Many years ago, I worked for an individual who liked to say, “Hope is not a plan." If anyone, including me, said they “hoped (fill in the blank)," he would remind us of this. For years this has stuck with me.
It's sage advice. But if my career has taught me anything, it's this: While hope may not be a plan, it's a necessary first step. Knowing where you want to be, putting a plan in place with measurable deliverables, communicating the plans so everyone is on the same page, monitoring outcomes and, yes—a lot of positivity and hope—are essential paving stones on the road to excellence.
When I joined AME three years ago, I had great detailed plans and ideas on what we would accomplish. Then, as we all know, the world changed. The pandemic hit and we had to adapt, proving that no matter how spectacular the plan, it can and should be subject to change. Plans are only successful if we manage them appropriately and adapt to challenges. I would argue that hope and positivity sustained us at times in the last three years better than our best-laid plans.
Between the support of the AME community, established solid plans to adjust, and a fair amount of hope, AME is now in a better position than ever to provide resources and support to its members. Connecting in person is the number one thing I hear from members today. They want to network face-to-face. We proved it can be done last October when over 1,200 people celebrated at the AME conference in Dallas. Now, we are focusing more than ever on a return to in-person content in Cleveland.
This year's conference will still offer the same great on-demand content that we have been offering since 2020, but for our in-person registrants, we will be offering more networking opportunities than ever. Moreover, we are committed to helping our members plan for success. For those still considering a trip to Cleveland this fall or engaging with the conference on demand, we are offering, for a limited time, up to 40 percent off every pass. This is our lowest conference pricing. For companies hoping to send larger teams to the conference, it gets even better. Passes do not need to be assigned during registration and can be assigned at a much later date; so even if things change, we've got you covered. This pricing tier and its significant savings will expire on February 28th, so don't wait.
Planning is incredibly important, especially when it comes to the planning involved in AME events. Behind the scenes, there are a lot of people who we don’t see doing an incredible amount of work. It is easy to see the people who deliver content; what we miss are the people behind the curtain planning, budgeting, setting up the infrastructure, etc. Before I sign off for the week, I want to take a moment to offer kudos to those who rarely get the recognition they so aptly deserve. I am immensely proud of our team, and I cannot wait for you to see what they have in store for you this year.
As always, please stay safe and keep looking out for one another.
