Value of Industry Events: Don’t Discount the Human Factor
Halle Donaldson, September 15th, 2017
More and more, it seems that major industry events are prompting discussions and debates as to whether they are “worth it” in terms of travel expense and time spent out of the office. Count me among those who wondered whether these junkets were really just over-the-top extravagances that are hard to justify.
I use the past-tense “wondered” because I no longer have any such reservations — not since I attended the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity in June. I came to realize that after peeling away all the glitz, these events are worth it due to all of the people who make them so special.
Being the young age of 24, two years into my career, I naturally was excited for the extravagance of the event. The beaches, the yachts, the parties and the people; I was eager, intrigued and most of all thrilled to be a part of this industry-changing week. I prepared myself as much as I could — perused the daily speaker schedule, RSVP’d to as many panels as I could, and slept, as I knew sleep would become a luxury that week. Although I prepared myself to the best of my ability, nothing I could have done would have readied me enough for my experience.
I met men and women who not only excel in their respected fields but are people who I look up to and one day hope to become. I exchanged contact information with CEOs and met a young man who founded his now thriving company by the time he was a mere 15 years old. Being a part of the Young Lion’s Academy, I was surrounded by men and women under the age of 30 from all walks of life, eager to absorb as much knowledge as they possibly could. All of these people inspired me.