If you ask me, the growth of the party and events industry is a direct result of the raw talent of suppliers and just how accessible they’ve made it for everyone to create memorable occasions. You’ll find many of them on our LLC directory!
It’s a fantastic industry of support among suppliers, but the big winners are the consumers who can now turn any occasion into something special with the amount of inspiration, professionals and DIY options now available.
This was a driving force behind starting LIfe’s Little Celebrations and why we now have our first conference to look forward to, continuing to learn, inspire and grow with each other. I’m so excited for Celebrate in August and look forward to seeing some familiar faces and meeting new. There are still tickets available so be quick to secure yours here and join us for what is set to be a fantastic day.
One of our Celebrate sponsors is a shining example of just how this industry is making gorgeous occasions accessible for everyone – because let’s face it, we can’t all bake and decorate like a pro, but we like to give it a red hot go!
Michelle Bailey own’s Custom Icing, which enables you to turn homemade or purchased cakes, cupcakes or cookies into something spectacular. Even the pros are partial to using Michelle’s edible cake images to add the extra WOW factor to a creation.
Incredible, huh?! The edible images from Custom Icing can make a huge difference to your cakes as well as cupcakes and even chocolates!
Customised cupcakes make a great impression at any occasion, and these simple discs are so simple but so effective on a plain iced cupcake with colour coordinated baking cases.
What kid doesn’t love seeing their face on a cake?!
I love how Custom Icing enables just about anyone to be a master baker and turn an occasion into something special. Whether you’re handy with fondant or not, edible cake images can turn cakes into show stoppers and help bring together themes with a little creativity.
You can find out more about Custom Icing, including printing on chocolate, and shop online here.
Happy creating and we hope to see you at celebrate!
One of the very early decisions I had to make when planning Celebrate was choosing the presenters for the event. I wanted to choose speakers who were experts in their field. However I didn’t want CEO’s of large corporations – I wanted speakers who could understand small businesses and mum’s in business.
I wanted presenters who I knew could relate to the Celebrate attendees and this industry and would provide knowledge and inspiration. I also wanted high value speakers – if business owners were going to make the effort to spend the whole day at Celebrate – I wanted to ensure they heard from incredible speakers.
Tickets for Celebrate close in just 2 weeks so I wanted to share more about the amazing presenters chosen and below I have shared more about them and what they will be presenting on!
Wendy El-Khoury – Wedded Wonderland
“Celebrate your digital voice”
“Digital marketing in event wonderland”
Do you want to flourish your business in the event industry? Are you struggling with how to market yourself well on social media? Are you looking for marketing and business tools which will work in your industry?
Founder of Wedded Wonderland – one of Australia’s most respected online wedding magazines and portal. Wendy has developed Wedded Wonderland to excel in Events, Social Media, PR and Blogging with over 950,000 followers across Social Media, and over 600,000 visitors onwww.weddedwonderland.com with 150,000 being unique per month. Wendy is established as one of Australias’ leading wedding bloggers and influencers and has built her hugely successful business in a short period of time. She is a mum of 2 and passionate about building up business owners in this industry.
WENDY’S SESSION IS PERFECT FOR YOU IF:
You are wanting hot tips and insider information from a well-respected professional on:
:: Navigating social media and making it work for your party/event business
:: Growing your business in this industry
:: How to market your business via instagram and facebook
Nikki Clarke
“Celebrate your niche”
“Discovering your niche and creating your brand identity!”
After 15 years experience devising branding and marketing strategies for some of the worlds biggest brands (think Nike, Levis and Nokia) – Nikki Clarke is a branding expert. She assists business owners to help uncover their niche and unique strengths and attract their perfect clients
NIKKI’S SESSION IS PERFECT FOR YOU IF:
You are wanting the inside scoop from an experienced professional on:
:: Building your brand
:: Discovering your niche and attracting your ideal clients
:: Setting yourself apart in this industry
Tessa White: Down That Little Lane
“Celebrate your brand”
“No money? No problems! Build your business and get your brand noticed on a limited budget”
Tessa started Down that Little Lane 3 years ago, on her own with a very limited budget and no help at all for the first 18 months. What Tessa doesn’t know about getting yourself noticed for free, how to get PR and networking your way to the top is not worth knowing. DTLL has over 240k followers on Pinterest, 75k on Facebook, 64k on Instagram and growing so it’s fair to say the proof is in the stats!
