Back together again

After months of being restricted and relying on virtual communication, our lives are finally getting back to normal again - and doesn't it feel great. We're seeing each other faceto-face, popping back into the office, and meeting industry friends and colleagues for coffees and lunches. We've been on trains, even planes, and posted selfies about it on Linkedin - in our masks, of course. Our lives aren't completely back to the way they were – and they might well never be – but the vaccine roll-out has allowed us to venture out again into the world with more confidence.

On September 14-15 many of us will meet in London for two of our sector's most important annual events: The Business Travel Conference and The Business Travel People Awards. For the conference (see page 40) we've got a fantastic line-up of speakers and some great sessions planned under the theme Reconnect, Reset, Restart. There's lots to talk about and still so much to learn. For the People Awards (see page 16) there's a new relaxed, evening format, new categories, and it's the 10th anniversary too.

For both, there'll be plenty of time for networking and socialising, which is always a big part of these events and now more than ever.

Being apart for so long has made us all realise how important it is to be together, to make those spontaneous connections, to put a face to a name, to forge closer relationships, share experiences, a joke - all those things that don't happen naturally on a screen and, after all, the reason why we're in the industry we're in.

For me personally, these events will be a chance to finally meet many of the people I've only known virtually in the year since I joined The Business Travel Magazine and I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to it.