Do We See the Light?

The light at the end of this COVID-19 tunnel? The light of new beginnings? The light of new possibilities? I write this letter the week of the inauguration of President Biden, and like so many others, I was incredibly moved by the words of youth poet laureate Amanda Gorman. She ended her poem with the now often-repeated words, “For there is always light if only we’re brave enough to see it, if only we’re brave enough to be it.” What appropriate words for this time in history—for the country, for our businesses; for our lives.

Like many of you, CLM continues to evaluate, re-evaluate, strategize, and plan for the uncertain months ahead of us. While progress is being made on the COVID-19 front, it’s not going to magically end on a certain date in the future. Even when the majority of the population has been vaccinated, life doesn’t suddenly return to where we were just 12 months ago.

For CLM, that means a continual evaluation of how we best serve our membership and the industry. How do we start bringing people back together in person, yet still serve the broader audience who will not be able to travel? We have several in-person events on the calendar for 2021, and we’re hopeful that we’ll be able to hold those events. We’re keeping a close eye on the roll out of the vaccines and will continue to evaluate the safety and efficacy of each event.

There is more uncertainty than certainty right now. It’s not easy, but what we found in 2020 was that challenging times require great creativity, ingenuity, and perseverance. The bright light is finding opportunities to expand our community and diversify our operations. While our main focus historically has been in-person events, we’ve now broadened our offerings and are able to serve the industry in a variety of ways. Those new offerings will continue in the months and years ahead.

How can we best serve you, your business, and your career? I love to hear from our membership. Please reach out to me or anyone on the CLM team. May we all be brave enough to see the light ahead and brave enough to be the light needed today.

Anne Blume

CEO, CLM

anne.blume@theclm.org