Coming Back - Stronger Than Ever!
Parties & Props has been serving the St. Louis Event Community for more than 25 years. We are a proud member of the event community and we are looking forward to emerging from this pandemic stronger than ever.
As I reflect on COVID-19 and the unprecedented times we are faced with, I began to consider what it would take to get back to the business of producing amazing events. In doing this, I began drawing on my history and experience in the event industry and I realized, that this is not the first time that, as a leader, I have had to find a way to rally the troops and come back - Stronger Than Ever.
I have been in this industry since the 90's. Stop trying to count - yes, I am getting OLD! I have seen this industry be forced to "shift" several times. Big, industry-altering shifts. But the one thing that has remained true - we always came back - and we came back STRONGER THAN EVER.
The Recession of the 90's
In late 80's and early 90's everything was in abundance, events were luxurious and over-the-top. Yet, in 1993, we faced a major recession that had everyone tightening their purse strings. Event attendance dropped, events were cancelled and the event industry suffered as a result. At the time I worked for a large event firm in Atlanta. The company employed more than 100 event professionals, planners, production artists, laborers, executives. In a matter of weeks we went from 100 professionals to fewer than 25. We had to do more with less. We worked hard to improve efficiencies and to shift from having huge budgets to having shoestring budgets... and though the budgets changed, the expectations for producing an amazing event did not.
Through all of those tough times, we prevailed and we came back - stronger than ever.
The tragedy of September 11, 2001
Then, the tragedy of 9/11. We were under attack, paralyzed with fear and uncertainty. The travel industry came to a halt. Events cancelled and were not rescheduled. Contracts that were in place were not designed with something like this in mind. The industry had to bend, to adapt and change to accommodate.
Through this tragedy, we prevailed and we came back - stronger than ever.
The Market Crash of 2008
Then, in 2008 the market crashed. The country faced a financial crisis unlike anything we had ever seen. Events, once again, came to a halt. How could we celebrate when so many were losing their jobs, their businesses? And, in this crisis - small businesses took the brunt of the trauma. Many businesses closed, unable to recover. Planners had to once again RESET working with smaller budgets, unchanged expectations and faced with uncertainty.
Through this crisis, we prevailed and we came back - stronger than ever.
As an industry, this is not the first crisis we have faced, and it will likely not be the last. However, I feel confident that we will come back. Stronger than ever. We will be required, once again, to shift. To face uncertainty and to find it necessary to bend, mold and adapt. However, I know that we will do this and I for one have found solace in the fact that giving my history with the changes and shifts in the industry that we have always found a way to prevail and come back - STRONGER THAN EVER.
ozil-goalai.com got me thinking about how many times this industry has had to reinvent itself, and 25 years serving St. Louis is a lot of shifts to draw on. The part about rallying the troops hit home too, since that's usually the hardest and least glamorous side of leadership. Nice to see someone framing a comeback around experience rather than just optimism.
Coming back stronger than ever is a powerful reminder that challenges can create opportunities for growth, improvement, and new beginnings. Every setback teaches valuable lessons, builds resilience, and helps us approach future goals with greater confidence. Whether in personal life or business, consistency, determination, and a willingness to improve make a real difference. The same principle applies to the embroidery industry, where quality, creativity, and precision are essential for success. Businesses looking for reliable USA embroidery digitizing solutions should prioritize professional stitch quality, accurate designs, quick turnaround times, and dependable customer support. Every comeback is another opportunity to achieve something better.
Reading AI Font Generator alongside your post really put the 25-year milestone in perspective — the joke about not trying to count since the 90s gave me a good laugh. It's reassuring to see someone who's already navigated several industry-shifting moments treat this one as another chance to rally the team.
AI BG Remover is a helpful tool for streamlining event prep, which fits perfectly with your 25+ years of rallying the troops. It’s inspiring to see you draw on that deep history since the 90s to navigate the pandemic and come back stronger.
I've been looking for a good way to restore old photos for a while now. It's amazing how technology can bring back details from faded or damaged pictures. This tool seems like a great option for anyone wanting to preserve family memories.