BTN throughout 2021 has followed a group of meeting practitioners on the recovery’s progress as companies return to face-to-face events. Participants in the third of the three-part series include Zurich-based Nadja Haag, global meetings and events manager for Takeda Pharmaceuticals; ZS Associates meetings and travel manager Suzanne Boyan; Anthem director of travel and events Cindy Heston; and industry consultant Betsy Bondurant. They spoke with BTN senior editor Donna M. Airoldi in late October and early November about how the issues facing meeting and event departments had evolved in the past few months. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
BTN: How have you resumed in-person meetings, and what have you learned?
Suzanne Boyan: It was an adventure. The largest required the most coordination. We invited 297 [people] and did a lot of things we had not done in the past. We had to consider [National Interest Exception] waivers to get people into the country for…