Every year I go to the HPN Global Partner Conference and have a blast.
I've been going to this conference for 17 years. I've missed it one time.
I love going because:
--All my co-workers and hotel industry pals are there and it's a true family reunion.
--I love learning about the new hotels opening and trending hot spot destinations.
--The speakers are always so top notch and I love being inspired by their message.
--HPN does a good job experimenting with new activations and how to best keep attendees engaged. I love observing all the nuanced ways to make events memorable and then go back to the office to share with my clients.
I always come home exhausted.
I always lose my voice.
Full disclosure, I have polyps on my vocal cords so it doesn't take much for me to lose my voice. I've had them since I was a little girl and as I age, my vocal cords age. They get weaker and weaker and I lose my voice much easier than I used to. I always need to be careful in loud situations--bars, restaurants, conferences--because if I am yelling to talk because it's loud--I will lose my voice-instantly.
Tack on some wine, some dairy and not enough sleep--my voice is gone-zo.
I understand why I get exhausted.
We have multiple networking 1:1 or group meetings throughout the day.
We are in educational sessions.
We are interacting with hundreds of people, and staying up late in the evening for the epic evening networking events.
This year, I am taking a different approach to the HPN Partner meeting.
While I am in Houston, I am not drinking. I will still have fun. I will still throw a high kick.
I will still laugh and bring joy. I will just be completely sober while doing it.
WHY?
--I don't want to come home exhausted. I have a busy September and October. I have a bunch of speaking and coaching gigs to which I want my brain to be at it's best. It's the last quarter of the year and I want to head in strong and not lose a whole week to recover.
--I don't want to lose my voice.
--Our partners pay a lot of money to be at the conference and I want to show up for them. I want them to get as much value out of it as possible. If my voice is gone and I can't talk OR if I am exhausted, then they won't get much from me.
--I want to be present. When drinking is involved for me, I am a bit absent. I am not as focused. I am cloudy the next day. I want to be clear-minded and remember the conversations with my pals and industry partners. I don't want to be foggy the next day and not be able to focus because I am hungover.
I think I picked a good year to do this because I heard there is going to be a focus on wellness at this year's event. It has been said that there will be:
-Zen Dens
-Mindful Moments
-Mocktails
-Sound Baths
I've rallied some hotel partners and HPN pals to do some SWEATworking in the form of:
-early morning spin class
-early morning brisk walks
-after meal digestion walks
I am going to write about the whole experience day by day and see how I feel each day.
I am excited to look at the event through sober eyes and see if I discover anything new.
I am curious if I will come home not as exhausted and depleted and be ready to enjoy the weekend without the need to sleep in on Saturday!.
Not drinking at this event might not seem like a big deal to most people but to me, it is. For 17 years the only way I know how to do this conference is to day drink, share a nice bottle of wine with friends or crack open a wonderful bottle of champers with long time gal pals while we're getting ready for the evening events. It doesn't mean I won't attend these activities, I will, but I will be sober while doing it.
This isn't a declaration of sobriety. Let's be real. I love wine. I love champagne. I love an espresso Martini. This just means, for this event, this year, I am not drinking to see how it goes, to see how I feel. There is a pre-event I am attending Friday to Sunday where I will enjoy the wine, enjoy the food and high kick into the night. But I can't do both. I can't do back to back events and conferences and go at a fast pace of imbibing and not sleeping.
So, wish me luck.
Have you ever tried this before? If so, what are your sober conference tips?
If not, do you want to try it with me?
#sobersister #sober #conference #eventprofs #meetingsandevents #meetingprofs #selfcare #HPN24 #mocktails #zendens #drinking #foodandbeverage
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