?Surmont focused the session on a few topics that are most pressing to association planners right now. Under the heading of “post-Covid event mindsets,” panelist Earla Jones, CMP, director of conference services and operations for the American Library Association, noted that “we cannot say to our potential attendees, ‘We’re getting back to normal.’ Too many people had traumatic experiences personally or professionally during the Covid pandemic. So, they don’t believe that and they don’t want to hear that. We need to acknowledge that the old normal is gone and that we’re searching together for a new foundation,” which will drive demand for an association’s events.

?Sharyn Weiss, director of strategic partnerships at the Council for Exceptional Children, said from the stage that “people want well-being in their event experiences now. They want to be cared for as a whole person, not just in their job duties,” and that associations must adapt their attendee offerings through creative sponsor opportunities that focus on the well-being mission.?