MPI’s Independent and Small Business Owners Welcomes New Members Daily

It has been difficult for small business owners to come forward and compete head-to-head with their much larger counterparts. The number of small business owners in MPI’s Independent and Small Business Owners’ (ISBO) community began two years ago with 50 individuals identifying themselves either as small business owners or independent planners. The growth in year one was somewhat slow but as events evolved at the end of December and continuing into 2020, ISBO’s community began to grow from 50 to well over 300 members. The ISBO is the home for independents and small business owners to meet, express themselves, discuss issues of importance, and lean on each other for support.

And do we ever need support. The hotels that many of our suppliers have worked in for years have either furloughed or laid off most employees, with the remaining staff struggling to keep the doors of the properties open. The economic effects of COVID-19 will result in some properties never reopening their doors, and some employees will not return to their former positions. Air travel is problematic, both from a fear factor on the part of customers and the economic problem of flying empty aircraft. From a health standpoint, venues battle to implement new sanitizing standards, hoping to see their vacancy numbers rise. From a planner perspective, the meetings that began at the beginning of 2020 have progressively been pushed to later in the year and then finally either ending up being produced virtually or postponed until 2021 at the very earliest. Support services, including event technology, general service contractors, DMCs, etc., are in similar economic miseries, with no ray of light to be seen. Surveys on when the industry will rebound are plentiful and all say the same things:

• 2020 business is pretty much gone
• 2021 business may come back, but barriers to reopening remain
• Some surveys indicate business will not return to strength until 2024.

But rays of light are on the horizon, with potential vaccines being ready as early as September but not available for distribution until 2021. Here in the USA, states, including California, that may have moved up the stages of reopening too quickly are now reverting, with Los Angeles County predicting total lockdown of their country, which houses one-quarter of California’s total residents. 

So how can the ISBO help you? Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, ISBO has provided current information on a variety of topics, particularly those where members need information – the SBA loans, how to work remotely, how to help colleagues who have been laid off, how to hone skills for additional competencies for those seeking new employment, and so many other, relevant pieces of information. Step into our community and make use of the collected information, engage in discussions on topics of interest to the community and so much more – just so long as you remember to abide by MPI’s ‘no self-promotion’ rule. Your ISBO Advisory Board wants to hear from you as to how we can continue to provide you with value information and hope to soon have some exciting news on things we are working on for your benefits. Stick with us and tell us what you need. That is why we are here.

This article was written on behalf of all members of the ISBO Advisory board, each of whom stands ready to help its members return to prosperity.