Well, what a year! 2020 may not have been the year we had all hoped for or expected, but as we say our festive wishes and tidy up our WFH offices, team YOURgb are taking a moment to reflect on the last 12 months. With its immense challenges, 2020 has also brought us silver linings, big or small, that we will forever look back on fondly. With the news that came over the weekend, it is clear there is still an unknown journey ahead of us, but we are grateful for those moments that brought a smile to our face.

A silver lining, as defined by dictionary.com is:

“a sign of hope in an unfortunate or gloomy situation; a bright prospect”

Pretty fitting for the year, we think.

So, as our last blog post of 2020, YOURgb are looking back at our silver linings of 2020 and at the amazing work we have been lucky enough to be involved in. We want to thank everyone who we, as a team, have worked with, spoken to or even interacted with online – we couldn’t have got through this year without you and we can’t wait to see you all in 2021.

Emily Semple

COVID-19 came as a shock, especially to the events industry. My silver lining is that we as a team never stopped, rather than burrow down when the going got tough we pulled together and since then have been doing the most amazing and wonderful events online – that we never would have imagined were possible. I am so proud of everything we have achieved as a team.

On a personal level, I have gained not 1 but 3 gorgeous godchildren. COVID has brought some very low times to many people but it has brought me 3 wonderful humans, who bring so much happiness to my little world.

Vikki Adamson

My silver living of the year is learning to love the city I call home. 2020 has forced me to stay local and discover areas of Edinburgh that I didn’t even know existed. Hills, beaches, rivers and more! It’s been brilliant and has meant I look at this amazing city in a different way now. I love it even more than I did before.

At YOURgb we pride ourselves on being human and working with our amazing clients whilst they are all at home has allowed us to appreciate their human side even more! Their lovely homes, children, pets or plants has been lovely to see.

Emma White

I joined YOURgb only two weeks before we went into lockdown in Scotland and, like so many people, it was a pretty uncertain time. A huge silver lining for me has to be being welcomed as part of team YOURgb and made to feel like a key part of the team, even though we were all working from home. I have had the opportunity to work on some truly amazing events and gain new skills I may not have learnt otherwise. I’m so proud to be a part of this team.

Another silver lining of 2020 for me was, believe it or not, Zoom quizzes with my family. We caught up every week for nearly 3 months, all taking turns to host the quiz, and I can’t remember a time when we’ve ever spoke that often! I connected again with people I hadn’t for a while, and I will always cherish that.

Jenny Gibson

Being a part of producing virtual events internationally is a MASSIVE silver lining for me! We have been able to manage these events remotely, which means that there has been no geographical constraints.

While on furlough, I ended up with a lot more time on my hands! Within this time, I started running which has been amazing!! I definitely wouldn’t have been able to do this if I hadn’t been on furlough.

Karen Hemmati

This year has shown me, it is the people you surround yourself with that is the most important thing – family, friends and your community. It didn’t matter what was happening – shop shelves bare and social media full of conspiracy theories. The light at the end of the tunnel was knowing I had my family or the girls at the end of the phone to rant, cry and laugh and just for a moment forget about the crazy of 2020.

From 2020, I have a major sense of pride to be part of the events industry. The events community have rallied around each other to support and share knowledge. We may have been told to stop but we will always keep fighting!

Lisa Mouette

I graduated university! It was a strange time to be completing such an important part of my life but with the support of YOURgb, my family and friends, I completed my degree!

I upgraded my cooking skills by spending more time at home and in the kitchen with my mom. I stepped up from kitchen clerk to junior chef (my mom maintaining the top chef position) and have loved having the time to learn new skills.

Finlay Bain

Due to the nature of shifting our focus to online events, a lot of which has required hosts who need scripts, has meant that I have moved into a more creative role within YOURgb as a scriptwriter & creative. This has been a lovely silver lining for me throughout the tricky 2020 period!

This bizarre 2020 has helped me re connect with people who I haven’t spoken to in a long time. Also as with everyone, I have a much higher need to be outside if the weather is looking half decent and I have a greater appreciation of good weather in Scotland than ever before.

Gilly Bain

To me, there have been so many silver linings to the COVID-19 challenge. As an industry, events have suffered a stomach churning blow – but our will to succeed, survive and thrive has ultimately strengthened YOURgb to its very core. We have become live broadcast transmission specialists – and before Corona hit, we wouldn’t have even known what that means. We have bound together and bonded as a team, we have supported each other and our empathy levels went through the roof. We have grown closer to our clients and we have learnt to take nothing for granted. We are more confident, a little louder, a little prouder – because taking risks and seeing them pay off results in personal growth – and each of us have learnt, grown, pushed past the growing pains and have upskilled.

Lastly – the ultimate silver lining is pride. I don’t think it is possible to describe how completely and endlessly proud I am of each and every one of the YOURgb team. Our eclectic skills base, commitment and sheer drive to push through this created individual ‘pivot’ stories that would rival a fish walking on land. We made what some people said was ‘impossible’ – ‘possible’ – and that is down to a collective of talented and caring individuals that never settle for anything less than 100%. It takes teamwork to make the dream work – and we’re making it / we’ve made it – 2021, we are ready for you!