The current reality, with the inability to meet with people face-to-face, creates a real challenge. We plan to use the current reality to try something different which creates value that lasts into the future, beyond the current reality.
Back in the first decade of this century, MANA offered live chapter meetings. As time passed, attendance dropped to a point where MANA no longer offered these meetings. When we asked members why they stopped attending, they told us their busy schedules prevented them from going. It was not the lack of value.
The current reality taught us we now have technology options not available in the past decade. For example, Zoom (and other platforms) allow groups to meet and exchange knowledge and information while seeing each other. Not quite the same as attending a live meeting, but almost.
Here is how it will work:
- We schedule a MANAchat session using either Zoom or Google Meet platform. We plan to do these for both manufacturers and manufacturers’ representatives.
- Each session is 40-minutes and is limited to 20 attendees to allow each participant an opportunity to speak during a virtual meeting.
- As each MANAchat hits its 20-person limit we schedule an additional MANAchat later the same day.
- We select the topic for the first session. At the end of each meeting, we ask the attendees for topics for future MANAchat sessions.
Following each session, we take what we learned and make it into an Agency Sales magazine article. Names of participants who give their permission to be published will be thanked in the article.
Based on the results, we decide whether or not to schedule future MANAchats. We can also revise the number of meetings, frequency, etc., as needed. Stay tuned, coming shortly!