If what we knew three weeks ago is no longer valid, and we have no idea what the coming weeks will look like, then one thing is for sure – uncertainty is the new king!

The pandemic our world is facing caught us by surprise and forced us to manage amidst huge uncertainty: uncertainty as to when we can travel again, uncertainty as to when business events will return and uncertainty as to when the pandemic will be over.

The first step in dealing with uncertainty is to accept it – accept the situation you are facing.

The next step is to share and communicate. Communicate with your team, with your colleagues and with your friends – only together can you manage the day-to-day, which is ever changing.

Another key consideration in this situation is the importance of remaining optimistic. But how can we stay optimistic? The current coronavirus crisis has prompted the meetings industry to take extraordinary measures: many of us are fighting for our jobs, with companies at risk. However, those who remain optimistic, who share and communicate, are in many cases well-placed to see new opportunities as they arise.

One of the important roles of the PCO is to facilitate education. Until now education was mostly consumed face-to-face and hybrid education was only a buzzword. However, this pandemic has opened our eyes to new opportunities that are arising from the uncertainty.

Whilst we are all forced to stay at home, virtual events and eLearning portals have become the new norm (for now…). As PCOs we are all trying to learn, understand and specialise in this online world. This is exactly what IAPCO is doing. We help to facilitate sharing and communication between members. We are conducting successful webinars on virtual and more is coming soon. The exciting launch of our new eLearning platform, webEDGE, took place earlier this month, and IAPCO’s eLearning portal is more relevant than ever.

Our webEDGE platform will:
• Provide continued learning for PCO professionals
• Enable learning at your own pace, wherever you are, whenever you want
• Reward those who complete the 14-session package with CMP points

To conclude – this is smart education as it should be! Our webEDGE is free to IAPCO members and open to the entire industry at a marginal cost.

I am very positive that we will overcome this challenging period together! We are all fighting for a better future.

Stay strong and healthy,

Ori Lahav
IAPCO President
VP Client & Operations, Kenes Group