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Bree Nidds, CTA, vice president of sales, Discover Lehigh Valley in Allentown, Pennsylvania, joined her fellow 20 in Their Twenties honorees at EduCon this week.
Members of the 20 in Their Twenties class of 2021, supported by PCMA Foundation and Experience Columbus, will be honored at EduCon this week. Bree Nidds, CTA, vice president of sales, Discover Lehigh Valley in Allentown, Pennsylvania, answered questions via email about her expectations for EduCon and beyond.
What have you missed most about in-person events?
The spontaneous networking opportunities. The past year has zapped any sort of spontaneous interaction out of our lives. Dining has been reservation based, meetings have all been scheduled, and even social time is scheduled via online platforms. I am looking forward to spontaneous interactions.
What are you most looking forward to at EduCon in Phoenix?
I am looking forward to telling the success story of a large conference operating in a safe manner while furthering the goal EduCon set out to accomplish. This will be the first conference that I have hopped on a plane to attend, and I am looking forward to sharing the successes!
What are you hoping to take away from your EduCon experience?
I am looking forward to meeting new, envelope-pushing, innovative individuals. The world of destination management organizations and business events has evolved a lot in the past year, and I hope to meet the people behind some of the successful evolution practices.
Who are you looking to meet at EduCon?
I have been networking with the fellow Class of 20 in Their Twenties virtually throughout the pandemic. Many of us have not ever met in person. I am very excited to see those friends and colleagues.
Has your experience during the pandemic changed how you are thinking about your career? If yes, how?
My experience has given me a lot of hope for my future career in destination management organizations. I have been able to display other skill sets that I would not have been able to show in a pre-pandemic world. That opportunity to do so has amplified and allowed me to expand my toolkit.
What skills are you looking to add to your toolkit in the near future?
I want to continue to excel in on-video and on-screen opportunities. Presenting via online platforms is a different skill set than presenting in person. That screen-to-screen interaction is not going away anytime soon, so I want to continue to explore the best platforms, and ways to engage clients, colleagues, and staff members in a screen-to-screen environment.
RELATED: Read Bree Nidds’s 20 in Their Twenties questionnaire.