It’s hard to believe that 2018 is already here. Corporate Event News was launched just over three months ago, on Sept 20, and the time has flown by. Thank you for your readership, for subscribing to our weekly newsletter, and for contributing your ideas, suggestions, and content.

When I signed on for the editorial role at CEN, I thought I’d enjoy combining my years of experience with corporate events with my passion for writing. As it turns out, I don’t just like it – I love it.  While I’m not a news junkie like our founder, Rachel Wimberly, I find it fascinating to see what is changing in our industry and have the opportunity to speak to some of the people who are on the cutting edge of innovation around events.

Corporate Event News has allowed me to rekindle friendships with many event-industry acquaintances, make new connections, and forge new relationships both online and in person. The common themes have been openness and sharing. I’ve been impressed by the fact that nearly everyone I have reached out to has been happy to help, whether providing a quote, agreeing to an interview, or being a sounding board for ideas.

Some of the highlights of the past three months have been getting CEN off the ground, building and maintaining a kick-ass editorial calendar, and of course the conversations with everyone who has contributed to the success of our endeavor. We launched a partnership with CEMA, the Corporate Event Marketing Association. We’ve continued to expand our readership, and everyone with whom I’ve spoken has given a resounding “YES” answer when asked if they are interested in the content we provide.

Last month at SPINCon I met a whole community of senior event professionals who were willing to share their experiences and expertise – and wear unicorn onesies and pajamas in the middle of the day. That’s the kind of confidence and inspiration I want for this industry: the ability for each of us to be a strong and independent individual who is also willing to collaborate, help others, and contribute to a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.

My resolution for Corporate Event News in 2018 is to continue to deliver useful news, information, and tools to help corporate event professionals become more strategic, more knowledgeable, and more highly valued within your organizations.  We’ll soon be sending out our first quarterly reader survey, which will contain a formal request for feedback to help us validate our direction and continue to deliver the type of content that will help me – and you – achieve these goals together.

Special thanks go to our marketing director, Karyn Gilbert, for her tireless efforts to promote CEN and come up with new and innovative ways to make our engagements fun and interesting. As a reminder, you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 

If you’re enjoying reading Corporate Event News, please tell your industry friends and colleagues about it, and let them know they can subscribe here. 

Interested in submitting a guest blog post? Contact me at dwmenegus@corporateeventnews.com.