Daria Higgins, Founder & Creative Director of True North Agency
March 2020 was when most of the world ‘locked down’ for the first time as a response to the coronavirus. Four years later, we’re dealing with the emotional aftermath of the pandemic that robbed us of so much: Loved ones and friends; our mental wellbeing; our belief that we’re inherently in control of our lives. All of us are dealing with changes to life and work as we knew it, and some of us are coping with loss of livelihood in its entirety following the closure of our businesses.
For those of us blessed enough to sustain our businesses through the pandemic, immediate gratification became a norm. As the world went digital we worked at speed, responded to mails as they arrived in our inboxes, and there was no ‘off button’. Post-Covid, there’s been no realignment. The deadlines we managed for digital work have seeped over into the deadlines for intellectual property. The pace of work remains relentless, and there are no boundaries. Stress, disengagement, and burn-out are a real danger.
It seems to me that the trauma, instead of bringing us closer together, is highlighting our differences. As people we’re different. Life and work are different. My questions is: How do we respect these differences while trying to establish our new normal? I think the word that makes the most sense to me is ‘reset’.
We need to reset our expectations; our boundaries; our sense of what it is to be an individual contributing to a collective.
The eventing industry was particularly hard-hit by Covid, especially in South Africa. It was brutal, to be honest. As people were forced to stay home, venturing out only for essential tasks, the need for our skills simply ceased to exist. And as our industry gets busy again, while we feel immense gratitude for having survived, we also feel an extreme sense of loss for our suppliers, vendors, clients, and colleagues whose businesses didn’t make it through, and for the people who didn’t make it back into the industry. I see massive gaps where skills and knowledge have seeped out, whether due to the pandemic or to the South African ‘brain drain’.
But, I’m incredibly excited and optimistic about the post-Covid challenges and our industry’s unique ability to provide belonging, connection, and community as corporates struggle to reintegrate their workforces and bring their people together – not on a screen, but in real-life.
Don’t get me wrong, digital eventing models have massive benefits. Think of a global company uniting staff members all over the world without incurring the massive costs and environmental footprint that would go into flying everyone to one destination. But I’m seeing that people are still craving connection. Actual, physical handshake-or-hug get-togethers, sitting in a space and feeling the energy of others on the same roller-coaster you’re on (laughing, not screaming in fear, obviously).
With this, I’m gratified to see a seismic shift from pre-Covid conference and events. There’s been a reset being designed into events that respects people’s time and personal needs. Days-long conferences are building in time for attendees to connect with their families between sessions. Breakaway rooms where introverts and super-stressed attendees can decompress are becoming a norm.
As an industry, we’re also being more outspoken about taking care of our own people and prioritising their health and safety. We’re being more forthright about building in extra costs and time to ensure that our staff, vendors, and partners work reasonable hours and have nutritious meals. And, if our clients are reluctant to make these allowances, we’re being more direct about working with clients who agree with our ethics and values. This is a massively empowering yet terrifying step.
As a business owner, it’s really scary to move away from ‘the way it’s always been done’. But I’ve realised that, as much as I love the energy and adrenaline, and making things happen, it’s all about finding a balance.
If I can take one lesson from Covid, it’s that everyone is trying to reset for a new normal, while longing for real connection. The eventing industry plays a critical role in facilitating connection at scale, but the world is also crying out for small acts of individual inclusion. It’s all about resetting how we value people… One act or event at a time.
