Let me be honest, I didn’t want to travel. 

Normally I always go in November to Barcelona for one of the largest trade shows in our industry, called IBTM. In 2019 it was the last edition and Christophe joined me during my stay. We arrived earlier to spend the weekend together, and to enjoy the city. The days after I attended the show, he stayed and we flew back together. A tradition for many years.

When I spoke with my best friend, she suggested joining me during the weekend prior to the trade show. I hesitated and said, no, not this year.  Two weeks later, she called me to say that she’s behind the computer and will push the button to book the tickets to go to Barcelona. I couldn’t let her go alone, and booked my ticket the same evening. First, it felt awkward but after a while it gave me strength to have a goal and something to look forward to.

Resilience

After spending the weekend together in Barcelona, my friend left and I stayed for the tradeshow, not knowing what to expect. Despite visiting the show for many years, it’s hard to know how many people will attend this edition, how they behave, and what’s the mood and atmosphere.

The evening prior to the show I spent with amazing, joyful friends of the industry and it was a long time that I haven’t laughed so much. Just the fact of being together is already a blessing, a joy. And our industry is all about people! An excellent start of the show. It gave me confidence and energy.

The three things you realise when your life turned upside down

Personal story

The second day of the trade show, I had the opportunity to share my personal story of the past 2 years on stage. The first time live on stage, and directly in front of an international audience. I prefer to do an interview, it’s more relaxed and chose James Morgan to be my support. We have been on stage together in 2019 at the same show. He lost his brother due to cancer only 5 weeks ago. So he was the perfect interviewer for my talk. 

Of course I was nervous but after the time passed, I started to relax and enjoyed the conversation. Just after sharing the facts that I lost 4 loved ones this year, I broke down in tears. I knew this could happen and I didn’t mind. That was also the message and purpose of my talk. We have faced so many challenges and we are all human, show your vulnerability. It has been a tough road for many people at the show, not only for me. 

The tips I shared on stage were :

• Dare to be yourself, be vulnerable 

• What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger

• Write down your story, express your emotions 

• Cherish what you have, especially your social capital, your family and friends

• Take care of yourself, and put yourself as priority number 1, that is not selfish (like Helen Moon mentioned in our podcast)

80% of the businesses in our industry, the meetings and events industry, had a loss of income in 2020. People left the industry, due to several reasons. The fact that we were able to see each other face to face live in Barcelona means we survived until now, we invested our time and money to be here today. And we’re not afraid, we have the courage to travel to meet each other. Which means a lot. We are a very resilient industry and flexibility is key to survive.

The conversations I had at the show were human centered and the support I received I wouldn’t have missed for gold. The fact that I was at the show, was highly respected, and received strength and energy to continue. 

Despite the rough road, I remain optimistic for 2022. I see the resilience, flexibility and positivity in our industry. We are not there yet but it will come.

I wish all of you a cozy, happy and joyful Christmas and a healthy 2022 and continue to take care of each other.

Thank you buddy for taking care of me! And all the other amazing people for getting me through the darkest moments in my life.