Today kicks off our 8 Weeks of Joy blog post series! Since 2020, we’ve dedicated the 8 weeks leading up to the new year to doing and sharing acts of kindness, positivity, and inspiration on our blog.
This series has been a great way for us to get creative about ways we can give and show appreciation to our community. Past activities have included volunteering with the Salvation Army, baking sweet treats for neighbors, sending holiday cards to folks at an assisted living home, and creating a “Holiday Cheer” for our audience.
For the next 8 weeks, we’ll highlight different team members who will be sharing something they’re doing that brings them joy or spreads joy to others! Today, Sandy is sharing what brings her joy… in-person economic development events!
Here’s Sandy…
In-person economic development events bring me joy! (And actually, everything about economic development brings me joy…)
Last week, we wrapped up the 13th Annual Economic Development Week in Maryland, and we had the in-person MEDA Fall Conference. Recently, I also attended the IEDC Annual Conference and the VEDA Fall conference. While I love that technology and Zoom allows us the freedom and ability to connect virtually, nothing beats getting to be in person with friends and colleagues.
MEDA has been a longtime client for many years, and we all work remotely. Once a quarter, we get to come together for conferences, and we’re like a crazy dysfunctional family at a reunion. We know all the silly jokes – and we’re there for each other in the thick and the thin. We had lots of inside jokes during the conference – including busting the myth of the “ghost on the 3rd floor” at the hotel we were staying at, and laughing about the hotel only having bathrooms and not showers. (Maybe you had to be there…)
At the MEDA Conference, there were many clients that I talk to every week on the phone that I only get to see every other month or 4 or 5 times a year. There were several people there that I also got to see at the IEDC Conference in Dallas.
I’m making a purposeful conscious effort to attend more in-person events and gatherings, and carrying that over into strategic business development. And, I’m very excited to continue the in-person experiences in a few weeks when the PPR team is meeting up in person for our annual retreat!
Reimagining Places With You,
Sandy and the PPR Strategies Team
