Experiencing my first in-person event in over a year
by Adam Waitkunas
Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend a fully in-person, no-mask industry event in San Antonio, TX. After over a year of being online, it was refreshing to connect with industry partners face-to-face at an event focusing on data centers, IT, and mission critical operations.
It felt thrilling and yet so normal to interact with old and new connections in a setting I hadn’t experienced in over a year. Going from ‘flattening the curve’ for thirty days to more than 12 months with limited to no physical contact with people outside of my household was especially difficult for someone like me—used to travelling and meeting with clients multiple times per month. Being able to strengthen current connections and foster relationships in person was something I missed and could not be substituted with Zoom or other online tools.
I commend 7X24 Exchange International for being the first in the data center industry to move forward with a fully in-person event, and I think others felt the same way. There were nearly 600 attendees, not far off from the organization’s record turnout and especially impressive considering there were no international attendees and numerous companies that still have travel restrictions. In-person events are crucial to business networking and relationship building. As I mentioned in an earlier blog The Importance of Returning to In-Person Events in a Post Pandemic Environment, there are numerous advantages to in-person gatherings including psychological, forging new relationships, and the physical social interaction and being able to read body language.
7×24 Exchange International is the leading knowledge exchange for data center, IT and mission critical professionals. The organization has grown from its modest beginnings to include over 375 member companies and 27 chapters. With attendees from across the country, I got to meet a number of interesting folks and continue to grow my network. Equally important was connecting with people I know that I haven’t seen in a year, many of whom had switched jobs or are working on new projects where there are opportunities to work together. If not for the ample networking opportunities and flow of this event, I would not have had these valuable conversations, as these interactions would not have been the same from a virtual meeting.
The conference felt just like a pre-COVID conference, opening reception Sunday evening with a band, open bar and numerous food stations, as well as great networking. In the following days the breakfasts and lunches continued as normal, and the exhibitor space outside the main conference areas gave attendees ample opportunity to network and see new products and service offerings in-person.
I also attended informational panels like the one hosted by M.C. Dean, Inc.’s Christopher McLean. McLean discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way the data center community communicates and collaborates during construction projects. Chris was joined by experts from Google, QTS and Yondr. I learned a lot from the final keynote discussion, led by Greg Stover from Vertiv. Greg mediated a conversation about the need for liquid cooling to meet the demands of high-density computing, something very relevant to our client, GRC. Having these presentations in-person also allowed for attendees to speak one-on-one with the presenters to gain additional knowledge.
The Spring 2021 Conference for the 7×24 Exchange International is the first, but not the last in-person event I will be attending this year. As the rate of COVID-19 vaccines increases in the US, there is more of a light at the end of the tunnel in this pandemic for businesses. I look forward to attending more in-person events throughout the summer and getting back to planning events for our roster of clients.
There have been rumblings that Zoom and other conference applications are the future of events and suitable for moving forward, and the last few months have indeed proven that events and meetings can function without in-person interaction. While this form of communication has held things together throughout the pandemic, many people are growing tired of zooming their way through endless meetings, panel discussions, and virtual happy hours. By now, people want the personal connections that are inherent with traditional events, as well as the facilitation of spontaneous business development and introductions, two important components of events that cannot be experienced through the computer screen.
Learn more about 7×24 Exchange International here.
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