David J.
Danto
Business travel
thoughts in my own, personal opinion
eMail: ddanto@IMCCA.org Follow Industry News: @NJDavidD
NOT Traveling Blog, 2nd
Week Of February 2021
David Danto’s ongoing list of disjointed and occasionally random
observations and thoughts as we wait-out the pandemic – mostly NOT traveling
like we used to.
Now that
we’re squarely into February, I have more than my usual number of random
thoughts – with many of them around what I was doing about a year ago.
Last February was when I took my last international trip – to
attend a conference in Amsterdam. Many
people embrace adventure. If I’m being
honest, I’m not one of them. I’m an
over-thinker. (Just ask Joe Brancatelli how much I pestered him about Amsterdam. Can I
really take the train and not a taxi? Where do I go to buy a train ticket? Do
they have food there? Have you ever
heard of the hotel? What is the exact
walking path from the hotel to the train?
Etc.) As it turns out – just
like most global business centers – the experience didn’t resemble foraging in the jungle and seeking caves for
shelter. Amsterdam is a lovely city and
it was a very successful trip. I
definitely dislike having to feel comfortable in unfamiliar places, but after
this last year I’d jump at the chance to feel that unease again.
About a year ago the collaboration industry
association I’m part of was giving an award to Zoom’s Eric Yuan, celebrating
his work to establish a visionary video platform.
Back then no one outside of our industry knew who he was, and
Zoom’s stock was in the mid $80s a share.
Now – a year later – just about everyone knows what Zoom is and who Eric
is, and their stock is worth about $400 a share. What a difference a year makes – especially
this last one.
About a year ago my actual last business trip (before
I experienced the pandemic lockdown) was to Austin Texas. I’d been to Austin before, but had never
visited the Congress
Avenue Bridge until that trip.
About a year ago we thought watching and taking
pictures of a bunch of bats flying around in the middle of a city was
“cute.” Little did we know back then the
havoc one of those little guys would likely have caused…
About a year ago most knowledge workers commuted to
an office every day, and remote employees were routinely scapegoated for a
company’s problems. These ‘lazy’ and ‘MIA’ employees were either shunned or barely tolerated. Now, we know that remote knowledge workers
are more productive than their in-office peers, and they’re less expensive to
keep on staff when compared to paying rent for the hundreds of thousands of
square feet of real estate in the world’s biggest cities. Because of this, big companies are shedding
leases in big cities faster than you can say Jack Robinson, and manufacturers are now
making equipment specifically to support high quality, enterprise
manageable experiences for remote workers.
Again, what a difference a year makes…
About a year ago a record
snowfall in my home New Jersey like we had a few days ago would have just
about disabled the country’s business plans.
With EWR, JFK and LGA
shut down for 2+ days due to ~35 inches of snow, the ensuing havoc throughout
the air-travel system would have been monumental. Now, a year later, it barely registered a
blip on the day’s news. Companies just
kept business moving as they have been all year. Students kept going with remote learning as
well, as the concept of a “snow day” is long gone. Just about the only impact to our lives was the
postponement of the few remaining in-person events. Doctor’s appointments and COVID
vaccines were cancelled for a couple of days.
When the global pandemic has finally passed it will leave our society
much more resilient and able to keep going when we’re not able to travel –
clearly one of the rare silver linings of the disaster of this last year.
As always, please feel free
to write to me with comments or items I should add to a future Not Traveling
blog (or if you just need someone to write to.)
Stay safe, be well, hug those you’re sheltering with (but no one else)
and do your best to stay positive. We’re
going to be in this for a while longer.
This article was written by David Danto and contains solely his own, personal
opinions.
All image and links provided above as reference under
prevailing fair use statutes.
++++++++
The Explanation
for my Not Traveling blogs: In 2014 I was voted
by USA Today readers as one of the top ten business travel bloggers in the
USA. Now mind you,
I turned out to be number ten on the list of ten, but I did make it on (with my
thanks to all those who voted.) Now
that we’re all stuck at home and not traveling, I had to think about what to do
with my blogs. I could stop writing them
entirely – waiting till we all get through the current COVID19 pandemic /
crisis. I could wax nostalgic and/or
complain about past trips. Or, I could
focus all of my efforts on my day job – growing the use of collaboration
technologies – especially in light of how many people are now forced to use
those tools for the first time. In
reflecting upon those choices, what I decided to do is compile an ongoing list
of observations during the crisis. Some
of these may amuse, some may inform, some may sadden and others may help. My goal will be for you to have seen something
in a different light than you did before you stopped to read the blog. I was going to apologize for how disjointed
these thoughts may seem when put together, but then it dawned on me that
feeling disjointed is our new normal – at least for a little while.