A small group of dedicated and passionate event professionals gathered in Birmingham on Thursday 15th February to talk about ‘social media influencers in the MICE industry’.
EWL: a free-from discussion
I was invited as the speaker, the host to lead a campfire session of #Eventprofs Who Learn (EWL Club) at Innovation Birmingham Campus. I don’t get nervous quickly but I didn’t have any idea as how to prepare for this session (there is a first time for everything) as it was all organically led on the day. Although it’s my passion, lots depends on the input and collaboration of the participants. It can be very surprising what questions the participants will ask. Anyway, being a bit nervous is good for the adrenaline!
And it worked! It turned out to be very interactive, with participants willing to share their questions, to come sit next to me in the circle and talk about their experiences, which was for me the most rewarding part.
After a warm welcome by EWL CEO Helen Moon, she handed the mic to me. Starting with a brief introduction from my part, where do I come from, how and more important why did I launch my company Word of MICE, to pass it afterwards over to the participants. You never know who has the courage to join me in the circle to ask the first question. Thank you Joanna for taking the lead and sharing our entire process, how to go from a request, collect relevant data from the client, find the right influencer and create a successful campaign together. It all sounds very simple but the total process is very time-consuming and of course a tailor-made procedure.
the untapped potential of micro-influencers
Also I was surprised that none of the participants were actually using micro-influencers to achieve their goals, either for their own company, or within the company they work. The power of micro-influencers and their potential, and especially the possibilities, were unknown. And last but not least, micro-influencers should be an integral part of your strategy, an idea to which we received interesting reactions on the Twitter chat #ewlhour. Innovation, sustainability but especially creativity, story-telling and emotions are key to stand out from the crowd nowadays. For me another mission is to continue my presence on stage and to continue to spread the word!
One of the most beautiful quotes I heard was the tugboat and the lighthouse. We are now the tugboat but we all should become the lighthouse and attract with our mission, our values, the right people, and clients in our harbour or destination.
A big thank you to EWL for your invitation, I’m already looking forward to your Annual Exchange on 21st July in Birmingham.
