I recently listened to Brian Buffini on his It’s a Good Life podcast share a thought that I believe applies directly to the hospitality industry; “community can’t exist without proximity.”

The meetings and events industry is all about bringing people together, face to face. Recent times have underscored the significance of physical proximity, as remote communication has accentuated feelings of separation and isolation. We need to be close to our “community” which is made up of our family, friends, co-workers, clients, and industry partners.

Currently, I am challenging our team (Team Baarman @ ConferenceDirect) to take these three simple steps:

1. Make a list of their community.
   1. Family
   2. Friends
   3. Current and past co-workers
   4. Clients
   5. Industry partners

2. Reach out and invite them to meet you.

3. Get together.

Our team is fortunate as we will be getting together with all our co-workers and over 600 of our industry partners soon at our Annual Partner Meeting in Arlington, TX. Without opportunities like this, the challenge is to continuously find ways to be with our community. Don’t wait for them to reach out to you…reach out to them. Find ways to be close as “community can’t exist without proximity.”

If you want to get close with us, you can find us on our website or reach out to me and I will connect you.

Team Baarman: https://teambaarman.com/team/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dougbaarman/

Email: doug.baarman@conferencedirect.com