#Grateful for my AMC

One of the ways I have been coping with the COVID-19 crisis is by choosing to focus on the many things in my life and in the world for which I am grateful. It’s actually a practice I’ve been doing for quite a while – spending the first few moments of each morning focused on the good in my world before I get up and try to tackle the day – but it’s become almost essential to survival over the last month.

I highly encourage it if you aren’t already doing it. In the moments where all of the threats in the world and the uncertainty of the future of in-person gatherings seems overwhelming, focusing on the immediate good for which you can be thankful makes it all much easier to handle.

As I participated in virtual activities celebrating Global Meetings Industry Day on April 14, I experienced gratitude for being a part of an Association Management Company in a whole new way. As I watched different sessions on everything from designing virtual events to crisis communications in the midst of a global pandemic, I monitored closely the chat window in which participants from all over the world connected, asked questions, and commented on the challenges they are experiencing.

I realized that there are so many people in associations and organizations who are navigating all of this mostly on their own. Of course, organizations like MPI, ASAE, AMCI and industry partners are providing support on a global scale and the resources are incredible. But taking all that information and distilling it down is pretty much a full-time job on its own right now. I saw many comments from people — thankful to have a job in this environment – but clearly overwhelmed with information and struggling to determine what to tackle next.

While I was on this broadcast, I received a couple of emails from our internal Conferences and Events Department sharing articles and analysis of what’s going on in the industry right now and what is being projected for the coming months, specific to the areas in which our association clients have events.

I also received feedback from our finance team on the status of CARES Act funding for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Emergency Advance (funding currently exhausted, but hopefully more will be made available!) and an update from our Association Administration department on our association management system’s resources for extending grace periods for membership dues.

I realized right then how lucky I am. I don’t have to feel overwhelmed by the information, because with experts throughout my AMR team focused on each component of the COVID-19 crisis impacting our associations, I can focus on the strategic aspects of keeping my association clients moving forward. In that moment, I experienced a whole new sense of gratitude and now each day when I wake up, being thankful for my AMC is at the top of my list.

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