In times of rapid change, leadership principles instruct us to lean on the core principles established by our organizations. What guides and grounds us as teams through the unknown and how does our culture move with and through the changes without abandoning our guiding principles? As our industry navigates from disruption to innovation…

…Ok, let’s be real…2020 has been a “bleep” show!

I know I am in lots of good company when I say that humor and gratitude has been my saving grace. A brief look back at my 2020 and lessons learned:

January

It rained on a group excursion to Granville Island, which made the hot chocolate that much sweeter while wandering the Public Market. Tourists were shoulder to shoulder, as the smell of fresh-baked goods and home-made soups propelled us through the maze of tempting goods.

Ben Nemtin’s presentation was a life-affirming hit, as usual, but the event was marred by the news of Kobe’s passing, which reverberated via phones and tablets around the ballroom.

Heading home from YVR, many international travelers were wearing masks. “Germaphobes!” I thought. 

Boarding the plane, I passed a couple in first-class wearing some sort of post-apocalyptic Darth Vader masks. I noticed later that they took them off to enjoy their champagne. Hmmm…

February

Quick trip to Scottsdale for a client event.  More amazing food, networking, and a thoroughly fun presentation by Matt Havens.  Had a conversation with an attendee- a financial advisor who owned a race car -and we shared dog photos.  After a scenic stroll back to my room with a glass of wine, I pulled up my TripIt account to review upcoming travel:
o Austin for two client events (love the two-fers) and an extra night built in to check out a local blues club.
o Maui (my first time) at the Ritz Carlton Kapalua (woo hoo!) for another long-time client. Extra days built i

for a little vacay.
o Orlando (of course…)
o Back to Scottsdale
o Boca Raton
o DC for a 3-day event with a couple of extra nights to hang out with two of my best friends from college.

March 1

o Posted a pic on FB captioned “This was a REALLY bad idea” showing the massive lines in Costco.
 Turns out- it was a good idea- since I bought the last pack of toilet paper to be found for months. 

March 3

o Attended a local event in San Diego and saw Devon Harris speak. A super nice guy with an engaging story. We shook hands on meeting, and hugged on departing. A few attendees predicted that the virus may slow things down a bit.
o Returned to the office and received my first Covid cancellation email from one of my Austin clients. The event was a week away. 
 Uh, Oh…
o Reached out to my other Austin client. They said – “full speed ahead- looking forward to seeing you!” 
 Ok. Good. I had Peter Sheahan and Heather McGowan booked and was really looking forward to seeing them.

March 6

o The Events Industry Council put out an informative, but daunting “…repository of materials related to Covid-19 aka Coronavirus…to educate and inform.” 
o Called off my Austin trip as news of travel restrictions circulated. 

March 9

 “D-day” - as in events falling like dominoes…

March 10

March 10: A friend emailed a recipe for home-made hand sanitizer. I scoffed, since I’d procured 20 small bottles at the dollar store (these were later recalled as potentially lethal knock-offs).

April

April 15

o Booked my first virtual speaker. 
 This could be a “thing!” 
 Made $200.

May

o Virtual promos? Um, not really, but he/she’s really getting the hang of it! Sweating.
o Somehow, thankfully, several virtual bookings.
o “Ummm, is this where you’ll be speaking on the day of event?” “Yes, why?” “Well, there is a toilet visible

behind you.”
o Pre-recorded for virtual? Yes, great idea.

June/July

o OMG: I’m never going to book another speaker again!
o Well, $500 is better than zero dollars.
o Ordered new running shoes.
o Returned new running shoes.
o Remembered I had a bike gathering dust.
 Also remembered, we have fresh air outside and it might be a good idea to get out in it (see wine and bacon comments above).

August/September

o Clients: “We need to do something for Fall meeting. Do you have any speakers doing well on virtual?  “Why yes, yes we do!”
o Dining room transformed into a yoga/ballet/Pilates/weight room by my kids, complete with a sign-up sheet. Order trainer for my bike. Attitude adjustment zone complete.

