No one in the wedding and events industry works or lives in a bubble. The average vendor count for any event hovers around the fourteen mark! We're all part of a local team who interlock and create seamless, stylish events for satisfied clients (most of them, at least). Today's digitally connected world is wildly diverse and full of ideas and inspiration. With nearly 4.4 BILLION people with internet access on this planet, there's plenty of potential for it! Each and every one of your leads and clients has access to this boundless supply of imagery and information pouring in from every corner. As a business, thinking locally and not connecting to a global community of professionals, therefore, runs the risk of stagnating your business.
Expanding Your Horizons
Social media platforms like Facebook have closed groups for nearly every area of wedding service and in every imaginable market. These groups include photographers, planners, and florists with unique perspectives and insights about their profession and their places of business. Conversations on locating a product and reviews of the latest and greatest may help you to be the first in your area to offer a product or service. Whether from the airport terminal, the line to order your favorite latte or from the comfort of your office, you can explore and vet new ideas with input from colleagues in your growing global community.
Get Inspired
Having industry friends in your global community can offer you incredible inspiration. Have you ever seen a dessert table at a Brazilian wedding?? If not, then you haven't seen a dessert table! You might find stunning ideas and new techniques that will help you in upping your game both creatively and practically. Get active in the global conversation surrounding weddings and events, and taking a step back from your profession to listen to those practicing something different. Not unlike witnessing a Brazilian dessert table, building up and participating in a professional global community can seriously expand your mind, throwing the gates wide open to let your creative "wild horse" run free.
Mentor For Life
Making meaningful connections with event pros in foreign countries can create incredible perks. Since they're not in your local market, you can bounce ideas off of each other, talk freely about issues within your local business community and look objectively to collaborate on solutions to problems you might have with pricing, services, and marketing. If you've considered broadening to include destination events, you may now have a partner on the ground to work with. And, let's face it: at a minimum, making friends in faraway lands makes it that much easier to find a friendly tour guide when you are traveling (it works both ways!).
Global Expansion
From a marketing perspective, social connection with fellow professionals is as good as gold. Engagement, however, is where you find the diamonds of real opportunity to create global reach. The network effect puts you and your work in front of their fellow colleagues. While follows and likes are nice and grow your influence, shares put your expertise out there to a connected global. The bonus? With your name attached to all that content, your SEO value gets a real boost.
Association
International industry associations can also help with creating global community and exposure for your business. Pulling off amazing events for happy customers is exciting. Nothing is as thrilling, though, as participating in an international business event. Or, better yet, being asked to present at one! As the saying goes, the world is your oyster. Crack your mind and professional circle wide open. The pearls of opportunity are there for the taking!
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