Walk with me for the following paragraphs and you’ll see what I mean.
The holiday season — Halloween, All Souls Day, Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Christmas New Year — is upon us.
And I am sure some of our readers are celebrating Kwanzaa and Hanukkah.
This realization has suddenly come to our business community, and has led to a flurry of events, or perhaps I should more accurately say a whirlwind.
(And that’s without the employee appreciation events and the traditional pot-luck gatherings.)
We also have our own events, but those have been scheduled on our calendar.
(And the Guam Business Magazine Executive of the Year Gala is set for Feb. 1)
I am amazed at how much in demand we are at Glimpses Media, and equally just how much we manage to cover across our publications, websites and socials.
As I write I am looking at our events calendar — which now stretches well into 2025.
But the following week (which has seven days) has me committed on four of them, to include Saturday. And that’s just me. The news team and sales team are also continuously out and about.
I am a social person, so I’m looking forward to seeing everybody, but I’m also mindful that it’s the time of year when we focus on finishing up business and budget planning.
I don’t think, “Well I was busy,” works if the pages are blank when it comes time to activate our roadmap for the next year.
In our world, there are the media releases with invitations to cover press conferences, with just a few hours of notice, which brings out the grinch in me.
A number of these feature Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero, Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio, Gov. Arnold Palacios and Lt. Gov. David Atapang, who truly have my admiration (and sympathies) as they rocket around their islands to make personal appearances.
And I think we’ve all realized the budget challenges they and their legislatures have had to deal with.
I’ve certainly heard plenty of analyses and comments on our radio stations.
Our radio talk show hosts on The Wave 105.1 FM and Power 98 are equally busy, juggling multiple requests for airtime from our candidates for office, as well as hardworking non-profits. The hosts and their producers do a wonderful job of getting everybody to the studios, and our production team is working hard to get everybody’s messages on air.
Gift shopping is also on most of our to-do lists.
Executive notebook sets (including a minimalist version), customized business card holders (including sustainable wooden ones) abound in corporate gift land.
On the domestic front, I’m not sure about the USB LED powered Christmas Tree, but I see thousands of them have already sold. Traditional and nostalgic décor (particularly reindeer) seem equally popular. There is no end to the stream of creativity out there, whether you want to show your affinity with cutting edge technology or enjoy the comfort of tradition.
As we rattle along the road to the end of the year, incorporating all the busyness of the fourth quarter, I wish you a pleasant and productive journey.
The economies of our islands continue to be tough to navigate.
And this year has had its moments, particularly for tourism, but — all grumbling aside — as Thanksgiving approaches, I’d like to thank you for the many ways you have supported us in 2024. mbj
— Maureen N. Maratita is the publisher at Glimpses Media. Glimpses Media includes the Marianas Business Journal, Guam Business Magazine, The Guam Guide, Wave 105.1 FM and Power98.