AIIM20 in Dallas, TX was one of the last live industry events to happen before COVID-19 shut down much of the in-person world as we know it. I know exactly how lucky AIIM was to get that in before the shutdowns. Since then, almost exactly a year ago, just about all industry conferences, meetups, workshops, happy hours, etc. have been postponed or pushed to virtual.
Well, sure. COVID-19 is real, and it's dangerous, and in our industry in particular I think we skew a bit towards older and probably less healthy because more sedentary. There are some other aspects of the shutdowns that I think range from probably warranted to completely unjustified, but I'm going to keep my focus on my industry and the things I do and attend...or did.
Full disclosure: I was diagnosed with COVID-19 in early December 2020. Loss of taste and smell, typical head cold-type symptoms, shortness of breath I'm still working to overcome - no fever, ever, though. So much for temperature checks, at least for some cases. Mostly recovered, though, and tested negative again as of December 29. As of April 2021, I am fully vaccinated (Pfizer), and that plus the prior exposure should leave me pretty well-protected for some time, though I suppose we don't know how long yet.
So. Since AIIM20 I've attended or participated in a number of virtual events - our CIP Independent Study Group and other virtual instructor-led training (VILT), the MER 2020 conference, the AIIM 21 virtual conference, and others. I think some of them have been very successful, but others have been less so, for any number of reasons. I'm not a fan, for example, of the avatar/virtual world approach. I think the tech is still not there yet, at least in meaningful widespread availability in an easy-to-use format, and it always feels like an attempt to replicate in-person interaction in a way that completely misses the points: the serendipity of the hallway meeting and the ability to easily pull someone else into the same. I just don't get the same vibe or ability to riff in that environment.
And that's the thing for me. Most of the time I attend an event, I'm not expecting to learn a lot from the actual sessions themselves. Maybe I'm not going to the right events - or maybe most events aren't focused on people like me who are more senior and don't need the entire history of the world explained at the start of every session. (Aside: Speakers: fix yourselves. Event organizers: fix your speakers.)
But the value I have in attending events is in the networking: the serendipitous meetings, the waves from across the hall, the chance to engage and interact and probe and laugh in a meaningful way a dozen different times a day. It's the conversations at lunch, or at the bar at the end of the day, or in the karaoke lounge waiting for my turn. It's the late night bull sessions, and the discovery of new restaurants and bands with colleagues.
So I am actively looking for opportunities to get together with like-minded people. Let's do it safely - the usual precautions apply. Get your vaccine when you can. Elbow bumps or waves from 6 feet away, at least for a while longer. I'll do the same, and I have lots of masks and I'm happy to use them. But I'm ready and available - for private or public training courses, for conferences or other events with at least some in-person component, for chapter meetings, etc.
I'm not doing this to be irresponsible. Rather, I believe that if we can safely interact with each other to some minimal extent in other arenas - some offices, grocery stores, hair salons, even gyms - we can, and many of us need to, do so at other industry events. I am not an extrovert by any means, though I know and feel for many of them. But even as a confirmed introvert I'm past ready to reengage my colleagues in person. I know it can be done safely, at least for most people, and I've absolutely embraced the hybrid model, but I'm looking forward to seeing many of you again soon and in person.
