Why it’s good to get people together – the first Lucky Things Meet Up

img_8132On a Sunday morning back in September, I realised that I wanted to get people together. A chance to hang out with some of the ladies who I’d linked up with via Lucky Things blog, Twitter and Instagram. It had to be in October. November felt too far away. As everyone was so responsive to the Lucky Things Meet Up idea, it felt easy to organise. Venue booked. E-invites sent out. Treats organised. The first Lucky Things Meet Up, to be held at Drake and Morgan’s The Drift Bar on a Sunday afternoon, was starting to come together.

Don’t forget to check out the follow-up post The Lucky Things Meet Up in Pictures.

Here’s more than seven things why I organised the meet up…

Taking something good away…The next thing I knew, I wanted this to be a proper event where the ladies could take something good away with them. I decided to do a Time to Shine talk on confidence at the meet up. After writing two posts on boosting your confidence, it felt right to talk about this. It would be something that all of us could relate to, whether we’re immersed in our careers, parenting, organising stuff at home, pursuing ideas, dealing with difficult situations, running our own businesses or juggling crazy to do lists at work.

img_8175The importance of proper face time…A big reason why I wanted to get people together is the importance of face time for our wellbeing. As I mentioned in my talk, the digital world is amazing. There are lots of things I love about Instagram. We have so much access to support, different perspectives and experiences. We have even forged friendships online (yes proper friendships). We have been able to connect with people all over the UK and around the world. But nothing beats seeing somebody in person. This also goes back to one of the tips on how to deal with post natal depression where it’s important to talk about stuff and have social contact. Seeing people is important to maintaining our wellness and our positive moods.

Eye eye…As Yvadney mentioned in one of her Instacomments after the meet up, it was also good to enjoy eye contact. For me, I loved seeing everyone’s real life smiles. It was also amazing seeing everyone share giggles and laughter.

Every good thing deserves a hashtag #luckythingsmeetup…It was fun creating a new hashtag just for our event (and future ones!) Everyone tagged Tweets and Instagram posts with #luckythingsmeetup. Several people travelled from around the country to be there on Sunday. Something that meant a lot to me. It was cool seeing their Tweets whilst they were on the train down to London. I’m sure it created a supportive atmosphere about the event even before people arrived at The Drift bar.

img_8179It’s you!..When people meet for the first time IRL (in real life) it can be quite magical. It was lovely seeing people walk in and immediately be greeted by someone who recognised them. It’s funny as you do actually get to know people through their blogs or Instagram pictures. You learn about their feelings, their views, their ups and downs and what’s going on in their world. Then you see the person right in front of you and it feels like you’ve known this person for ages. There were lots of compliments flying around at the Lucky Things Meet Up as we acknowledged how lovely our Insta-peers were in real life too. Oh and of course lots of group selfies!

img_8085Me-treat time with Weleda...As the themes of the Lucky Things Meet Up were confidence and wellbeing I collaborated with one of my favourite brands Weleda. I love that Weleda has been on the organic scene for a long time. One of the beauty advisors, Siobhan, from Weleda’s Model Zone at London Fashion Week came along to give the ladies hand massages. It was lovely that the ladies could enjoy a bit of pampering  at the Lucky Things Meet Up. For some, it was a real treat to have an afternoon to themselves. Siobhan also shared a few words on looking after ourselves as busy ladies. She also talked about the importance of us getting out and enjoying nature.

Everyone loved their Lucky Things goody bags with the Weleda Skin Food cream and other treats (thanks again Weleda UK).

Time to Shine confidence tricks…I’ll be honest. I felt pretty honoured to talk about confidence tips to such an inspiring crowd. Some of the ladies from my Inspire series also contributed confidence quotes for the afternoon (thanks Johanna, Yvonne and Rachael). As I looked at everyone around me, I could see they were thinking about the themes of the talk. I loved hearing what their thoughts on confidence too. To kick off, I asked people to throw out one word that described confidence for them, so here are a few…

  • Belief
  • Bravery
  • Strong
  • Courage

img_8077I was upfront in my talk that I love hearing what people think. I trusted people to be honest with me. It was cool hearing how much the ladies enjoyed the talk. For those who couldn’t be there, I’ll be talking more about the Time to Shine tricks in another blog post. Thanks to Kimberly @mediamummy, Cat @sortingself, Cee @heyisthatme and everyone else who took pics throughout the afternoon. There will be way more shout outs in the other Lucky Things Meet Up blog posts.

