My New Extended Family by Ashley Holder

Upon entering into this industry just over five years ago, I realized that it was pure insanity. Our clients are demanding, the hours are long and hard; the physical, mental and emotional toll from some events is completely draining. I have found myself trying to explain to people about my job, my industry and what it’s like and yet they never quite get it.

Eventworld is like being with your family who understand you. They know the history; they know the ups and downs and the pressures involved. We are able to come together to not only support each other in times of hardship through our own personal efforts but through organizations like SEARCH. SEARCH is the foundation that assists event professionals in times of personal and professional crisis (such as the hardships felt by professionals in New Orleans after Katrina, or someone who has suffered a severe illness and needs help with medical bills) Recently they have expanded their efforts to include educating event professionals by giving scholarships to attend conferences like Eventworld. We celebrate each others achievements through award programs like the Esprits.

Sometimes we as professionals come across problems and we try to fix it on our own because feel embarrassed that we don’t know the answers. Eventworld allows you to talk to other salespeople, production managers, planners and business owners, who at some point, have been in the same situation. Why go through things alone and try to reinvent the wheel? These people aren’t competitors; they are colleagues and sounding boards.

If you were unable to go to Eventworld this year, try to make The Special Event or Eventworld next year. Between conferences, you can get the same feedback and support through the ISES Community. It’s a little bit like Facebook for ISES members where we can talk about our businesses, events and new ideas with other event professionals.

I said last week to a few people, it was like pushing the reset button to my soul and the more I look back on the experience the more I realize how true that that statement is for me.