This month marked one year since the last time TRG Marketing staff members attended an in-person trade show on behalf of a client. The “anniversary” gave us a chance to look at where we are…and perhaps where we are going.
The last 12 months has, at times, felt like a blur of Zoom calls and Teams meetings, an attempt to stay connected while being apart, all while balancing the real fear of what tomorrow might bring with the hope that comes from working each day to move business forward and continue serving customers.
In the final weeks of 2020, TRG staff noticed what appeared to be “online meeting fatigue” as we moved through our days. The combination of impending holidays, a desire to put the entire year in the rearview mirror and constant drumbeat of uncertainty clearly took the starch out of all of us.
Which brings me back to early February. The 2021 version of a client’s tradeshow was held virtually, of course, but there was a different feel to the proceedings. Maybe turning the calendar has positively turned some attitudes, or perhaps it’s the start of COVID-19 vaccine distribution, or the comfort level that comes from realizing that there are other platforms out there (gasp!) for connecting online, both one-on-one or in groups.
Show attendees certainly missed the personal connection that comes from simply being together. But there was hope in the air, that we will get together again soon and that we can thrive and succeed by adapting and learning to serve our clients in new ways.
