Now more than ever home stagers are longing for connection with other industry professionals. When Covid-19 hit, the RESA Minneapolis Area Chapter decided to take their meetings to Zoom to limit exposure. Over the past few months the chapter hosted special guests ranging from RESA CEO Shell Brodnax to RESA Accredited Home Training Provider The Decorologist to continue to get education and stay connected. One of the major benefits of belonging to the only non profit trade association for home stagers is belonging to a community of other staging professionals who you can share your experiences with and grow and work through tough times together.
In September the RESA Minneapolis Area chapter met at a local park for a Socially Distancing Social. We had a chance to catch up with them about the experience, here is what they had to say:
What did it mean to be able to come together again? As much as we appreciate how Zoom has allowed us to move forward as a chapter through Covid-19, I think we all realized how much we missed our in-person monthly meetings. It was always a great opportunity to see each other and catch up; chatting with other stagers/designers who understand the particular successes and challenges of our industry. Many of us are sole proprietors, and sometimes it can feel a bit lonely as we go through our work days. Many of our members say that they feel so “supported” by their fellow stagers and feel they have found true friendships among our members.
Did any members have hesitations about in-person meetings? Yes, there were a few who asked how we planned to handle it. Members were asked to socially distance at an outdoor venue and could choose to wear or mask or not, as they preferred. A few wore them the whole time and some wore them part of the time. We served cake and beverages, so we had to remove them for that purpose.
What was the “vibe” like for the meeting? It was very upbeat and festive! I think we all felt the joy of seeing each other and having those fun conversations, along with the enjoyment of experiencing a lovely fall day in a beautiful park!
What advice would you give to other chapters who want to host an in-person meeting? My advice would be to make it a social event only, so those who don’t feel comfortable attending won’t feel like they’re missing out on some valuable information. I also recommend holding it outdoors and stressing the need for social distancing for everyone’s safety. We had hand sanitizer for everyone to use before eating, and single-use coffee cups, plates, and plastic forks. Everyone had their own mini bundt cake, so no sharing of serving utensils was required.
Will you continue to host in-person meetings? No. We have no plans to hold any more in-person meetings in 2020, due to the weather here in Minnesota. We realized that our December holiday party would likely need to be canceled, so this was our way of providing a little something in its place.
What was the topic of the meeting? There was no official topic, but rather it was a chance to reconnect with each other as friends and colleagues.
If you do not have a local chapter near you and want information about starting one, reach out to the RESA Chapter Coordinator Vanessa Roach for more information here. We also encourage you to join our Facebook Community, Stage it Forward for lively discussion, encouragement, updates on the industry and more.
The Real Estate Staging Association (RESA®) is the trade association for professional real estate stagers. RESA is a 501(c)(6) tax-exempt non-profit trade association. For more information about real estate staging, or to find a professional stager call 888-201-8687 or visit the RESA website at www.RealEstateStagingAssociation.com.
Felicia has a background in production design and studied at Academy Of Art University where she had a focus in Motion Pictures And Television. In her free time you can find her reading about the latest marketing trends or hanging out with her husband in Disneyland.
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