SITE Global 2023

I had the honor of attending the SITE Global Conference on February 17^th through 19^th in New York City. It was their 50^th celebration, and as you can imagine, a big industry reunion! The “Big Apple” never disappoints, and I was very excited to see friends and industry colleagues from all over the world under the same roof. They had about 800 attendees, which was a record attendance. However, it still felt intimate and easy to connect with clients and partners.  I was also very excited to see Annette Gregg, newly appointed CEO to the SITE Global Organization, lead her first global conference. Annette and I ran in the same social and professional circles for years, but just recently we had the opportunity to spend quality time together and became fast friends. I look forward to supporting her in this new endeavor and getting more involved with SITE Global committees in the coming months.

The conference had a great mix of educational content and networking time, and the evening events were fun and engaging. I particularly loved the Great Gatsby evening at the Edison Ballroom – the venue was perfect for the theme! Dressing up is one of my favorite things and seeing everyone in their best 1920’s looks allowed us to interact with one another with ease!  It’s amazing what an ice breaker a themed dress up event can be. I had a lot of fun seeing everyone’s different spin on the attire.  

During the day sessions, we had the opportunity to meet amazing keynote speakers. However, the one who resonated with me the most was Andre Norman. His story of resilience and his ability to overcome adversity, with his commitment to helping communities around the world, is a life lesson to all of us.

I saw old friends, made new ones, and was happy to learn from the best in the business. From technology and the use of AI, to designing events that evoke emotion, I had a wonderful experience listening to our clients on very insightful panels. SITE Global was rich in content. I personally loved the panel about DMC model pricing and about site inspections (what to do and not to do) and look forward to sharing with my team what I learned.  

The time was short, but packed with lots of positive experiences. Attending SITE Global was such a treat and I am already looking forward to next year’s conference…this time, all the way in Turkey!