Are you daunted by the thought of networking events?

Do networking events seem daunting to you?

I remember the first time I attended Confetti Fair being so nervous about meeting people in person who I’ve only dealt with online. The reality was a lot less scary than I had imagined – in fact it was the total opposite.

Running a business online means a lot of online networking –  which is fantastic and easy for connecting us with others at any time of the day, anywhere around Australia (or the world!)

However it is also important to be able to have opportunities to network and meet in person – ESPECIALLY if you are running your own business and are working on your own.

It’s fantastic to meet others in the same industry who “get” what you do and what you love!

Business owners who are part of Life’s Little Celebrations enjoy fabulous online networking but I’m creating opportunities now for them to network and meet in person. Recently a few Melbourne based business owners met up and last month I hosted the first Sydney catch up!

Here was our bright, casual and fun setup with those gorgeous balloons and tassels from Party Splendour:

 

 

Put a bunch of party loving ladies together and you know they will never be short of conversation. The morning started off with everyone jumping right into meeting each other! Chatter was non stop as so many of them had talked online but were excited to finally meet the person behind the business name!

 

 

Lots of fun shots were taken with the fantastic Life’s Little Celebration’s Instagram photo prop created by Jo’s Signs by Design which received a lot of attention from the staff at Coco Cubano as well!:

 

 

 

After the meet and greet everyone settled down to enjoy an array of tapas!

30 business owners were able to attend this first Sydney meet up and here is one of  the 3 tables of ladies after enjoying their lunch!:

 

I invited everyone at the meetup to contribute an item from their business to pop into the take home bags! Here are the bags all setup waiting for filling – loved my logo labels printed with fantastic quality by Kel’s Gift Labelling (who also created the name tags for the event)

 

 

Now all filled up and bursting with goodies!:

 

 

I popped a cute Kikki.K notebook and pen inside each bag. Loved the fun fruity theme!:

 

 

Thanks to Style Party Love for the mini brown paper bags I used for my notebook/pen:

 

 

Here is a snapshot of all the items inside the bag…there was everything from edible goodies such as chocolate coated strawberries, macarons, cookie mix bottle and tarts to party items such as gold straws and Christmas gift tags! A few close up pics below (thanks to Sweet Health for these pics of all the goodies!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I received such positive feedback from the meetup including:

“It was an amazing opportunity to put actual faces to so many names who I’ve had dealings with on line and via phone. Thank you ladies for making this such an amazing community to be apart of  ….and thank you for all the goodies – I know I have tonight’s midnight creative snacks sorted!!” – Kelly from Kel’s Gift Labelling

“Thanks so much for organising Tanya, it was a great day… such a nice group of ladies!! How awesome are these swag bags! Im not sure where to begin!?! Thanks everyone
 – Elaine, Lou Lou Pie 

“Just wanted to say a huge thank you to Tanya for organising today’s meetup. Although I didn’t get to chat to everyone it was so lovely to put names to faces and meet many lovely vendors that I’ve only chatted with via email/text/messages etc” – Megan, Love the Occasion

“Hello ladies!! Was a pleasure finally meeting you ladies! I enjoyed meeting everyone! I look forward to the next meet up! Thank you Tanya for organising a wonderful day. Thank you for the yummy goody bag!” – Beti, Bett’s Candy Buffets

I highly encourage anyone who is in business or a blogger reading this – to take the chance when you can to attend networking events. It can be daunting at first – but once you attend you realise everyone is just as friendly and lovely in person as they are online!

Cannot wait to organise the next meetup in Sydney and to work with my interstate vendors to create opportunities for them to connect.

 

Introducing Little Red Chick Party Boutique

I love discovering new online party stores that I can browse when I’m party planning and today I’m introducing you to Little Red Chick Party Boutique which is a one stop kids party shop!

This charming little store offers a gorgeous range of stylish and affordable party wares and party hire items perfect for any party occasion or theme

 

 

You can shop a variety of children’s birthday invitations, party decorations, party tablewares, baking goodies and other party essentials from the best local and international designers including Paper Eskimo, Sambellina and Invite Me.

They also have a handy selection of colour and trend themed party packs ready to go for those needing to pull a party together hassle free and quickly.

 

 

Little Red Chick also helps you make your children’s parties, christenings and baby showers memorable with their stunning party hire collection if you’re in Sydney – candy buffet jars, cake platters, styling props, kids chairs, tables and more!

 

For that extra special touch, you can hire one of their adorable styling prop packs that will give your party a magical (and professional-looking) finish!

 

 

Use their hire items along with the partyware available in store for a complete package for your child’s party:

 

Customers can stop by this lovely little children’s party and gift boutique in Sydney’s south for great service and variety, complimentary gift wrapping and easy parking – kids welcome!

It’s wonderful to be able to shop and see partyware in person and with all their gorgeous items in store you can pick up some special gifts for the birthday boy or girl while you’re there!

It also means if you need a last minute party purchase you can drop into their store without worrying about shipping and delivery times.

 

 

You of course can also shop online for fast, Australia-wide delivery.

 

One of the unique services Little Red Chick Party Boutique offers is a custom Pass the Parcel pack for your child’s party filled with little gifts children will actually keep and use rather than $2 store items which will be thrown away! Speak to the staff at the store to organise your pack.

 

I love supporting and promoting other mum’s in business and it’s always interesting to hear how their vision and passion became a reality. Jodie who owns and runs Little Red Chick explains how her store came about:

“Not long after having my second child I realised my dream of opening a specialised children’s gift and party boutique that had that something special not found in department stores. After scouring the globe for beautiful things that adults love to give and children adore to have, Little Red Chick was born. Now 3.5 years later I have three delightful children, three staff members and a raft of fantastic suppliers, super talented designers and a newly launched online store.”

 

 

 

I was personally thrilled when Little Red Chick came on board as a blog sponsor as I had been a fan of their gorgeous range of children’s toys, linen and clothing and was excited to see and promote the party branch of their store.

Here are some more partyware picks I love from their online party boutique: