Planner Turns Job Search Struggles Into Support Group

It all began in October of 2021 during the depths of Covid, when, as part of a staff reduction, Lori Battista was laid off from her role as an event planner at a major food industry retailer. Even in those dark days, she was able to find another job as a director of conferences at a national association by the following May.

It’s here that her story took another difficult turn.

Skift Meetings: Can you share what happened at your new job?

Lori Battista: “At first, I thought it was a great opportunity. I had wanted to get back to association planning; it has always been in my heart. Being a nonprofit, they had struggled during Covid, and we were a staff of 20 that used to be 60.

“One of the reasons they hired me was to help them bring back their conferences, because they had gone all virtual. The first was in Alaska in June, and it was a lot of work. I really liked the job and I loved the organization.

“Then, the day after we got back from their second live meeting that October, they laid me off. They realized they couldn't afford me. After I left, they hired an event planner with much less experience and used an outside third party.”

Skift Meetings: That must have been so frustrating.

Lori Battista: “It was really rough. I had given it a lot of my time and it was my second time being laid off. I didn't start working where I am now until April of 2024 – another year and a half later. 

“I also had things going on in my personal life. Being laid off doesn't mean that your personal life just stops, or all the challenges that go along with that. It was a struggle not working: I didn't have money, I didn't have any insurance –— you know, all that kind of stuff.”

Skift Meetings: How did you get through it, and when did you decide to start your support group?

Lori Battista: “I relied on my communities on the National Meeting Planners  Facebook group and SPIN. I also  joined MPI — they were kind enough to take me on scholarship. 

“It was great to already kind of have that network in place, so in February of 2024, I put it out there that I was creating a private chat group on Facebook for people who were looking for jobs. A place where, if you wanted to ask more personal questions and you didn't want the whole group to know about it, you could do it there.

“It started with 20 people, and now it’s up to 84. I think a lot of people thought it was going to be a place to post jobs, but that's not what this was: It was a place to share our stories and where we were interviewing and with whom, and to commiserate. And it’s still active because there are still a lot of people who are still unemployed or underemployed — there aren’t a lot of jobs out there.,  

“It’s a place to go to talk about what people are going through. We're all going through it together. It's okay that you're not okay. It's okay to ask for help. That’s hard for people to do because, as meeting planners, we've always been in control.”

Skift Meetings: The job hunting market has changed so much that it must be great to have a place to talk about that.

Lori Battista: “That’s the biggest thing – the way that companies are treating the job seekers today. They just don't care, and they're so disrespectful. I've had every experience you could possibly imagine, like being ghosted and having crazy people interview me. I’m used to it because that's the way it is now, and you have to have a thick skin.

“I remember when I first started looking, I had two interviews for this job, and it was the perfect fit. I remember thinking, ‘I'm getting this.’ I even went out and bought a new dress. And I didn't get the job, and I thought, ‘How is this possible?’ And then it just kept happening over and over.

“So you can't get emotionally involved. I had a lot of therapy over that time, and I also have friends and family who were willing to listen to me complain because that's all I did for a year – —complained. That’s where it helps to have a group of people who are supportive because they know how horrible it is.

“I honestly would not wish this on my worst enemy. So I figured if I can help anyone – even just one person – feel a little bit better, it was worth it.”

Skift Meetings: What is one of the biggest topics people talk about in the group?

Lori Battista: “A lot of people have been talking about ageism, but I don't call it that. I call it ‘experiencism.’ I've been in this industry for over 20 years, and they don't want to pay someone with that level of experience. 

“After Covid, so many people got laid off, and a lot of those senior-level jobs aren’t there anymore. So we're all fighting for the same jobs.

“The jobs that did come back are for junior-level people and maybe mid-level. People at that level are not having the same experience as somebody like me. We're the ones that are having the trouble because we either have to take a job where they're not going to use us for our experience, or not take it because it doesn’t pay what we need.”    

Skift Meetings: What would be the biggest piece of advice you would share with a job seeker?

“Just remember that if you’re rejected, it’s not about you. You can't take it personally because it's not personal.”