As the world continues to watch the impacts COVID-19 has had on households and economies, it is important to ask the question, what next? Slowly, cafes and restaurants have begun the slow return to pre-COVID trading, but with a raft of limitations on how they do business. There are still trading capacity limits, and COVID-19 tracking requirements to keep patron contact details on hand if/when contact racing is linked to a particular venue. Office-based businesses are returning to the office, with many still electing to work from home on one or more days each week. Personally, I have returned to working in my 20-person office Monday to Friday, 9 am to 4 pm. However, many of my work colleagues pick and choose their days in the office based on the morning temperature. It got me thinking, is this what business will be like now? Is the return to normal practice not a return to normal at all, but simply an adaptation of practices?
On July 25, The CBR Gals is hosting the Connect-Up Gala with the aim of starting to answer that exact question. Sponsored by HerCanberra and in partnership with Contentious Character, this black-tie event will start the conversation of what business and society will look like for the rest of 2020 and onwards. It is an opportunity for small Canberra-based businesses and individuals to meet, mingle and connect with like-minded individuals. After a blazing summer of bushfires, a devastating hailstorm, a nation-wide civil rights movement, and feeling first-hand the effects of an international pandemic, the Canberra community has not had the best 2020. The impacts of these three natural disasters are widespread, but has particularly impacted Canberra businesses and beat down community connection.
[The Connect-Up Gala] is an opportunity for small Canberra-based businesses and individuals to meet, mingle and connect with like-minded individuals.
Events that highlight small Canberra based businesses, like this gala, give the opportunity to support local and reach out to the broader community. It also presents a unique situation where thought leaders, local vendors, and individual Canberrans can interact and plan for a future that they want. This is a special time in history where society gets to change workplace and societal expectations based on lived experience in a modified “normal” through sanctioned shutdowns. There is the chance to redefine this “normal” by considering not only lived experience, but how we want our community to look and interact in the future.
As a young Canberran, I am excited about the opportunity to engage with other Canberrans of all ages that work in different fields.
Over the five years I have called this city home, I have not found a space like this to engage with so many Canberra-based business owners. Having the chance to grow within the community and start those conversations is incredibly exciting. I am eagerly counting down the days till I can (finally) get dolled up in a nice party dress and spend my Saturday night off my couch. Surely I am not the only one that has found themselves in this situation?
12 days and counting…. Can’t wait to see you there!
SHANNON BECKWITH
is the current Vice President (2019-2020) of the CBR Gals Network Board. She is a regular contributor to the Network’s blog.
@ShannonBeckwith
Author: The CBR Gals Network
The CBR Gals Network is a feminist not-for-profit organisation established in 2018.