TESSA’S SESSION IS PERFECT FOR YOU IF:
You are wanting the secret keys from a well known professional on:
:: Getting your brand noticed without spending money
:: Growing your business on a limited budget
:: showcasing your business on social media & building a connected audience
Julia Bickerstaff, The Business Bakery
“Celebrate your worth”
“Am I working for me or working for free?
Pricing for profit in this creative and competitive industry”
The founder of The Business Bakery, a school and a community which helps women make a Healthy Income from their handmade, home based or other intentionally-small businesses. Julia understands small business and the challenges many business owners have in knowing how to price their service and create a healthy income!
Julia has a wealth of business experience including appearing regularly as the finance expert on Channel 7s Kochie’s Business Builders and as the small business expert on ABCNews 24’s Finance Quarter. She writes for Smartcompany and Flying Solo, and also works privately in a coaching capacity with medium sized businesses.
Unsure how to price your services? Reluctant to charge for the time you put in? Julia will provide you with the tips on pricing for profit in this industry!
JULIA’S SESSION IS PERFECT FOR YOU IF:
You are wanting valuable advice and all the answers from a knowledgeable professional on:
:: Knowing how to price correctly in this industry
:: Developing a healthy income in your small business
:: Managing your business and prices in this competitive market
Leanne Ambrogio: Sweet Style
“Celebrate your unique brands’ look”
Creating share-worthy images. Photography tips with styling secrets
As a former dessert stylist Leanne of Sweet Style discovered a passion for taking beautiful images of the gorgeous treats she was serving up to customers which led her down the path of photography. What started out as a hobby soon turned to a business when her clients started asking her to photograph their events and food for them.
With her knowledge of both photography and styling Leanne will give you the inside scoop on how to setup and photograph share worthy images of your products and work – so vital for anyone in this visual industry!
LEANNE’S SESSION IS PERFECT FOR YOU IF:
You are wanting to learn some fantastic tips from a respected industry professional on:
:: taking share-worthy images you can use online
:: how to style and stage your products or work for fantastic photos
:: using images to create your own unique look and brand in the party industry
Celebrate attendees will be able to hear from all 5 of these wonderful ladies and besides their value packed presentations they will also include some Q and A time for you to ask any burning questions you have!
If you haven’t yet secured your ticket, you can book your seat easily here as tickets close in just 2 weeks!
See you there!
Adding custom and personal touches to a party is what will always make it that extra bit special.
The foam names and signs from Celebrate conference sponsor Foamtastic do exactly this – they create a personalised and unique feel to any celebration! Celebrate attendees will also be able to see some of Foamtastic’s work on the day in a custom sign she will have on display!
As you can see – custom Foam signs add the wow factor and a totally unique decor item for a party!
Gorgeous custom name signs such as this can also be kept and easily displayed in a child’s bedroom after the celebration. Being made of foam , the signs from Foamtastic are light and easy to fix to walls:
Foamtastic can create any shape or design with foam meaning that you can create a fun theme specific backdrop that is quick and easy to attach to any wall:
Foam carousel and name by Foamtastic. Styling by Party in a package
Foam signs also make a gorgeous entrance prop such as this stunning teapot!:
They are perfect for special first birthday parties and would also help create a lovely photo area:
The foam signs from Foamtastic truly do add that personal touch that ALL celebrations need and your child’s face will light up knowing the decorations have been created just for them:
Get in touch with Natalie from Foamtastic at foamtasticpartydecor@gmail.com and see more of her amazing work on her facebook page
You can also find her anytime on the Directory under “Handmade decor”
Australia’s only party planning fair comes to Sydney and Melbourne over the next two months, encouraging aspiring hosts to raise the standard of soirees thrown around the country.
