You probably know that I organise blogging events in Liverpool. We absolutely love doing it, and getting to see the excitement on our friends' faces on the day is worth all the hassle and stress - plus we get to raise money for some amazing charities, collect product donations for our local community, and promote some amazing brands who really deserve it. I've learnt A LOT over the years - some good, some bad...
People cannot read emails // This is SO annoying - I spend so much time sending emails for the events, asking PRs and brands if they want to get on board by featuring their products in the goody bags, asking venues if they'll let us host the event there, asking local entertainers and companies if they want to come along. I put as much information as possible into each email, so that brands can make an informed decision - and you always get someone asking "how many bloggers will there be?" (30, it says in the original email) or "what date is this?" (the 8th July, it says in the original email). Come on, guys - read the message before replying and save us all some time.
Ignorance is really bloody annoying // Of course, this goes for most things but whenever I'm in the plannign stage of an event it becomes more and more clear to me. Like I said earlier, I spend so much of my time emailing various people because I want this event to be a success - but a lot of brands and companies can't spare 2 minutes to reply saying "no this isn't for us" or something similar. It's just manners, really, isn't it?
You can't please everyone // Sam and I do our best to make sure our events run smoothly and cater to as many people as possible, in the fairest way we can. Inevitably, though, there's always someone that isn't happy about something. Maybe their's was the one goody bag that didn't get a certain nail varnish because the brand didn't send enough, or maybe they think we should have had a bar but we couldn't get a venue that had one - whatever. You'll always get people moaning, but we always ask for feedback after events and suggestions in the run up, and that's all we can do.
Gratitude is incredible // It's (obviously) not all bad - something that organising blogger events has shown me is that gratitude is something beautiful to witness. 99% of our attendees are always over the moon with what we've done for them, and the charities we donate to are really grateful for our help, and the people in our community that we can give left over products/donations to are so happy that we've been able to do something for them.
I'm good at something // Honestly, all things considered, I'm pretty good at this - we've worked with some incredible brands like LUSH, Cath Kidston, Illamasqua, Propercorn, L'Oreal and more, and donated over £600 to various charities like Claire House, Addaction and Student Minds. We've made some amazing memories and had bloggers come from Bristol, Ediburgh and Bradford to join us at our events which, by the way, always trend on Twitter. Looool.
So there are good and bad things that you learn about life when planning a blogger event - I don't know if this extends to other forms of events, but this has been my experience! Our next event is in July and we'll be collecting food + toiletries to donate to those in need across Merseyside: if you want to donate, please get in touch.
You have both done incredible, and like everything there is the good and the bad. But in your case the good defo outweighs the bad! Well done ladies and may there be many more events. Xxx
ReplyDeleteYou're both such fabulous girls, with big hearts and a lot of patience! I don't know how to do what you do, but you're an inspiration to me!
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