RE: The Ground Can Shift, Roots Keep Me In Place

I remember that lead up, hearing the stories in China... and the slow news as it was found here and there outside Asia.

Next thing I knew, a huge biotech conference, here in my town (Boston) was rife with news of the virus spreading... and then, that week, mid March,2020...

I was working on a huge, worldwide employee meeting for a tech company. we had dozens of download sites, and here outside Boston, we had an abandoned warehouse set up a s a TV studio, with seating for a live audience.

After Monday's set up, we talked over possibilities.. including postponing, or changing the format. By Tuesday morning, we were talking with the Global CEO, and trying to decide, after only 15 minutes, the audience was cancelled, and changed to Senior level Execs only, of about 100. By the end of rehearsals Tuesday, even that was cut to only those speaking would be present. During the actual broadcast and show, my phone lit up with Text after Text, as an entire spring quarter's worth of events and jobs disappeared. By the end of work, on March 13th, almost all of my work for spring and summer 2020 was gone.

I wouldn't find out until a month or so, but that would turn into all of 2020, and, as of now, most of 2021. The events late winter/early spring 2020 were some of the first superspreader events. Our industry, Special Events, and the Arts, were one of the first shut down.

I am hearing from clients, and former colleagues, that the hope is that Early Winter 2021, but more likely 2022 will be when we can expect work again.

It's ok, I have a few rolls of toilet paper, and some frozen chicken, and moldy fruit... hopefully, my family and I will not need to eat until 2022.