to breathe and analyze the situation, no one is actually hounding me, and things are getting done; this guilt comes from me to me. I am sure I am not the only one in our industry feeling a little chaotic right now. So, let’s all take a collective breath and think about what is and not what we imagine. Have some self-compassion and say, I see you trying hard.