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dealing with constraints in the meetings industry

Dealing with Constraints in the Meetings and Events Industry

If there was ever a time in our lives to seek silver linings, it has been this past year.  And if you’re in the meetings and events industry, you’re digging deep to see the good in circumstances.  Constraints have been put on all of us this past year.  Some were bound in time, some in the inability to travel, some in the inability to make money.  But my friend, there are more silver linings than you think.  Dealing with constraints and finding those silver linings can help us grow and flourish.

There is great fear when faced with a constraint, but there is also a  great gift in them as well.  Constraints put on our lives and work prod us to push outside of our comfort zone boundaries; to stretch and grow in ways you never thought possible.  Living outside of your comfort zone is where the true living happens, true growth and true unlimited potential.  The real fear lies in thinking there is no change or growth possible, and status quo reigns supreme.  That, I feel, is the life half-lived, that is where I would feel the true constraint.

Instead, I hope you’ve chosen to push through the constraints in your life, and start to experience an awakening like never before.

Perhaps you found yourself dealing with constraints, and stumbling into their gifts this past year:

Constraint – Inability to host an in-person meeting
Silver Lining – Ability to reach more of your members and friends through a virtual meeting

Constraint – Inability to come together as an industry to celebrate Global Meetings Industry Day
Silver Lining – Ability for 15,000 industry professionals to come together virtually at #GMIDgoesvirtual

Constraint – Furloughed from a job
Silver Lining – Ability to re-examine our strengths and what we can do in our industry and beyond

Constraint – Inability to host clients onsite through site visits and FAMs
Silver Lining – Ability to stretch our imaginations and engage clients through creative outlets

Constraint – Inability to work full-time in current employment
Silver Lining – Time to devote to projects that sat on the backburner

Constraint – Permanent job loss
Silver Lining – The discovery of jobs that you never knew existed, and you have the sales and operations know-how to slay it!

Constraint – Loss of salaried employment
Silver Lining – The gift of possibility in entrepreneurship

Constraint – Loss of marketing dollars to attract an audience to meetings and events
Silver Lining – The discovery of free and engaging social media platforms to drive attendance and engagement

Constraint – Inability to work because of child-care/ children’s education
Silver Lining – The building of strong, foundational relationships within your family

Constraint – Lack of funds due to lack of work or bonuses
Silver Lining – A return to a simplistic and wholistic lifestyle, free of materialistic drive and desire

Constraint – Inability to go into the office
Silver Lining – The gift of time afforded by working from home

Constraint – Inability to travel
Silver Lining – The exploration and discovery of the beauty of your own hometown

Constraint – Inability to see family and friends
Silver Lining – Ability to communicate more frequently through the power of Zoom

Constraint – Taking measures to stay safe and healthy when away from home
Silver Lining – Ability to care and love on others by staying safe and healthy when away from home

Constraint – Inability to host in-person meetings
Silver Lining – Ability to showcase our importance and economic impact to the GDP

Whatever the constraint may be, finding ways to FIND the silver lining is critical to being creative, staying positive and affecting change.

Tips for Dealing With Constraints:

  1. Determine WHY the constraint is happening – chances are the constraint is outside of your control, so release yourself of any shame associated with the constraint.
  2. Accept the constraint, and the need for change – this is the most difficult step in dealing with constraints; its hard to let-go of what was a typical behaviour in our lives, but taking the time to process that this is indeed now a challenge in our lives, and recognize the need to try something different will help you move on to the next step
  3. Map out alternatives – Looking at what can be done instead can help us move faster through the disappointment of the constraint, into acceptance and excitement for something new in our lives
  4. Start. – Sometimes the hardest step in doing something new, is the first step.  Be in registering for a new course or certification, using a technology tool for the first time, retooling your resume or starting a new project, the overwhelming first step is the biggest one.  Compound your success by getting through the first step, and continue to move through the subsequent steps, even if only small steps, each and every day.

Wherever your constraint, push through the boundaries and find yourself in a true, creative space this season.

 

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Photo by John Matychuk on Unsplash