On Dec. 2, following a long, pandemic-forced hiatus, American Rental Association (ARA) members in Maryland gathered face-to-face again for the ARA of Maryland Holiday Social at the Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Halethorpe, Md.
It was the first in-person meeting hosted by the ARA state chapter since its previous holiday get-together in December 2019.
“It was good to see everyone in person again after taking a year off,” says Steve Creamer, manager, ABC Rental Center, Rosedale, Md, who also serves as ARA of Maryland president. “Everyone had a great time. This was my first time going to the Guinness Brewery, and it was neat to try all the different beers. It was a pretty low-key event, but attendance was higher than I thought it would be. It was probably a 50-50 mix of vendors and rental stores.”
Reggie Eda, co-owner, Oxon Hill Rentals, Fort Washington, Md., and ARA of Maryland vice president, also was pleased with the event.
“It was well-received by everybody. The venue was a nice, intimate satellite right beside the brewery — our own little spot. The food was awesome, we had a live, acoustic guitarist and ‘Santa Reggie’ handed out door prizes,” Eda says.
Door prizes included a 65-in. TV, a Yeti cooler, a lawn mower donated by the Toro Co. and a variety of gift cards donated by other vendors.
Eda estimates that more than 60 people attended the event, and Creamer is optimistic for even better attendance at forthcoming events.
“We didn’t have any speakers at this event — it was just a social to kind of get out there again and have some fun,” Creamer says. “I figure, this is our first event back, we’ve got to kind of get our feet wet a little bit. Then, as we move on, we’ll get more attendance.”