Hi ,

 

December. We've arrived. Finally. I have received several dozen newsletters proclaiming the near-end of the horrible, no good, very worst year of 2020, and I almost feel like I should join in the chorus.

 

But...good things came out of this year, in spite of all the rigamarole that we endured. Relationships strengthened. Skills improved. Health maintained or improved. Creativity endured. And so on.

 

This week, a new short video on the ten things I've learned in a dozen years of blogging; an article that highlights the results of Exhibitor Magazine's most recent survey of exhibitors and event suppliers; and a new vlog/podcast that covers a wide variety of topics in a short missive.

 

Soundtrack for this week's issue. Okay, I'm really going deep and obscure with this one. I pulled out an album that I may have heard twice before, and at least thirty years gone by... Brian Auger's Oblivion Express and their 1971 release, "A Better Land." I remember hanging out with an acquaintance in the mid-70s when I was at my first radio job as Music Director. The acquaintance, who's name I don't recall, put on a Brian Auger album while we relaxed. I'd never heard of the guy, and being someone who liked music (and was a radio station music director to boot), I listened closely. And liked it. It's lush, mellow, jazzy with rock vibes, and went by quickly and easily. Very enjoyable. It's so obscure that it doesn't even show up on Spotify or on Apple Music. But worth it if you can track it down. 

Tom Goodwin:

 

Please don’t give up on 2020.

2016 was the year where David Bowie, Alan Rickman, Harper Lee, Muhammad Ali, Prince, and other icons died. It became a year of ever worse news and started the modern “trend” for people to declare a few months into each year that each and every year is the worst year ever. We post “this is fine” memes or dumper fire gifs as we give up on each and every year. It may be worth questioning whether things are getting better or worse, or looking at the backdrop of the last decade. 

In related news, the findings of a new quantum mechanics study point to the idea that “there is no such thing as an absolute fact, one that is as true for me as it is for you.”

 

<<<

 

Mark Schaefer

 

In 2020, the news has been dominated by surging illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths (on top of civil unrest, political divisiveness, joblessness, and an imperiled economy!).

There has not been enough attention paid to stress and the mental toll of the pandemic, which may exceed the physical damage in the long run.

• For every person who dies, there is an average of nine people who are thrown into a deep state of grieving.
• Pandemic fears are amplifying slightly neurotic behaviors.
• People on the front lines like hospital workers, nursing home aids, teachers, and childcare professionals have been stressed at dangerous levels for months.
• One in five COVID survivors has been diagnosed with anxiety, depression, or insomnia — for the first time in their lives—within 90 days of infection.
• For women, the pandemic’s mental toll is disproportionally high: one in four senior-level women are now considering leaving the workforce or downshifting their careers.

 

 

Actual Conversations with Clients. Some expected, some not.

 

7 Tradeshow Exhibit Must-Haves. What is needed at your next show. At least.