Receive 50% off your Confetti Fair tickets by using code LLC when you purchase tickets here
Confetti Fair, the brainchild of Sydney mother, Claire Cassey, rides the wave of popularity for culinary brilliance and hosting prowess, offering creative party ideas and inspiration over two events in Sydney and Melbourne.
“The perfect party has made a comeback and there is an increasing appreciation for a well organised affair,” said Claire. “There are new blogs popping up every day and the number of new party businesses is quickly growing.”
“I used to spend hours and hours trawling the Internet looking at party blogs, reading online magazines and scouring through pages on Facebook when I was trying to plan a party.”
“One day I thought ‘You know what? It would be so good if I could just go to one place and choose everything I need and see how it will all look.’”
And so Confetti Fair was born. The one-day events bring together 45 exhibitors that answer all your hosting questions from amazing styling tips, delicious sweets, themes and stationery to floral arrangements, pretty décor and how to setup that perfect dessert table.
Sydney will be the first city to host Confetti Fair and people visiting can attend free demonstrations and see party setups by some of the best party stylists in Sydney.
“A good host thinks of the details; from the guests’ invites, to the delicious sweets on the dessert table, to the decor in the room and the garden, and the current trend of retro inspired fashion, homewares and attitudes means we’re not afraid to don an apron and get hands on.”
Confetti Fair is a place where seasoned and aspiring hosts can seek inspiration for their party, by finding out about the latest trends, learning traditional methods, simple solutions and all out extravagance.
Every little detail is covered at Confetti Fair, and you will leave with the confidence to put together a fabulous party of your own; an engagement party, kitchen tea, wedding reception, baby shower or a first birthday ~ it could be any type of celebration that deserves a party!
Having personally attended the last few Confetti Fair’s I can say that it is always a delight to see the amazing displays and party products! It truly is like seeing the online world of parties and desserts come alive before your eyes! Being able to actually see in person the gorgeous partyware or desserts that we often see online is not only inspiring – it makes party decisions so much easier!
Confetti Fair is being held from 10am – 4pm at Inglis Stables, Randwick on the 31st of July and from 10am – 4pm at the Nicholas Pavilion, Melbourne Showgrounds on the 28th of August. Presale tickets only $10 (includes goodie bag and special discount booklet), no door sales. www.confettifair.com.au
Make sure you don’t miss this lovely and inspiring day out – perfect for any party loving hostess!
All photos by Lil Elements Photography
If there’s one trend that will never go out of style, it’s glitter. A touch of sparkle add’s the ‘special’ to special occasions if you ask me!
So it’s only fitting that our upcoming Celebrate conference in August has it’s own dose of sparkle and you can expect plenty on the day too! It’s going to be a fantastic day for industry experts to network, learn and collaborate and we hope you can join us.
Helping us add a little sparkle to the day is LLC partner and Celebrate sponsor Sam from Sugarlicious with her gorgeous range of glittered cake toppers, cupcake toppers, decals for children’s clothing, garlands, foil prints and more – if you’re a Celebrate attendee you will find a gorgeous item from Sugarlicious in your swag bag to enjoy at a future celebration!
Using card stock for her toppers, Sugarlicious has a huge range of themed products to choose from, or can work with you on designing a custom image to suit your theme using a commercial electronic cutting machine to cut any design you can think of, up to 30cm!
I love how you can coordinate an entire theme with the Sugarlicious creations like this gorgeous mermaid or first birthday theme using decals, cake and cupcake toppers and adhesive favour bag image.
Why not add an iron on transfer whilst you’re at it which make gorgeous keepsakes for first birthday’s, and perfect for the party princess to wear on the day with a fluffy tutu.
Pink and gold is obviously a popular colour combination, but Sugarlicious offers a range of 11 colours in total to choice from to suit any theme or occasion. Not just for kids’ birthday parties either, glitter toppers are a popular choice for milestone birthday’s, weddings, baby showers and Christmas.
So how will you add a little sparkle to your next occasion? You can find our more about Sugarlicious and shop online here.
Sparkle on.
