Why We Put Talent First
At Soundings, we put people first. We value the power of honoring individuals’ gifts and supporting them to thrive. It’s the standard we hold ourselves to for our internal team, talent community, and clients. We believe that when we take care of each other, everyone wins.
The reason is no different from Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts’ standard. At the (now booming) business' beginnings, the company established its Golden Rule: to treat others as they’d themselves like to be treated. Its commitment to a people-first mentality is undoubtedly the reason for its immense success (i.e., among the reasons it was named as one of FORTUNE magazine’s top 100 places to work).
Soundings’ people-first mentality begins with our Thrive community –a freelancer/independent talent-only community with the best education, resources, network, and business services to help talent elevate their careers and excel in the meeting and event industry.
Putting our talent first means providing them with everything they need to succeed. The more prepared talent is for the workforce, the better they support clients’ needs.
Soundings Thrive Community
Soundings sets our talent community up for optimal success by providing them with education, resources, community, and opportunities to shine in their genius zones. We highly value listening to the unique needs of our talent community and staying on top of the latest industry demands so they can thrive. Our Soundings Thrive deliverables are driven by the importance of educating and up-skilling our talent to be successful in the still-changing work landscape.
Every member of Soundings Thrive gains the following:
Continued education: members gain access to our resource library–filled with webinars, CEU and certification opportunities, articles, special offers, and more.
Social community: our talent may be independent, but they are not alone. We offer them social hours, hours, meetups, virtual events, and talent showcases to network and learn from one another.
Skillset practice: our Platform Playground allows members to participate in mock events, gain virtual event experience, and see how far their skillsets can go.
Industry coaching: we’re on the pulse of the industries we serve (meetings, events, hotels & tourism, associations & non-profits), and we keep our network up to date on industry trends, the future of work, and how to stand out.
Business growth: we help members build professional portfolios and they gain access to our preferred supplier network to expand their service offerings and earn industry commission.
Benefits: independent talent do not need to compromise their professional freedom for security–we cover all their compliance needs. Freelancers gain access to weekly payouts and HR resources to manage their businesses. Full-time placements gain access to W2 health and tax benefits.
Educate & Up-skill Freelancers
The call to up-skill freelancers in the changing work landscape is the reason we began Soundings Thrive. The pandemic broke down workplace barriers by creating inevitable behavior changes for remote work and turned the events industry on its head. Now, we must provide freelancers/independent talent with the knowledge and resources they need to serve in the current work landscape.
We provide our talent with various tools and technologies that support virtual, hybrid, and in-person work–including certifications, virtual event platforms, project management software, and communication tools. A win for them is a win for us all.
Check out our Freelancer Toolkit for a list of the top tools, resources, certifications, and skills needed in today’s event industry.
While we are dedicated to preparing talent for the skillsets they need, they are equally committed to continuing their education–even more so than non-freelance workers. Upwork’s “Freelancing Forward 2020” report found that 59% of freelancers had participated in skills training in the last 6 months vs. 36% of non-freelancers.
Most of today's freelancers want to grow their skillsets so that they can grow their careers. By extension, the more skilled our freelancers are, the better they will serve companies who need their unique specialties.
Commitment to Excellence
In an industry that’s always changing, Soundings is committed to staying up to date with the latest skills and technology freelancers and independent talent need to adequately support clients’ needs. Here are just a few examples of the tools and education we provide our Thrive community:
Platform Playground – This program is a Thrive hands-on learning platform that allows anyone in our community to participate in mock events, gain virtual event experience, and discover new roles that align with their skillsets by trying them in real-time.
Cvent resources – Cvent has been one of the most supportive partners of our talent community. They allow our freelancers access to free certifications to learn new event technology skills and supplement existing ones with a range of selections for both Event and Hospitality Professionals. Members of our talent community also gain free access to Cvent’s event planning and management software to learn how to leverage the platform for virtual, in-person, and hybrid events.
Encore resources -Encore, the global leader for event technology and production services, offers the Professional Edge Education Webinar Series for industry professionals to learn new skills and industry trends. Soundings’ partnership with Encore gives our independent talent community the opportunity to upskill on its engagement platform, Chime Live, which creates custom virtual and hybrid event experiences.
Everyone Wins
We put talent first at Soundings because people are our product. We hand-pick the freelancers in our network to maintain a diversified talent pool with specialized talent. We provide them with hands-on learning and opportunities to grow so that they can be the best version of themselves. We then thoughtfully match talent with companies based on their expertise and soft skills to drive impactful results and innovation.
We believe that people are happier, and thereby more productive when they use their strengths in their work. That’s why each match we make considers talent’s strengths; we choose the client that is the best match for them.
Our independent talent also receives benefits. Soundings ensures our community has the support they need by covering compliance, taxes, weekly pay, and HR resources.
When we take care of our talent and support them to optimize their potential, they bring their best self to serve clients. It’s a trickle effect that benefits everyone involved.
Are you a freelancer looking to take your career to the next level?
Join the Soundings Thrive community to stay up to date on industry trends, gain access to education–including the newest certifications and trainings, network with other freelancers, and be in our job network to get more/better clients. Learn more here.