I had the pleasure to attend a business conference for women in Orange NSW, called The Huddle (how cute! )
Let me tell you what I learnt, which shows MASSIVE kudos to the organisers.
Flicked from my friend Helen, the invite in my in box was;
Compressive
Colourful
Had options
Celebrated Orange
Enticing
Uplifting
The branding that you sometimes see reflected in the brochure translated well into their brand on display at the various event activities. "More is more and less is boring" is the motto of the organisers and sponsors - a great little store in Orange called Jumbled (which includes another fab store called Iglou). The branding or more is more was evident at all aspects of the event.
I attended the cocktail party the evening before and the day conference. I did not attend the yoga portion, as I am not very bendy.
Cocktail Party debrief:
I was nervous wearing my very sparkly green dress to the cocktail party. I grew up in Bathurst (adjacent town) and was not very “normal”, small country towns don’t cope with that well with odd or different, hence the nervousness. I should not have been fearful as I was very welcomed, with Jess squealing as I entered “I love it” with a big juicy hug, Pip telling me to "never take it off" and random strangers telling me how much they loved my dress. The guests were welcoming and we had some fabulous chats, in cocktail lines, with some lovely ladies from Narromine and a lovely family lawyer called (Alison).
Plenty of snacks to partake, but as I travelled from Sydney and had no ‘real’ lunch, decided to get dinner at the Canobolas Hotel. Random strangers behaved the way I was used to when growing up. I could feel myself trying to get smaller, shoulders hunching over, head bowed, feeling that old horrible feeling. With the support from my fabulous friends, I tapped deep into my personal strength and rationalised that it was their problem not mine and not to let it ruin my night.
The Main Game:
Translating the vibe of the marketing and also the cocktail party the day before was achieved seamlessly. Huddle up bags* on each seat loaded up with goodies. Free barista coffee, great lunch and decorated wonderfully thanks to “banging hangings". The positive and welcoming vibe continued throughout the event, with people helping others to get food/coffee or join the line with their friends.
The main event was fabulously hosted by Edwina Bartholomew, who was fun, engaging and super quick witted, such an exemplary host. The panels were informative, with real practical tips, rather than trite comments. I had many take aways and felt informed and entertained at the same time, tricky combination to achieve, but worked seamlessly.
I was surprised by how humble the speakers were, including Jane Cay founder of Birdsnest. I did not expect them to be boastful, but was pleased the conference created, a 'you can achieve anything' vibe, with practicality and without platitudes. Maybe it was the contrast of having 450+ women in the room and only 2 men on video and mic patrol, rather than starkly seeing the other option, with tons of men and only a handful of women (my usual day gig).
Great day was had by all. When the Jumbled team decide to do another one, I will be there, with a posse of peeps in my car. I might go even crazier with my outfits, or be more environmentally responsible and repeat the sparkly green dress.
Ok my take aways:
Give it ALL away
Social = value + connection
“If the label fell off, would they know if was you"
Define your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) both professionally and personally
Define exactly who you are talking to - create an avatar
What does your brand represent - make it visual?
Fabulous job, Jumbled team! Thanks Helen for the forward and for being my conference buddy!
*The bags were way bigger than this, but I washed it, as I got tea on it.
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Unearth possibilities to design a future that suits you perfectly
About CMM
Christina Morgan-Meldrum (CMM) is an author, speaker, curator, change professional and podcaster. She particularly loves helping people and organisations unearth what’s possible to design a future that suits you perfectly (Organisations call it a Strategic Roadmap).
She has cultivated the ability to walk into any industry; see what is not seen, distil what is complicated, and simplify the chaos. This skill has been forged in a deliberate and concentrated way for over 20 years, through Personal Coaching and working in Organisational Change Management (before it was even a thing).
Christina fills her time on various side hustles, blogging, podcasting - Quirky & Chenille (Christina is Quirky), and learning the piano. If you are looking for her, she is likely at her spiritual home JB Hi-Fi or exploring stationery stores or artisan markets.