 Stories from The Green Room |  | | | Dear reader, | | | Did you know “read more” is one of the most common New Year resolutions? If this is your goal for 2021, check out the Event Planners Talk book club. Their first online event is on February 11, and they’ll be discussing The History of Bees by Maja Lunde—most importantly, how the book can inspire you to host sustainable events. Register for the event here. | | If books aren’t your thing but you’d still like to upskill, we recommend #EventIcons, the bi-monthly podcast by the team at Endless Events. We think you'll enjoy it. | | Still haven’t set your goals for 2022? The 5-day vision board challenge by Naomi Tucker of Planners on Purpose can help you. It’s got everything including tips, best practices, and even worksheets to make it easier for you to prioritize your goals for the year. Sign up for the challenge. | | Also, event planners in the UK: this mentorship program by Fast Forward 15 is something you should definitely think about. It’s an annual program where you’ll get a chance to be mentored by some of the top event industry professionals in the country. Here’s a list of the mentors for the 2022-2023 program. The last date to apply is March 1, 2022. | | For those of you hosting virtual events in 2022, this video about the importance of accessibility by Meg Strahle is a must-watch. We’ve also written a few articles on The Green Room about accessibility and inclusion that you might find helpful. | | In addition, we came across this very interesting, very detailed 2022 Meetings Industry Forecast by Northstar Meetings Group. You should definitely read it! On a lighter note, here’s an article from EventMB where 20 event professionals share their resolutions for 2022. | | And now, for our question to you this month: “What was your favorite event in 2021? And why?” Let us know by replying to this email or tweeting us on Twitter. | | Thanks for reading! As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts—whether it’s about this newsletter, the topics you’d like us to discuss on The Green Room, or anything else you think we should know. Hit reply or connect with us on social media (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn). | | Until next time, Nisha The Green Room | | P.S. The Green Room saw a y-o-y growth of 347%. Thanks a million for making this happen. | | | |  | FEATURED ARTICLE |  | |  | | THE 2021 EVENTS INDUSTRY REPORT | | Towards the end of 2021, many publications worldwide asked people how they’d sum up the year. The answers varied from redundant, restrictive, and exhausting to growth, empathy, and enlightenment. If we were to pick a word—for both the events industry and Zoho Backstage—it’d be somewhere in the middle. Something like progress or more specifically, work in progress. | | For the most part, 2021 was a blurred extension of 2020. We either asked more questions or wrote (and rewrote) our answers for the questions that were raised in 2020. Most of the trends we saw were also carried on from 2020. | | In this story, we take a look at the COVID-19 pandemic’s lingering influence on events in 2021 and other trends that have shaped our perspective of the MICE industry. | Read story  | | | | | INSPIRATION FROM THE GREEN ROOM | |  | | CHECKLIST: VIRTUAL EVENT PLANNING | | Though virtual event management tools take care of most things, it's important that you handle other nuances like keeping the speaker's mic on during the event, prepping speakers and more. That's why we've put together a checklist to help you run your virtual events seamlessly. | Read more  | | | |  | | 7 TRAITS OF SUCCESSFUL EVENT PLANNERS | | A leader, a planner, and an optimist—these are just some of the common traits that successful event professionals possess. Read on to find out the others | Read more  | | | |  | | HOW TO USE GAMIFICATION IN YOUR EVENTS | | If fun and relaxation are some of the goals at your next event, the answer is gamification. Here are some quick pointers to help you get a head-start on your event’s gamification strategy. | Read more  | | | |  | | TIPS TO PROTECT YOUR EVENT FROM LEGAL LIABILITIES | | In this article, we’ll run you through nine simple precautionary measures that we hope will help you cover your bases and avoid unnecessary legal problems. | Read more  | | | | | | | | | | |
