My First Blogger Event

So if you haven't already guessed my first blogging event was with the fabulous brand KISS to celebrate Jess Wright becoming the new brand ambassador. I actually had the opportunity to attend through work, so on Thursday the 8th of September I got the train down to London - feeling pretty nervous - and made my way to the lovely Soho Hotel. Thankfully it was just off of Oxford Street and, making it so easy to find and saving a stress.

THE EVENT ITSELF

The event was held by the PR company Alex Silver, I managed to chat to Alex who is just lovely. The invite was labelled "Cocktails with Jessica Wright," but I didn't quite expect it to be as intimate as it was. The event was held within a hotel suite at the hotel, with two balconies that overlooked London boasting amazing views and a gorgeous sunset as the evening went on. Upon arrival myself (and some lovely bloggers I had met in the hotel lobby) were greeted with a glass of wine - winning, and then we had the choice of either having our lashes done or our nails done using some of the KISS products.

THE PEOPLE I MET

I was pretty shaky walking up to the hotel, partly due to wearing heels, partly because I was really nervous at this point. Before the event I had this image in my head of everyone standing within their groups of friends in this huge room, and me just stood by the bar on my own, I literally had no clue what it would be like. My expectations couldn't have been any further from reality, infact the exact opposite. Every single person I spoke to at the event, whether it be a blogger or other guest was approachable and so lovely. I also managed to finally meet Zeena, the founder of BloggingGals, I helped with the social media platforms of BloggingGals for a couple of months at the start of the year, and it was just fab to meet someone who has worked hard to create a blogging community.

WHAT I WANT TO DO DIFFERENTLY NEXT TIME

Luckily my job and blogging go hand in hand, going to these events I am able to meet lovely bloggers that I can work with on a business level, aswel as make new friends. I'm hoping to attend more events now, if you are a blogger wanting to work with brands and network then you need to get to some. As this was my first event, there are some things that I will do differently next time...

• Take more pictures... I did take some pictures, but unfortunatly my memory card packed up! I'm really gutted about this and I have decided that I'm going to always carry two memory cards around with me from now on, just incase!
• Eat before hand. Luckily I did eat A LOT of food for my lunch (I travelled down 1st class, lets just say I made the most of it...) but the event started at 6pm and the last thing I ate was at around 3.30, so I could have done with a little more food. I had around 3 glasses of wine and that was enough for me. It's something small but when alcohol is involved at events the last thing you want to do is be getting slaughtered - which I didn't do, just a heads up. 
• Follow more people on Twitter before leaving, or get their contact details... There are around 3 people I met at the event that I really wish I could contact, I managed to follow the majority of people I spoke to, but the more people you get connected with, the better.
• Take business cards... I went to the event representing the company I work for, so I really wish that I had taken some business cards with me. Even if you are a blogger, get yourself some cards and make it easier for people to remember you, especially when speaking to those that work in PR. 

My overall experience at the KISS event was just wonderful, I felt a little emotional leaving as I just couldn't believe how well it went. I love KISS products (I wore the Lily lashes on the night and they're just gorgeous) so it was nice that my first event was with a brand that I really like and actually enjoy using.

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