The Only Show in Town? Bouncing Back Safely

It seems a long time now since we shot out of the 2020 starting blocks with 600+ professionals from 350 built environment businesses attending our first 6 roadshows of what was shaping up to be another bumper year and probably best to date.

And then along came COVID and everything changed and changed quickly…

At this point, it would be really easy to dwell on all the negatives of industry event cancellations, venues repurposed as field hospitals etc. etc. but frankly I think we’ve all had enough of the ‘end is nigh’ and media mayhem surrounding the situation so maybe a more positive note would be more appreciated.

Choosing to inhabit a more positive place is where we have chosen to sit so I would like to cover off the 3 N’s that have allowed us to return to business sooner than most whilst remaining safe and sitting within guidance.

New – Change what you do and how you do it, accept that the old ‘Normal’ isn’t just around the corner so create a new one.

Now – do it QUICK, change before you lose your momentum, energy or become irrelevant in the current climate.

Nerve – stay true to your USP, it is still the main thing - just hold your nerve but be creative and have contingencies about how you will deliver it going forwards – fact..business is a bumpy road only sometimes the bumps are bigger than others!

And finally, the N we don’t talk about .. NOTHING – doing this is NOT an option, ultimately it will be entrepreneurial spirit and innovation that will be responsible for kick-starting any economic recovery.

As Caroll Bryant once said. “Some people make things happen. Some people watch things happen. And then there are those who wonder, 'What the hell just happened?”

So even though the events industry was amongst the first to be affected, with many exhibitions cancelled and many not returning anytime soon, we were determined to be people that were making things happen and getting back to what we are good at and recognised for across the industry - connecting people.

Throughout lockdown, we continued to talk and listen to our friends and customers across the industry, gauging appetite to engage whilst reimagining our format to ensure we could return with a platform that once more allowed people to connect, chat and build important business relationships at ease and of course in a safe environment.

So after a few hurdles and false starts along the way our next normal fired up last week in London and delivered the first events of our return and, albeit different, we kept true to our promise of connecting specifiers and suppliers,  everyone involved was energised, happy and grateful to be able to reconnect, accepting sanitisation and social distancing measures as a small price to pay to reconnect with like-minded built environment professionals.

Obviously our events don’t happen without suppliers and specifiers coming together and we had a great turn-out from both, with many of our customers showing loyalty, belief, and support second to none, plus an awesome turn-out from London’s finest Architecture and Building Services practices allowing us to deliver our USP and prove that holding our nerve and bouncing back was the right thing to do after all.

And finally, team Specifi need a mention for embracing the next normal with such energy and enthusiasm and bringing a much-needed business as usual approach to such an unprecedented situation.

Finally, I thank and applaud all those holding their nerve, bouncing back and doing their bit to get the industry back on its feet at the moment to contribute positively to UK plc once again.