You may have noticed a new tab on my blog. It reflects my life at the moment. EVENTS. My brain is creating things to do and because I cannot go anywhere far, I am staying close to home and helping a local restaurant run some events. My blog was supposed to be a travel blog. That is how it started. As it has grown, my life has been changing again, well the world started changing and the things that would draw me to write, began to evolve into new things and new subjects. This is how I like it, forever moving and searching for new things to do.
My critics say, stay focused but I just cannot stay still, writing about travel has been put to one side, I refuse to write about a place unless I am actually experiencing it. Unfortunately because of Covid, it seems like I am still going to have to wait and be patient.
Why am I doing this?
I have been organizing events of some kind or another since I was a teenager. There is something about bringing people together. Whether it is for a party celebration, a show, or a promotional event, I just love doing them.
I can remember inviting school friends around to my house and selling tickets to watch a dance show. My parents frequently had a lot of parties and my mum would spend the whole day, cleaning the house and preparing food. I enjoyed the excitement and still do to this day. I love the preparation, the welcoming, the feedback but best of all the people.
The first event, sold out within four hours. People are desparate to get out and socialize, even if it is in small groups. Lockdown has shown us what happens when social interaction becomes restrictive. One of the most detrimental causes to our mental health is lonliness. I like to think I am contributing to society by bringing people together.
We can all play a part here. I encourage all our guests to reach out and invite friends.
Getting Started.
There have been times in the past when I have sat back and waited to be invited. I look back on social media and see the same people doing the inviting. I guess some of us just like to do it. I meet so many people through it and learn about different subjects through the speakers we invite to the events. If I was 30 years younger, I would possibly have made a career out of it.
With so many cafe’s, bars and restaurants in need of support at the moment, it is easy for all of us to do something. Why not start a regular coffee meet up with your friends or organise a quiz. I have friends running language courses in Spanish, organizing walking trips followed by a big breakfast to running cookeryclasses with wine tasting. In some cases you can get your local restaurant to create a themed meal if you have enough people coming. Often you just need a corner of a bar to arrange something that will bring people out.
We advertise using social media. Facebook offer an event page you can use. I find personal messages over messenger or whatsapp have worked the best. This can be time consuming However people still love to recieve a personal invite.
Trying something different.
Do not be afraid to try something different, most people opt for playing safe, doing what you know works and has been tried and tested but where is the fun in that. Be prepared for some to fail, it happens, but when a new type of event is successful, it surprises everyone and there will be smiles all round, including the proprieters of the venue.
Our next event is a discussion group which we have named ‘Loose Talk’. We want people to meet new friends, put away their phones and get talking. Setting this up has been harder. Until people try this, they will not experience the benefit. My task is to get them to the event and show them the fun they could have.
Working in events industry.
If you are young with an abundance of energy, even better if you are close to a city, now is a great time to look at some of the bigger companies that have survived the Covid 19 pandemic. As we begin to heal from Covid, I predict an explosion in the events industry. This will cover music festivals and concerts. Big sporting events. Corporate and promotional events. There will be many opportunities so start doing your research. Running a few small events yourself will give you an idea of the pressure but also a taste of the fun. Check out Backstage Academy who are based in Yorkshire England. I know students who have graduated from here and gone on to have fullfilling careers.
Travel Block.
Sometimes, we just have to be willing to go off and change direction. This pandemic has certainly made many of us stop to re-evaluate. The important thing is not to stop completely. life has a way of adjusting to our needs. Go with it, do not fight it. For now I am having a ball, it may have not been in my overall plan but I am happy. The universe often has a reason for sending us off in new directions and finding the will to go with it is part of survival.
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