Late winter is a big time in the events planning industry. According to an article from WeddingWire, eight of the top 10 times to get engaged were either around the Christmas season or Valentine’s Day. Thus the reason why every Sunday in January featured a bridal show in the Omaha Metro.

It’s a season for events, whether those events are departmental meetings or company-wide assemblies. Thanks in part to tech companies, meeting in the company conference room with a spread of pastries and coffee seems stodgy these days. Conferences like Big Omaha have elevated conferences into parties akin to weekend-long wedding events, with themes, signature cocktails, and lots of photo opportunities. The cool factor of these conferences is now changing company meetings, and one of our features, “Thinking Outside the Boardroom,” gives readers several thoughts about why holding a meeting off-site is a good idea.

The main feature is about Jim Smith, executive director of Blueprint Nebraska. He has had a varied career, from big business manager to small business owner to government employee. This diverse experience made him a great choice to lead Blueprint, and in the 18 months he has served in this role, he has implemented several goals, including the creation of 25,000 jobs, growth of annual income for Nebraskans by $15,000, and adding 43,000 residents age 18-34 years old. It’s an ambitious plan to be completed in the next 10 years, but with Smith at the helm, it is achievable.

This issue of B2B offers readers something to sustain them through these snowy months.

This article was printed in the February/March 2020 edition of B2B. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.