#walking together while apart

By Matt DiSalvo, CMP | Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Capital Convention Contractors

In August 2020, two industry colleagues, Anissa Ladd of the Providence Warwick CVB and Martha Sheridan with the Greater Boston CVB, started a walking group on Facebook. The initial idea was to walk 100 consecutive days outside. If you missed a day, you had to start on Day One again. Of course, it morphed over time as life does. Some folks stayed through, and others did not. Some participated daily while others were a bit sporadic. Either way, we found the means to motivate, connect and complete our tasks. There are still new members joining even today.

So here we are a group consisting of industry colleagues, some CMP’s and some not, and some friends and family of these nice folks but all committed to the experience of walking together while apart.

In our travels, we found a way to foster connections and create a supportive community sans titles, politics, etc. There were countless moments that mirrored moments within our industry all coddled in the basket of experiences. From Boston to Bangkok, Oregon to Melbourne, and many places in between, we travelled. From alligators in Florida and wild kangaroos in Australia, from the battlefields of Lexington & Concord to temples in Southeast Asia, there were new places to visit and new experiences to be had. There are some beautiful beaches in Thailand! We faced new challenges and opportunities every week whether it was to improve our walking time, support our favorite local coffee shop or donate one dollar for every mile we walked that week to a charity of our choice. We also did oddball stuff like scavenger hunts to locate a building with a green roof, a certain holiday decoration or to find something that started with each of the vowels in the alphabet. It was like looking for your iPad after you’ve put it down in a meeting room or finding the receipt for those presentation flowers you ordered at the last minute. It was always an adventure!

We had a few falls, literally, but many more successes. Since I was one of those falls, I learned I should not walk in the woods by myself. There were times when so many rose to the occasion and pulled others along who were having a tough go of it, walking or otherwise. This “conclave” was a way to satisfy our need for connecting as well as work through challenging times. There were certainly both physical health and mental health benefits, except when I occasionally rewarded myself with a donut or whoopie pie. I really haven’t lost any weight, though others have, but I certainly kept my stress level at bay, which my wife and children greatly appreciated. Besides being healthier, we are more determined and resilient as well as more focused in our pursuits. It was and still is a great way to clear our heads and realign perspectives. 

Many made new and lifelong friends, and many moved past fearfulness of what may lie ahead. So many took great photos (not me) to chronicle the walks. This became about the greater good and being better people for it besides being healthier, more determined, and more adaptable. We walked in snow, heat, rain, uphill, downhill and many a wooded trail. A referendum on well-being if you will. 

We are always together even when apart. Eternally rearranging and discovering new opportunities. Rising above turmoil, this was a redo, a reconfiguration of our journey. Our paths moved; some changed exponentially...some hit a wall...some opened a new door. We supported each other, made new friends, we learned to appreciate a new chapter, simple beauty: a flower, a tree, wild cockatoos, a beach at Hua Hin. We connected. We walked together while apart.

As I write this, I and a few others are on Day 314.

Keep moving forward,

Matt DiSalvo, CMP

About Matt

Matthew DiSalvo, CMP, has over 30 years’ experience in hospitality, business and financial management, marketing and sales, human resources management, and customer service. He is the Vice President, Sales & Marketing at Capital Convention Contractors, where he provides corporate leadership, directs strategic revenue, oversees sales & marketing management, and represents the company at major industry events, trade shows, and community affairs. Prior to joining Capital, DiSalvo held executive leadership, operations and sales and marketing posts for a GSC as well as various hotel properties in the Northeast.

DiSalvo has been an active PCMA member since 1992, and he has held various leadership roles within PCMA and the New England Chapter in addition to other regional industry associations. He was President of the New England PCMA Chapter in 2000, and Chair of the PCMA Chapter Leadership Council in 2003 and 2004. He served on the PCMA Board of Directors from 2005-2007 and on the PCMA Education Foundation Board of Trustees in 2009 and then in 2011 was Chair of the PCMA Education Foundation’s Annual Giving Task Force.

A member of the former CMP Board of Directors beginning in 2011, Mr. DiSalvo continued his service to the EIC through 2018 including being the Chair of the CMP Governance Commission in 2017 and now serves as a member of the EIC Knowledge Committee. DiSalvo also served on the Board of Directors for Destination Central Massachusetts from 2009 - 2017.

A Massachusetts native, Matt is a graduate of Boston College. He and his wife Patricia have two children, Micaela and Ryan.