Five years ago, on Thursday, March 12, 2020, I stood on stage at the Catersource + Special Event Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, presenting what would become one of the most memorable moments of my career at Michael Cerbelli’s: The Hot List™. That morning was meant to be a celebration of innovation and inspiration in the live events industry. Instead, it became a defining moment of resilience, unity, and strength.

The days leading up to that event were chaotic. Friends and industry partners were reeling from the uncertainty of a virus we barely understood. I remember vividly, walking through the halls, having conversations that began with, “What the hell is going on? What the hell is this COVID?” One dear friend shared that over the course of a single weekend, 300 future events had been canceled, wiping out their entire rental inventory in New Jersey. The shockwaves of what was coming were hitting hard and fast.

Then came Wednesday, March 11th, the President of the United States announced the closure of borders. Panic ensued. In Las Vegas, with over 4,000 attendees at the conference, nearly 800 people scrambled to the airport in a desperate attempt to get home before lockdowns began.

But that next morning, as I stood backstage, ready to present Michael Cerbelli’s: The Hot List™, I knew my opening had to change. It was no longer just about showcasing what was new, hot, and exciting. It was about giving people a moment, a breath, a chance to gather themselves before heading into the unknown. I took the stage and asked everyone to clear their heads for 90 minutes. I told them I didn’t know what was coming, but for now, we were together, as a community. I urged them to absorb the energy in that room, to take that spirit with them, and to return home ready to face whatever was next. As I looked around the audience and saw luggage lining the walls, I knew that many would be heading straight from that session to the airport.

Then, in that moment, a rallying cry was born from me to them to stay: Event Strong.

That night, I sat with my wife Denise, along with Sara Meletis, and Susie Perelman in a nearly deserted restaurant at Mandalay Bay. A city known for its lights, energy, and nonstop movement had gone eerily still. It was the most surreal and ominous moment I had ever experienced in Las Vegas. The world as we knew it was shutting down.

By Monday, March 16, 2020, I made the call: my team needed to go home. I didn’t know what the future held, but I knew we had to move forward. And move forward we did.

Over the next two years, while our industry faced the greatest challenge of its existence, we didn’t just survive, we move the needle 5° and we evolved. We grew our team. We produced over 300 virtual events. We strategically executed eight major live experiences that worked within the ever-changing restrictions of the pandemic. We partnered with Steve Pastor of Alpine Creative Group to launch The Event Doc. And perhaps most meaningfully, we built a network of support unlike anything I had seen before in this industry.

One of my proudest accomplishments during that time was launching our newsletter, a beacon of motivation and community that started as a weekly lifeline and evolved into a powerful industry connector. Through those emails, we shared resources, insights, and hope. Our venue, TwoFortyThirty, became a gathering place, a safe space where industry friends, colleagues, and even competitors came together to lift each other up. It was during this time that the Live Events Coalition was born, with passionate individuals dedicating themselves to advocating for the industry we all love so much.

Now, five years later, I take this moment to reflect, not just on the hardship we endured, but on the strength, innovation, and unity that emerged from it. Some may have returned to business as usual, forgetting the bonds we formed in those trying times. But I will never forget. I will never forget how we supported each other, worked together, and proved that the live events and hospitality industry is unstoppable.

Today, I share with you the past issues of that newsletter, the messages that kept us going, the words that inspired resilience, and the moments that defined who we are. Let them serve as a reminder of what we overcame, how we grew, and why we continue to create the most incredible experiences in the world.

To everyone who stood with me, who fought for our industry, and who believed in the power of #EventStrong…thank you. I am honored to be part of this incredible community, and I know that together, we will continue to push boundaries, redefine possibilities, and create extraordinary moments for years to come.

Here’s to resilience, to reinvention, and to never forgetting how strong we truly are.

Michael Cerbelli