EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR UPDATE
MEETINGS ARE BACK By Kelly Rodenberg
M
ore than a year after the COVID-19 ed meeting environment. They will just pandemic effectively shut down become a normal way of blending the two in-person meetings, the AKFCF safely going forward. Another factor that plays brought members of the board back together into the dual meeting environment is time. from May 27-28, 2021 at the Gaylord Palms Especially now with the labor crunch, time in Orlando. With many people vaccinated away from the restaurant is just not feasible. and mask mandates lifted, we felt it was time By holding hybrid options for members, to resume some normal activity. this allows them to choose the best way to And let me tell you, it was amazing to feel participate. those personal connections and unexpected In Orlando, we tested the Meeting Owl ideas that come from meeting face-to-face Pro technology for the first time. The and sharing a meal together. It’s often through Meeting Owl Pro is a premium 360-dean informal conversation that we can learn gree camera, mic, and speaker combined the most about each other and experience into one, easy-to-use device. It creates the intangibles, such as values, that are hard to see experience of in-person participation for through a Zoom screen. hybrid teams and integrates seamlessly with It has been demonstrated that facethe conferencing platforms you already use to-face meetings boost collaboration, such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams. I think creativity, and create positive business outcomes, all while building strong communities. Face-to-face meetings allow us to build powerful, personal connections and break down barriers through the ability to see facial expressions and detect other non-verbal cues that help to foster stronger, more trusting relationships. However, we are living in a new world. It’s time to adapt and shift our mindsets, develop new skills, and rethink how we make decisions to stay agile, connected, and human. I believe we will see a modification in our approach about what “meeting” really looks like and how it can be achieved. I think there will be a new openness about the development of digital skills and ultimately a more inclusive approach to the technologies we use for meetings. In the future, I expect that for most of us, virtual meetings will move from something seen as a nice-to-have to an Meeting Owl Pro accepted, must-have part of a blend-
it worked well and this will probably be something we purchase for future AKFCF meetings. In the coming months, we will be generating and creating both types of experiences. AKFCF and KFC’s RGM Connect in July will be the first-of-its-kind, virtual event for RGMs. And happily, the 2022 AKFCF Annual Convention will be a live conference in Orlando from March 7-10. Both events will provide a “shared” experience, creating connections that make a lasting impact. I look forward to seeing and meeting you over this next year, whether face-to-face or virtually. Great things happen when people come together, because when we meet, we have the power to create new opportunities. n
Summer 2021 AKFCF Quarterly 53
