The Long-Awaited Return of In-Person Meetings
By Phil Crone, Dallas Builders Association Executive Officer
Writing this column comes with a deep sense of reflection looking back and optimism looking forward. The last event held in our office was an education class on Friday, March 13, 2020. No one could have predicted what was in store for us in the weeks that followed—staving off an industrywide shutdown—or that we would be dealing with the impact of the pandemic for well over a year.
Although it will be many more months before we are back in our office thanks to the damage from the winter storm, it is now time to reconnect the industry in a way that only the Dallas Builders Association can. On March 23, the Dallas BA’s Executive Committee recommended the full return of in-person meetings beginning May 1. The measure will be considered by the Board of Directors at their next meeting on April 27.
The arrival of safe and effective vaccines and their availability to all adults is a game-changer. All have been proven to nearly, if not entirely, eliminate bad outcomes if the virus and its emerging variants are encountered. Getting the vaccine is, of course, completely up to you.
Looking ahead, we’ll have two significant challenges with our meetings: 1) the unavailability of our office and 2) the need to find the right balance between virtual and in-person meetings. On the first issue, committees and division and council leaders will need to find appropriate venue(s) for group meetings. To the second point, the appropriate venue may, from time to time, be virtual.
Virtual meetings offer significant convenience. In fact, our office rebuild will give us an opportunity to update our conference rooms to this new reality. If you are on a committee, division or council board you should be discussing these issues and creating a plan at your next meeting.
Finally, please follow and respect whatever rules or guidelines various venues have in place regarding masks, distancing, etc. They are simply exercising the same rights as business and private property owners that we defend vigorously at all levels of government.
I am very much looking forward to seeing you in person on a much more regular basis and to the interactions that no virtual meeting platform can substitute for. For more information on upcoming events and meetings, both in person and virtual, be sure to check out the calendar on DallasBuilders.org.