The Time to Shine Mission…During my talk, I joked about there being homework. There were a few comical groans. I then pointed over to the envelopes with their names on. These set our their Time to Shine Mission…I can’t wait to see what people come up with and a few have already posted their completed missions on Instagram.

Write down 3 words that describe what confidence means to you – this is YOUR version of confidence. Think of these 3 words when you want to feel more confident about something.

You’re welcome to join us on our Time to Shine mission. It’s for everyone. Just jot down the above on one of your Instagram pics (or comment on mine) and tag @luckythingsblog. I’ll be compiling a collection of these completed missions so we can share confidence boosters with each other.

img_8092Inspiration everywhere…I loved the idea of bringing people together. Some people came on their own not really knowing anyone. Some people knew they would know of at least one other person at the meet up. One thing I found fascinating was that we all had our own talents. From bloggers, to business mamas, to authors, to Instagrammers, to campaigners,  to teachers and stylists we all shared something in common – being part of a supportive Instagram community.

There are many photos from the first Lucky Things Meet Up, so they will feature on another post this week  – The Lucky Things Meet Up in Pictures. It’s also an opportunity for me to plug the amazing Instapages, blogs and work of the lovely ladies who came along.

img_8158Having a good old laugh…From belly laughs to cute giggles, I could see that everyone was having a good time just catching up. It felt like everyone made the most of our time together as we knew it wouldn’t be often that we’d get to hang out together. Laughter is also a great de-stresser isn’t it?

Supporting each other is priceless… It’s interesting as with our Instagram-blogging community I do feel like I’m part of a team. We inspire and encourage each other. We help each other out. In Mr.H’s words, it’s about being part of a collective. Not a clique as some of us chatted about at the meet up. It’s just about hanging out and seeing new and old faces from our Instagram communities.

Lucky Things was created this time last year as I was coming out of the baby blues. It was officially launched about six months ago. So a huge THANK YOU to everyone who came along to the first Lucky Things Meet Up. You’ve made my year. If you’ve been following Lucky Things on Instagram you know 2016 hasn’t been a smooth one for our little family. I’ve been very honest in this post and I don’t care if any of it comes across as cheesy. Sometimes you have to show the respect you have for others and how they have supported you along the way. People made a big effort to be there on Sunday and it didn’t go unnoticed. Plus a thank you to those who couldn’t be there but who support Lucky Things blogs in lots of different ways. Hope to see you at the next Lucky Things Meet Up.

So in a few weeks’ time I’ll be at BlogFest 2016. I can’t wait as I’ll be heading to others’ inspirational talks and learning heaps of great tips. It will be lovely hanging out again with some of the ladies who were also at the Lucky Things Meet Up.

I’m planning another Lucky Things Meet Up for early 2017. If you would like to be on the email update list, leave a comment with your email or say hello at sunita@luckythings.co.uk

What do you love about catching up with people and friends in person? Do you arrange get-togethers for your family and friends? If you were at the Lucky Things Meet Up, what were your favourite moments? Have you met any of your Twitter, Instagram or Blogger pals in real life? Leave a comment below as I’d love to hear from you….

x Sunita

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39 thoughts on “Why it’s good to get people together – the first Lucky Things Meet Up

  1. sunloveraliciareg says:

    Hi Sunita! This is a great post on your first LuckyThings Meet Up! It’s funny at the bottom, you asked what were our favourite moments, and my blog post that went up today was just that! My 6 favourite things or highlights! I just want to say again, you did a marvellous job at organising this event and we thoroughly enjoyed it (I certainly did!). Your pictures are great! My word, your camera is excellent! Congratulations again! Speak soon! xx

    • Sunita says:

      Ah great minds think alike. How lovely our blog posts both went up today. Good vibes! Ha ha. So excited about your blog post. Bet it’s fab. It was lovely organising the meet up for everyone. I loved sorting it out! Thanks again for your lovely support. Xx S

  2. justsayingmum (@justsayingmum) says:

    Oh this is such a wonderful post Sunita and I wish you all the best with the #luckythingsmeetup – I was so disappointed to miss it but feel like I was there reading thus post – looks like everyone had such a great time! Here’s hoping I can make the next one lovely xx #fortheloveofBLOG

  3. aliduke79hotmailcom says:

    It looks like you all had a wonderful time. I think meet ups are a great idea. With works, kids etc I haven’t been to one yet, but it is on my to do list.
    #fortheloveofBLOG

