One Day: Reflections from AAMD's Executive Vice President
I woke up this morning and scanned my iPhone. What did 3/17/20 have in store for me personally?
First, I noticed it was March 17, - St. Patrick’s Day? Crazy, it didn’t feel like St. Patrick’s Day at all. I didn’t even consider looking for that one green striped shirt I have. With bars and restaurants closed, today would be a most different St. Patty’s day! I’d encourage everyone to still order “pick-up” from your favorite restaurants if possible.
Membership meeting with Julie? Check, we need to continue to keep the organization growing, and now is the absolute best time to join AAMD. Didn’t cancel that meeting. And I was glad to hear the team had sent out renewal notices the week prior. Please renew your membership to AAMD, we need our members more than ever before… and cannot tell you how much we appreciate your continued support.
PR call? Check, we had a lot to discuss, including keeping a positive message
about our industry in these unique and uncertain times.
JLAC Meeting? Cancelled.
The Legislature announced a historic postponement of the session- pushing all of our legislative business out at least 2 weeks – so we cancelled our Joint Legislative Advisory Council meeting, which was unprecedented to do during the session. Once the Legislature is reestablished, we’ll be down at the Capitol protecting your interests and your business.
Maintenance Mania? Postponed. We have several alternative dates we’re looking at; by the time you read this we may announce a new date for the 21st Annual Maintenance Mania.
My daughter Marisa’s Tennis Match? Cancelled! The High School Activities Association had cancelled all of the Spring sports! What an enormously sad impact this will have on thousands of athletes across the state, and probably millions of athletes across the country.
Avalanche game with friends? Cancelled! Such a shame, the Avs were just heading into the final stretch toward the playoffs – just 1 point out of first place in the Central Division, with the most goals scored in the Conference. When will we see Nathan McKinnon scream down the ice and score a goal again?
...No hockey, no basketball, no Spring Training, no March Madness, no Kentucky Derby – these pastimes void from Spring and maybe Summer - is a culture shock for many which will ripple far into the future.
COVID-19 has made our world turn upside down and has done this to everyone and AAMD isn’t immune to the disease either. So it’s March 17, 2020. My calendar and what I actually end up doing -- are two completely different worlds.
Today I ended up deciding to cancel/postpone 13 committee meetings, 9 member functions & events, and 27 education classes! For the next 6-10 weeks life is going to be vastly different on many levels. Best case scenario – we’ll have all of these member events and classes either rescheduled to a new date this Summer or Fall, or formatted into an online forum. Worst case scenario, this could have a million dollar plus impact on AAMD. I imagine everyone’s doing the same calculations as me, what impact will this have on my business? Of course we’re focused on AAMD, but we’re also focused on you!
AAMD’s goal is to help you and your business through these uncertain times. We are hoping to provide you with resources, ideas, solutions, and productive discussions – all around maximizing your business’s potential during this crazy timeframe. Please continue to check our website for the latest updates and information, as well as the various online forums we’re planning.
Our Education Department is rapidly organizing a multitude of online classes and webinar experiences with our local and national trainers. AAMD will quickly adapt the format for learning, promoting and protecting your business. Be sure to watch for announcements and dates.
We have swiftly invested to have several more Zoom Accounts with increased capacity for participants- so our meetings, forums, classes, etc. will all soon be available via video or phone conference. AAMD will be on the forefront of continuing to deliver valuable education.
This ONE DAY for me was just an illustration and a mark in time of just how different things are. But our hope is this is a temporary business condition and a temporary challenge personally that we’ll all be able to recover from. For anyone personally and directly infected from the virus, our hearts and thoughts go out to you and your families for a speedy and full recovery!