DEAR
DIARY
Martin Fullard meets Bernadette Palombo,
founder of Salone Events, who has launched
the Event Professionals Journal to help
fellow eventprofs look after themselves
45
common legend
suggests that during
the Space Race
between the US and
Russia in the 1960s, the
Americans spent billions of dollars
developing an ink pen that would
defy zero gravity and work in space.
Sounds reasonable enough… until
you learn that the Russians opted
to use pencils instead.
The simplest ideas are usually
the best, as event professional
Bernadette Palombo has just
demonstrated.
After a prosperous career as a
corporate events manager with a
well-known technology company,
Bernadette took the plunge and
started her own events business:
Salone Events. The name derives
from the Italian spelling of ‘saloon’,
as her grandfather was a saloon
car racing driver. I should have
guessed, as we’re meeting at
Goodwood, where she is based.
However, Bernadette raced onto
my radar during IBTM World in
November, where she was a finalist
in its Business Accelerator
programme. There, she released
the Event Professionals Journal, a
concept so simple its scarcely
believable it doesn’t exist already. It
is, in essence, a diary.
I ask Bernadette about the idea
behind it. “The idea for the journal
came about after a personal
trauma. I felt I needed to create a
physical something to help my
wellbeing. I started journalling to
increase my positive thoughts to
help get me back on track.
“After starting Salone Events, I
got stressed again, so I started
journalling, but this time in relation
to the events industry. The journal
is very simple, I want to improve the
wellbeing of my peers. It is for any
individual in the industry who wants
to prevent burnout or is going
through a mental health issue and
wants to look after themselves.”
It’s interesting that people are
working hard day in day out, and its
only when you stop, sit down and
write down how you’re feeling that
you become aware of how stressed
www.conference-news.co.uk
Wellness
you really may
be. The Event
Professionals Journal
includes a scale chart at the
bottom of each day and, if nothing
else, forces you reflect on how
you’re feeling.
Bernadette says the insight it
offers is important. She says: “It
takes a couple of minutes to
complete and increases
productivity and focus. It’s a
worthwhile activity, and not a chore.
It’s not hard work, its simple, it’s not
dated so you can start anytime of
the year.”
Do you think that mental health
and wellbeing is taken seriously in
the events industry, and how has
the perception about it changed, I
ask Bernadette.
“When I was a corporate in the
global events team, it was never
mentioned at all,” she says. “It was
just an expectation that we would
be away for weeks at a time, maybe
one day off in return. I think
wellbeing is relevant in any industry,
but particularly in events, because
we are prone to burnout.
“I think some agencies are taking
it seriously. But unfortunately, some
companies, which seem to be the
bigger ones, are not showing such
interest, which is really sad.”
Cynical as it may be, if some
organisations don’t invest in their
staff’s mental wellbeing, then the
Event Professionals Journal is, if
nothing else, a cost-effective way to
circumvent that. It contains
six-month’s worth of daily reviews,
where eventprofs can set and
review objectives, monitor their
moods, and foster positive
thoughts. It is a delightfully simple
solution, and one that will be
popular with a large percentage of
the industry.
Although a journalist – which has
its own stresses – I’m going to give
it a go myself. I’ll let you know how I
get on in six months.
You can order your copy of
the Event Professionals Journal
at www.eventprofessionals
journal.com