2020 will certainly go down as a year to remember! And some might argue 2020 is a year to forget.
We are battling a pandemic that simultaneously is keeping us physically apart, while at the same time bringing us together as we help one another manage the uncertainty we face. But this year brought so much more than COVID-19 – truth! If you look beyond the headlines, you will see celebrations of milestones, accomplishments and daily life all around you!
The Kinsley Meetings family is excited to share with you our 2020 to remember:
January
2020 started off on a great (and chilly) note! We celebrated the one-year anniversary of Steve Kinsley’s successful kidney transplant. And then headed to sunny, but chilly, Florida where we bundled up in winter coats to help the National Biodiesel Board share their VISION to 700+ people during their Annual Conference & Expo.
February
We hit the ground running and flying in February, leading conferences in Denver (ProGreen), New York City (PLUS), and Las Vegas (USB). And after telling the team which way to go Allison Kinsley, then decided to give her voice a break and participated in her second '10 Days of Silence' retreat, where she reset and rechanneled her energy. (Check out her first '10 Days of Silence' experience here!)
March
The month started like any other (albeit with a bit of rumbling overseas…)
The Kinsley team joined fellow meeting & event planners for the 20th Annual MIC of Colorado Conference, where we heard insight from Mike Dominguez, connected with representatives from destinations nationwide, tasted delicious concoctions and celebrated our growing industry together.
That was March 10th and 11th.
Two days later, Friday the 13th, our world came to a stop.
A hard stop.
April
While April seemed like it was either April Fool’s Day or Groundhog Day over and over and over again…the Kinsley team actually came together to pump each other up!
Some of us discovered new skills:
Crafting cocktails (Quarantini anyone?)
Bartering with others (I’ll trade you toilet paper for Clorox wipes)
Completing Beachbody 21-Day Fix workouts…then 42-Day Fix workouts…then 63-Day Fix workouts…
Some of us found out why teachers should make more than movie stars! (When did math get sooo hard?)
Some of us celebrated even more milestones - Allison is officially three years clear of breast cancer!
And when the going got tough? The tough got going. Alicia Perras and Cary Hepp earned their CVENT Certification!
May
As COVID conditions wore on, we were introduced to the word PIVOT!
And we helped introduce others to the concept. Andrea Brennan, Jen Houseman and the Kinsley team hosted our very first Kinsley Webinar, one of several online events we would lead this year.
Cary earned her Certified Virtual Event Professional (CVEP) certificate, while Scott Verrue showcased the Kinsley Meetings' Gig Harbor office to the team for the first time!
June
In June, we started to experience a bit of Zoom fatigue and ‘Pivot’ fatigue. Can you blame us?
To battle back, we rediscovered road trips and camping and learning how to appreciate, more than ever, seeing each other in person (albeit 6 feet apart with masks on.)
Anniversaries were celebrated with fancy take-out boxes (cheers to Scott & his wife Diana)…and birthdays were celebrated with car parades!
July
July was busy on the work front…and that might be an understatement!
Nancy Weiss led not one, but two, virtual events in one month for the United Soybean Board. She helped them navigate a new virtual meeting platform for their July board meeting and planned a Farm Stress webinar.
Allison contributed her expertise to the Events Industry Council Business Recovery Task Force and the team published the Meeting and Event Design Guide – to help lead our industry to a recovery. You may have seen her on one of the many webinars around this time, promoting the Guide.
August
In August we found out Patrick Mahomes was not the only one having the best year ever…so too was Alicia Perras!
In less than one-week, Alicia:
Earned her Certified Meeting Professional Certificate
Hiked 25 miles
Got engaged!
Scott also had a pretty swell August and got his first haircut since the COVID lockdown. We were ALL proud of him!
Finally, we celebrated a new Kinsley holiday – National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day (because who doesn’t love a frosted Chocolate Chip Cookie?)
September
A few big starts this month:
School...er...“started”
We helped Gard’n-Wise “start” their first virtual event ever with hundreds of dealers participating across the nation!
And we “started” a petition to ban the word PIVOT from the English language
October
We had more good thrills than scary chills in October.
Megan Myers earned her Virtual Event & Meeting Management Credentials, while Jen Houseman became a PRO at creating immersive experiences for at home event attendees. (Hello -- mixologists, wine tasting, trivia and live emcees!)
And out of the 744 hours in the month, Andrea, Megan and Alicia spent about 743 of them doing cue-to-cue run throughs to ensure a flawless IgNS Conference, reaching thousands of individuals in the medical profession nationwide.
November
As leaves started to fall, our spirits didn’t!
We kicked off November with the 2020 Professional Liability Underwriting Society three-day virtual conference.
We celebrated our very own Veteran, Cary Hepp, and Kinsley Meetings was presented with the Patriot Award by the Employer Support of Guard & Reserve (ESGR) for their support of their employees who serve in the military.
December
As we look to close out one heck of a year, the Kinsley team is NOT slowing down.
We helped USB with their second Virtual Board Meeting and first live remote concert!
And we came together as a team--- socially distanced of course --- to volunteer at a local Food Bank, giving back at a time when it is needed the most.
As you count down the days to 2021, be sure to take time to count the accomplishments and milestones you may have marked in 2020. Then look to make this a year to remember, despite the things we’d like to forget.
To health, achievements, family and friends --- Happy Holidays from the Kinsley Team.