Let’s face it: Not everything about meetings is great. But after the way 2020 played out, event professionals are yearning for even the awkward stuff.

Rather than mope about all the good, bad and ugly of face-to-face gatherings we’ve missed, the Philadelphia Convention and Visitor’s Bureau is having some fun with it.

The CVB in December launched a series of short animated episodes, “What We Never Thought We’d Miss About Meetings.” The first three episodes—about 30 seconds each—focus on too much swag, close talkers and (too) late-night networking. 

Think of it as “Seinfeld” meets “South Park” at a conference, minus the Cartman’s crude language. For the project, the PHLCVB partnered with Motifmotion, a Philadelphia-based animated video production company. 

“Nine months into a pandemic that has kept most of us at home, steeped in Zoom fatigue and physical distancing, we found ourselves waxing nostalgic about aspects of meetings and events that no one thought we would ever miss,” said Joe Heller, PHLCVB vice president of marketing and communications, in a statement. “We are all looking forward to the day when we can connect face-to-face and be entertained by the small moments that permeate the in-person meeting experience. This series is designed to highlight those moments and offer our customers, industry partners and visitors an opportunity to laugh during otherwise challenging times.”

Of course, meetings are huge business for cities like Philadelphia. In 2019, in-person conventions, tradeshows, meetings and events generated $600 million in revenue, the CVB reports. While promising vaccine news is creating optimism for something closer to normal by the fall, the next few months will likely be filled with mostly virtual and hybrid events.

To bide time until larger groups are able to convene, the CVB is planning to produce several more episodes. Furthermore, it is opening up suggestions to event professionals to submit ideas by clicking here. Proposals must be submitted by January 15 and the winning idea will be selected on January 20. The final result will be the series finale.

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