NH CIBOR to follow CDC guidelines - see you soon! - by Joe Friedman

NH CIBOR is pleased to announce that it is moving to reopen in-person events and meetings as venues become available. NH CIBOR will follow CDC, state, local and venue coronavirus guidelines.

The first scheduled in-person meeting will be the Seacoast marketing meeting on Friday, June 18^th. The statewide marketing meeting, scheduled for June 23^rd, is under review to see if that meeting can also be in-person. NH CIBOR’s monthly marketing meetings are open to members, affiliates, and their invited guests. The Seacoast meeting is held every third Friday of the month from 8:30AM – 9:45AM at 1 NH Ave., in the Pease Tradeport, Portsmouth. The state meetings are every fourth Wednesday of the month from 9:00AM – 10:30AM in Bedford.

On August 5^th NH CIBOR will be having a networking event at the Birchwood Vineyards in Derry. This will be an excellent opportunity to reconnect with fellow brokers and affiliates as we move forward to life after the pandemic.

During this pandemic new technologies and ways of work and collaboration were widely used. It wasn’t necessarily easy for anyone to do this but the resiliency of so many was evident in the rapidly changing business environment. Zoom and Teams allowed connections and meetings barely considered by most of us at the beginning of 2020. Productivity was maintained and, in some cases, increased as travel times were eliminated. Attendance at some of our meetings increased while others decreased in attendance (such as marketing, which decreased by nearly 50%).

It is understandable that people want to get together in person again. In NH CIBOR’s marketing meetings we all seek solid business leads. The attractions of good food and casual conversations are a big draw too. There is a human connection that happens when we are together that cannot yet be substituted in an online environment.

The hybrid model of meeting is likely to be our future. In this model both in-person and online meetings will be scheduled. The flexibility and productivity in online meetings suggest that these will be part of a business life. We are not going back to just our old ways. Instead we will combine the tried and true methods that existed before 2020 with the new tools we learned during the pandemic. Further details of all NH CIBOR events can be seen at www.NHCIBOR.org. We welcome your participation whether online or in-person.

Joe Friedman is the 2021 president of the NH CIBOR, Bedford, N.H.