The Social Imperative
We all know that Covid 19 has had a disastrous impact on the model show circuit in 2020 and is likely to have a big impact on the shows in 2021 as well. It has also made a huge difference to the way we operate our many branch meetings and perhaps encouraged more of our SIGs to experiment with online gatherings.
Making use of technology to continue meetings in some form has clearly struck a chord with many of our groups. Some were already well down this route whilst others had gone as far as having websites and social media groups, but through force of circumstance many more have had to explore the use of online meeting and chat platforms. Whether you meet via Skype, Zoom, Teams or any one of several other options, the principle remains the same. It may never replace the value and enjoyment of face to face meetings (heaven forbid that it ever does), but at least it gives something approaching the same sort of social interaction.
My own Branch meets online at least once a month at the moment. Not everyone attends each meeting but it helps us maintain contact with each other. For other chat and discussion we have our own Facebook group and it’s not uncommon to talk about something at a virtual meeting and then for additional content to be posted on Facebook, especially when you’ve offered to provide some information, or someone else has offered it to you.
The sad reality of the current situation is that it is unlikely to be any different for some months to come. The rapidly changing circumstances in the UK, both nationally and regionally, mean that no-one is in a position to make any predictions about when we might be able able to start returning to something approaching the old way of doing things.
As an organisation IPMS (UK) has to follow the prevailing rules of the moment. In the past few days we’ve noticed that a few of our branches are looking at ways to commence holding physical meetings once again. There’s nothing wrong with that idea in principle – we all want to be there sooner rather than later. However, we need to be careful that any such solutions do not breach, accidentally or deliberately, the local or national restrictions that are in place at any given time.
The drive to start holding meetings again is strong in many of us but take a moment to consider the wider implications – Is the venue genuinely able to support those meetings and remain a ‘safe’ environment? Do the regulations permit meetings to take place? If you can hold meetings, how many of your club members would actually be willing to attend them, especially if they fall into at-risk categories of one sort or another. It’s worth remembering that given the age profile of IPMS (UK), we are particularly susceptible to the latter issue.
John Tapsell
IPMS (UK) Publicity Officer