I spent last Saturday "networking" as a VIP ambassador at the brand new National Equine Show at the NEC in Birmingham.
The Inspiration Stage
This was the first ever running of the shopping only event; there were guest speakers on the two stages - the Skills Theatre and the Inspiration Stage - as well as meet and greet opportunities with the speakers afterwards too.
I'd signed up to be an ambassador for the show when it was still in it's early promotion stages, meaning I got a selection of additional free tickets for the event including my own. There was also an ambassador Facebook group for us all to connect beforehand, Zoom calls for us all to ask questions and go through show logistics and a WhatsApp group to keep in touch on the day.
On arrival, as a show ambassador, I got a bag of goodies (that I haven't totalled the value of yet), a free ambassador t-shirt (that I've given to my OH as there was only XL left by the time I arrived 🤣), access to the VIP area with complimentary tea/coffee/refreshments throughout the day AND a glass of fizz 🥂
I'm not actually sure I was meant to get a VIP wristband... but one thing I will say is;
I DRESSED THE PART
The ticket guy scanned my ticket and handed me my gold wristband 🤷♀️ I do wonder if my outfit swayed his subconscious bias... all the other ambassadors had been given a different one!
Posing with Shane of Equitas
after our interview.
Although the event was retail only, I had purposefully decided to use it as a networking opportunity rather than to spend my money... with the current financial climate the way it is and my freelance work proving very seasonal, it wasn't my priority to be shopping (as it happened, I later discovered I'd forgotten my purse anyway) . But from what I gathered, sales were looking very good for retailers!
I was really surprised - in a positive way - at just how well the show was supported in its first innings. There were definitely times when the aisles were RAMMED and it was difficult to move! This is encouraging for the Equestrian community as a whole, from both sides of the tills. The event marketing team had done a brilliant job of promoting it. I did notice that many of the tradestands (aside from event sponsors) were made up of smaller businesses rather than the usual names that tend to dominate the market. This meant that there was a wide variety of stalls not usually seen at such shows. As the first event of it's kind, I commend the organisers for giving smaller names the opportunity to showcase their goods and services. Perhaps next year some of the larger brands may be present and wanted to use this first run to see if it would be worth them going.
I'd made a prior list of people I wanted to see; connections I wanted to make, people I "knew" digitally but not in-person who I wanted to meet, brands I wanted to touch base with... having everyone all in one place was an opportunity too good to miss.
I made sure I took some business cards and flyers - always a good idea to have on hand to quickly and easily give out contact details - plus my "little black book" to write specific details from my conversations. This is an EXTREMELY useful thing to do for when you want to touch base with these connections in the future; what car they drive, what they do for work, how many horses they have... it makes future talks much more personal; it shows the other person that you remember them, were paying attention to them and may just help them remember you too! Don't forget, although they were significant to you, it's highly likely that you were just one of MANY faces they will have met that day. So stand out!
I'm confident the National Equine Show will be back next year even bigger than it's debut, maybe next year I'll have some money in the budget to indulge in some of the retail therapy as well!
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Breakdown of costs from @the_poor_horse_girl
Tickets: FREE as I went as a VIP show ambassador
Fuel: circa £45 ish I reckon 🤔
Food: £15.55 for 🍕
Parking (pre-paid discount): £12
Birmingham clean air zone charge: £8 (which I actually may or may not have needed to pay 🤷♀️)
Total: £80.55
Which was mainly the diesel ⛽️ It's a 2+ hrs journey around 120 miles each way and my 4x4 isn't super efficient
Are you shocked at the cost?
This was a "cheap" day for me to use as a networking opportunity! I wasn't even going with the intention to spend money!
Do you budget for events like this? Are you planning on attending any this year? Or saving your pennies? 🪙
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