October 

o OMG: I’m never going to book another speaker again!
o At least I can take in some learning on virtual. All day… Every day…
o Client: “My CEO wants to book a big celeb for virtual! Yay!” 
 Me: “Well, yes, virtual fees are typically lower, but no, I don’t think he’ll accept $1500.”

November

o Heard there were some election shenanigans. Because I’m heeding all of the advice about fresh air and avoiding negative inputs- I blissfully miss the whole thing. 
 Begin lying about things that are obviously not true in attempt to self-soothe.
o Get questioned at the drugstore for having an expired license. Spend approximately 17 days on hold with DMV trying to track down the new one applied for in August. 
o Instacart delivery person attempts to withhold wine due to expired license. Solicit my daughter to produce a valid ID/secure wine for me.
o For Thanksgiving, we share a longer list than usual of things for which we are grateful, including Granny’s greens and Mac and Cheese which we procure via drive-by.
 Christmas tree goes up immediately after pumpkin pie (taboo in pre-Covid times).
Like all of us in this crazy industry (and humans in general), I’ve begun to wrap my head around the past several months. Here are my top 10 takeaways:

1.) Coffee tastes better in a ceramic mug, in my recliner, than in a metal travel mug in my car.
2.) My daughter makes an amazing veggie Poke bowl.
3.) Our dog Lola will wear a party hat for a good cause - like our drive-by tribute on Granny’s 78th birthday.
4.) My son is a master of logistics. And I don’t mean tech checks and recording agreements- I’m talking toilet paper, mask and sanitizer acquisitions.
5.) If, during a song I haven’t heard before, there’s a kick-ass harmonica solo, the answer is yes- of course it’s Stevie Wonder. I don’t know why it took so long for this one to sink in. 
6.) Neighbors cheering and yelling “more cowbell” nightly for months, is the sweetest reminder that the day really wasn’t so bad.
7.) The speakers with whom we collaborate, are some of the most talented and resilient people I know. 
8.) Our competitors are truly great, empathetic partners.
9.) Meeting planners are BADASS chameleons.
10.) This too, shall pass (the good and the bad).

So, while I am looking forward to a return to TSA lines, decadent buffets, and backstage reunions (with hugs and selfies)- I am also savoring my coffee in a real mug, the party-hat-wearing dog, and jostling for equipment with my kids in the dining/all-purpose chaos room.

Lisa Warren has been a partner with SpeakInc since Google was born and Diddy was Sean Combs. She is a (forcibly) retired runner, ElliptiGO enthusiast and proud mom to two grown kids. Oh – and then there’s Lola, the quirky, broccoli-loving rescue dog.

The online member directory is a great tool for building exposure for your company and to connect with other members. 

Accessing the Directory

To access the directory, visit www.iasbweb.org and select the "Find a Member" tab on the top right hand side. This will take you to the search form. You can search for companies either by their name or location. If you input the United States in the country field, you will then be able to further narrow your results by searching by state. For a complete list of members, click "Continue" without inputting any search criteria.

This search function is available to all visitors to the website and you do not need to log in to use this function. 

Logging In to Your Profile

There are two primary ways to log in to your profile. On the home page you will see a box in the lower right hand corner that says "Sign In" and every page will have a "Sign In" button in the top right hand corner. To log in, you will need to input your user name and password. Keep in mind, there is a separate log in for both your company record and your individual record. To make changes to your company record which will be reflected in the Member Directory, you will need to log in using the company info. 

If you do not know your username or password or if there is an individual in your company who does not yet have their own log in, please contact the IASB office for assistance. 

Updating Your Company Record

Once you have logged in, you will have access to your profile page which will have two sections: professional information and addition information. On the orange bar above each section on the right hand side, click the "edit" button. Here you can update your website, address, phone number, and fax number. Keep in mind, the information in these fields will be visible to the public. In the bio statement field, feel free to include some information about your agency, your values, or your mission statement. Some fields under "Account Information" are visible to the public such as email address, while your username and password are not visible. Once you have updated these fields, select "Save Changes" which will take you back to your profile home page. You may then click on the graphic of the grey buildings to upload your logo.

Please note that changes made to your company record may take up to a day to update in the member directory. If you have encounter any issues with your member record please contact the IASb office.