17th March will stick in our minds because that’s the day we left our conferencing facilities behind to start working from home for the foreseeable future. Our Auditoria were ‘moth-balled’, AV equipment switched off and our foyer spaces, which are normally hustling & bustling, left empty. It was a strange Tuesday leaving our friends and colleagues, without any hugs, not knowing when we would be back in the Technology and Innovation Centre.
That was nearly three months ago now and the world has changed in ways that we wouldn’t have believed. Many team members have become teachers, parents and workers all at the same time, while others are now avid gardeners, volunteers, food distributors and exercise fanatics!
Keeping busy
As well as continuing to work closely with our clients to reschedule their events, we’ve also been busy considering the changes we’ll need to make before we can welcome delegates back to our award-winning venue in a safe manner for our clients, ensuring that the health and wellbeing of clients and staff alike is at the absolute forefront of all we do.
With the University giving all staff an additional rest day each Friday for some recuperation, of which we have been very grateful, some members of our team have been volunteering in local organisations to help support communities and the amazing NHS staff that have been working tirelessly to keep us all safe. Our Conference Host, Alison has been volunteering at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley several times each week in a lounge set-up specifically for NHS staff, as part of an initiative called ‘Project Wingman’. It’s a quiet space where hospital workers can have a cup of tea, a cake and a chat with the volunteers if needed, giving them some peace to reflect on their recent experiences.
Alison is also one of our resident gardening experts, and when she’s not busy at the hospital, she joins our daily Zoom calls from her potting shed! Gardening has been a major topic of our team catch-ups with Nicola, Lesley, Gordon, Liam and Alison sharing how to combat slugs, look after newly planted veggies on frosty nights (back in April when we had a couple of cold evenings!) as well as getting rid of the dreaded Scottish midges! Our Conference & Events Officer, Liam, has dug out a raised bed in his back garden and has planted lots of veggies, ensuring the team’s sustainability credentials are maintained whilst we’re at home.
On 1st May, the entire team participated in the Step Up Challenge run by Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland, where we climbed virtual mountains as well as raising money for a fantastic cause. Together we accumulated over 160,000 steps and enjoyed some lovely views! The Business Development team also decided to take part in this year’s Step Count Challenge during the month of May, as we were missing our walks to the shops at lunchtime! We had great fun counting steps each day and having a bit of friendly competition with our colleagues across the campus. We cycled, walked and ran for 31 days and finished an impressive 4th out of 16 teams on campus! Not bad considering one of us had damaged our ankle after completing the Couch to 5k app!!
One of our newest team members, Monika, made up hundreds of care packages with her husband, Gary, to be distributed to a local foodbank and to members of her local community who were shielding.
As well as swotting up about ‘OnAir’, a new virtual conferencing platform which will facilitate online networking, virtual exhibitions and online poster presentations, our Conference Services Manager, Katherine, has been busy supporting Reengage, distributing letters and pictures to the elderly during lockdown.
Of course, the last few months haven’t been without their fair share of home baking! From chocolate Easter nests, a huge chocolate cake, shortbread, homemade pizzas and brownies, it’s safe to say that we’ve all enjoyed some delicious treats! Thank goodness for Joe Wicks and the tough workouts from the wonderful team at Strathclyde Sport who have kept our waistlines in shape!
Lasting memories
What this last few months has shown us is that each and every one of us is resilient and has adapted to change no matter what our individual circumstances. We have come together as a team and feel closer now than we ever did before. Now, that is partly due to us participating in our very own ‘Desert Island Discs’ on our daily Zoom calls, where we each shared the three songs we would listen to on a desert island, what food we would take, which book we would choose to take with us and a luxury item of course! We’ve created a very eclectic playlist from all of our songs and it’s something we can all enjoy even when we’re not together.
It’s not only our fellow team members that we’ve got to know better. With the Clap for Carers taking place for 10 weeks, we’ve become closer to our neighbours, and the community spirit in many areas has shone through. Hopefully this will be a positive lasting change from these last few months. Like much of the population, life was a whirlwind before with many team members feeling that they were on a constant hamster wheel, but this has given us the time to cherish those close to us and really appreciate what we have on our doorsteps. Our Business Development Co-ordinator, Elaine, saw the community truly pull together to help a couple in her street celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary when family celebrations were cancelled. With a piper and gifts on their doorstep from their neighbours, it proved to a be an even more memorable day than they could have imagined.
There are so many examples of how people have supported one another through this period and although there has been ups and downs along the way, our wee team has been lucky enough to have each other to turn to. Whilst we’ll undoubtedly not work together as one team forever, we have such a strong bond now that 2020 will remain etched in our memory always and we know that we’ve made friends for life.
If you’d like to get in touch, then we’d love to hear from you! It doesn’t need to be about events – we can share some recipes, our exercise routines, our gardening tips, whatever you need. Just know that we’re here and ready to listen. Take good care!