  4. thebritishmaple says:

    As a new blogger this type of event is really enticing but very scary! I am attending a local blogger’s meet up in December as a confidence-builder! Lovely post and hopefully see you at one of your events in the future #fortheloveofBLOG

  5. Winnettes says:

    Well done for organising this. It looks like everyone really enjoyed themselves and you all got to connect face to face with some wonderful people!
    #fortheloveofBLOG

  6. rachelbustin says:

    This is a beautiful thing to do. I’m sure everyone enjoyed themselves. I love to catch up with my old school friend. Sometimes its months inbetween catch ups but we always know where we left off. xx

    Thanks for linking up at #KCACOLS.
    Hope you join up again next Sunday.

    • Sunita says:

      Ah thanks Rachel. I was super happy seeing everyone in one room. There were so many smiles and laughs. It was pretty cool seeing people meet in person for the first time. It felt like one big Instagram reunion ha ha. Yes hope you get to see your old school friend soon. Are you going to put a date in your diaries? Or even a time for a good old chat over the phone? #KCACOLS

    • Sunita says:

      This is such a cool challenge Cat. I’ve enjoyed seeing your 21 days of style Instaposts. Gutted I can’t make your Sorting Self event on the 12th. Bet you guys will have lots of fun designing your wardrobes and finding your own style. It was great to have you at the #luckythingsmeetup the other Sunday. Thanks again for all of your support X Sunita

    • Sunita says:

      Thanks Talya. It was really cool seeing everyone in real life. They were such an inspiring crowd when doing my Time to Shine confidence talk. I hope you can make the next one too!! See you again soon at #coolmumclub and then at BlogFest! Xx Sunita

    • Sunita says:

      Thanks so much Kerry. We did have a fab time. Bumped into one of the ladies yesterday and she was saying how it was nice I managed to bring everyone together. A lot of people had been chatting via Instagram for ages but had never met. I was so glad people took away some confidence tricks too! Maybe see you at the next one #KCACOLS

    • Sunita says:

      Of course Anya Mama Cheetah!! Gutted you couldn’t be there but you were in spirit. Lots of mamas couldn’t make it so it’s such a great excuse to organise the next one. Xxx

  7. mummuddlingthrough says:

    Wow…totally inspired Sunita! Hope to make the next one, that’d be cool. I’m just imagining a Mums muddling through meet up…I wonder if it’d be a latte for one ha ha! Thanks for linking up to #coolmumclub

    • Sunita says:

      Ah thanks hon. It was an amazing afternoon getting everyone together. It felt like an online reunion. Shared so many laughs too. Would be so cool to have you at the next one. id def be at the MMT one so it wouldn’t be a latte for one!!! #coolmumclub

  8. Louise (Little Hearts, Big Love) says:

    Sounds like you had a fabulous meet-up and well done for organising it all. One of my favourite things about blogging events is the social aspect and getting to meet other bloggers face-to-face – putting proper faces to people that you already feel you know well through their words. So glad that your event went so well and please do add me to your update list to let me know about the next one! 🙂

  9. Suburban Mum says:

    Wow – well done you for organising such a fabulous meet-up! It sounds like a lot of fun was had and I love that it was themed around confidence too! Would love to come to the next one! #KCACOLS

  10. The Pramshed says:

    Firstly so sorry that I couldn’t be there, and secondly well done for organising it. It’s a fantastic and courageous thing to do. It’s weird but I actually feel like I’ve forged friendships online through the blog and when you meet its like you actually know each other. Please let us know when the next one is. And, I’ll see you at Blogfest next week. Thanks so much for linking up at #fortheloveofBLOG. Claire x

  11. EMS says:

    What a great post Sunita! Such a wonderful idea and it was such a warm, relaxed vibe, I met some lovely women that day – oh, and I’m in one of your pics not looking awful, yay!! Big love xx

    • Sunita says:

      Thanks so much for being there Emma. It really meant a lot to me. Your support has been lovely. So pleased to hear you liked the relaxed vibe. I love the photo of you, Antonia and Sophie! See you again soon X Sunita

  12. Mummy Mindful says:

    Hi Sunita, what a fabulous idea – so wish I’d come so would really love to know about the next meet-up in 2017. The first one sounds like a great success and the photos are full of happy, energetic people. Well done for getting this off the ground – very inspiring. xx

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