Maugie: To kiss or not to kiss

To be taken seriously as an industry, just who should we embrace? Event industry expert, Maugie Lyons asks the question…

Thespians must be taken seriously.

I spent the month of October avoiding people. I did not want anyone in my personal space… why you may ask? I had a virus and I did not want to pass it on. It got me thinking that in our industry we greet people with an air kiss or two. What other industry does that besides the acting world. Our industry attracts the most diverse range of people and it is true to say that we are the thespians of the corporate world.

We create magic on an almost daily basis, delivering events on a shoestring and helping people keep their jobs in large unfriendly organisations. We are the secret supplier and usually the unappreciated link in a delivery chain. For example, caterers orders are usually the last to be signed and are always negotiated to the final penny, yet every visitor will judge the event on the size of a muffin or taste of the coffee.

Why are we unappreciated? Is it that we are generally a fun lot and though we generate bonhomie among ourselves it can be inclusive and exclusive in equal measure? Or is it that we may have forgotten how to interact with the rest of the world in a manner that is expected and professional? To kiss or to shake hands can be a conundrum though I suspect it is something that we do not think about. Just as I suspect that people in the corporate world rarely think about how important our industry is to them.

To take this further I rather fancy sending a questionnaire to key contacts that have had AGM Christmas parties and perhaps a little training in the last year to enquire if they know or can name any of our industry associations? Can we the insiders tell what these organisations stand for? What organisation best represents us? Yes, we have luvvies but we contribute to the GDP and are a vital sector. Yet I’m not sure who we should be embracing to ensure we are taken seriously are you?