Dear Members and Friends

I don’t know about you but, as the months have passed since all our events went virtual, I have noticed a real drop off in the number of questions asked at webinars. Does this mean people are less interested than before? I don’t think so. After all, they registered for the webinar. However, I do think people are significantly less engaged than they would be in an in-person event because the webinar format allows them to be. They are not visible to the speakers. This means the audience can do other things which means the speaker and/or the panel do not benefit from all the attention and curiosity of the audience.

My team and I very much look forward to hosting in-person events again. Where people will not be so distracted by that e-mail or call from the boss because their ‘phone is on silent mode’. Nor will they be distracted or tempted by another task or need to answer a question from a child or family member. There is no greater form of respect we can give a speaker than actively listening to what is being said or discussed and engaging with him or her. There is no greater benefit to us than being fully present in the moment. Don’t you agree?