Labor Shortages and Supply Issues the Real "New Normal"?

By Andrea Peterson, MTA, CMP Fellow; President/CEO, ASAP Meetings & Events

Meeting professionals’ jobs continue to be described as stressful, but for a new set of reasons, as dealing with lingering supply chain issues and labor challenges create domino effects throughout the industry.

Interestingly, the phrase “supply chain” was actually included on 2022’s “Banished Words List” published annually by Lake Superior State University*, USA. It begins with demand. The pent-up desire to see and touch people in live settings has meant global record-breaking events’ attendance. With a plethora of planners vying for the same promotional products, printed materials, catering components, and production resources, simple sourcing has become a time-consuming and frustrating process. Shipping delays and sky-rocketing costs add to the vortex of struggles continuing to complicate every corner of planning.

From a vendor’s viewpoint, Jeremy Bronson, co-owner of Occasions Catering, in Denver, Colorado, USA, shared these thoughts: “Supply chain issues continue to plague our industry. On the food side, the primary impact is much higher costs and less reliable delivery timeframes. For hard goods like specialty serviceware, we’ve seen many products be discontinued, have very long lead times, or increase in price by as much as 8-10 times. Our clients are seeing the impact of these changes in the form of fewer options and earlier guarantee deadlines.”

Staffing is also a pain-point. The great exodus during the pandemic occurred as many were forced to shift gears and find work in other roles. Return has been slow for a myriad of reasons. Now, demand for quality execution for the numerous events occurring globally has revealed current realities that simply finding the teams to scan the badges and clear the tables is challenging, let alone managing the entire process.

Steve Kinsley of Kinsley Meetings, also in Denver, explains recent planning struggles leading up to a conference: “We had three different conference service managers in about an 8-month period. We had to make several course corrections during the conference to ensure success.  It was the hardest I’ve seen our staff work on a conference that overall was not a complex program.”

 The big question remains: is this really our new normal?

*Retrieved from https://www.lssu.edu/traditions/banishedwords/