By Keith Thomas. For us at Petersham Group, it was a year when we found ourselves working further from home than ever, tackling projects as varied as an Archaeological Science Centre in Sweden, developing a programme of exclusive experiential vacations in the African bush, operational planning for a sound and light show in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Melaka, Malaysia and project managing a ground-breaking mirror maze adventure in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
The lesson to be drawn, for me, is that even in uncertain times, if you are prepared to get out and look for them, there are some great projects going on out there. Recessions can be the most fertile time for new ideas that in retrospect, instigated a paradigm shift in their industry. As Earnest Rutherford said in the midst of the recession of the 30’s, ‘We haven’t got the money so we’ve got to think’. As the man who proved the atomic model in 1911 working on a shoestring in Manchester, you have to feel he was onto something!
2012 promises more of the same, with uncertainty over the future of the Eurozone, election-year recession in the USA, ongoing upheaval in parts of the Middle East and ominous rumblings in Russia all a given without taking into account anything Mother Nature may decide to throw at us.
One thing’s for sure then; looking forward to the year ahead, there’s going to be no quick fix. Budgets may be cut back but this shouldn’t mean a cut back on ideas and innovation; rather that they will be the lifeblood of any recovery. We’re all going to have to be quick on our feet and adaptive if we’re going to survive it. So from the thoughts of a great physicist, I finish on a note of Darwinism!
May I wish you all the very best wishes for Christmas and success and prosperity in the New Year.