CHAPTER NEWS
July 2020
President's Message:
This year has been full of uncertainty, thrown the catering & event industry for a complete loop, and challenged us to look within and work toward being better versions of ourselves. I am excited to see that our chapter is making strides and I know we still have a lot of work to do.
Now, what does this mean for us as catering & event professionals? As Virginia has entered into Phase 3, we will need to get more creative. We will need to stay up to date on current guidelines for social gatherings and think outside the box in order to make these events happen for our clients. I encourage you to expand your creative circles and try working with professions you have never worked with before to create a more inclusive industry. It is time to take a look at the vendors that you collaborate with on a regular basis and break away from your norm. Although our industry is not fully back up and running, I am excited to see us back in motion.
As a chapter, we stand with our black members and local black catering & event community. We are continuing these uncomfortable but necessary conversations with our members and non-members. I welcome everyone to reach out to me personally with questions and comments at jamie@paisleyandjade.com. It gives me hope that change is desired and we are going to take steps in order to create a more diverse and inclusive community. I am excited to share the first steps of our chapter's Diversity Initiative listed below.
Jamie Adams, CPCE
2020 President
Diversity Initiative:
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Board Statement
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The board released a statement on June 11th regarding the ongoing injustice and racism in our country. We realize that our statement was late. We, as a board, wanted to take the time to educate ourselves, listen to webinars and podcasts, and become well informed before making a formal statement to our members. We recognize that there is a current issue and need for change within our local catering & event industry and our chapter. We WILL do better.
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Diversity Committee
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We have added a diversity committee which will be overseen by the Director of Membership. This group of racially diverse members will work to recruit new black members and retain the involvement of current members of color. This committee will curate black speakers to educate members on topics like racism and inequality within the event industry, promote black owned businesses and members through #unitythroughcommunity, and facilitate meaningful connections and conversations between our members.
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Re-allocating Funds
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Quarterly donations to organizations both locally and nationally to support BLM
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A donation has already been made in honor of Aleya Harris to the Equal Justice Initiative. Thank you Aleya for having a candid conversation with our members about racism and allyship within the wedding and events industry. You can watch the replay here.
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Sponsor a student member from a local HBCU, Virginia State University or Virginia Union University.
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Updating our current and future monthly programs to include Black speakers & education as well as partnering with local Black catering & event professionals to showcase their work
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Visit Our July Newsletter Linked Above For Additional News!
A Message From NACE National
Taking Action
The past month has been a pivotal turning point in the fight against racism and for an equitable and inclusive future. As an organization, NACE values diversity and condemns racism, and we acknowledge that we have some work to do to create an inclusive and anti-racist community.
As communicated on June 5, the NACE National Board is committed to beginning a diversity and inclusion initiative as an immediate priority. We have committed to doing this through an action plan that listens to NACE members and is fully transparent. We are pleased to share this plan with you today.
The plan is aligned with our strategic pillars as an organization and lays out actions we can take now and in the immediate future. This plan will evolve and grow to include additional strategies, steps, and phases as we listen to members, leaders, and consultants.
NACE cannot be exceptional as an organization if we ignore issues that affect our community, the clients of our members, and our nation. We ask all members to join us in support of this critical initiative.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact the National office at info@nace.net, 410-290-5410, or via chat on nace.net.
We're Here For You!
When the first impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic hit the catering and events industry, NACE moved quickly to support members The National Board has enacted several resources and measures to maintain our strong, vibrant community. We have expanded the membership grace period to 120 days, introduced flexible installment plans, expanded online education, and more.