ABC Southeastern Regional Conference Highlights

This past weekend was 2 days packed full of new faces, new connections, great speakers, awesome food, lots of laughter and stories to tell for many meetings to come. This was my first regional conference and I was so excited to see everyone and meet new speakers as I soak up all of their knowledge. I am passionate about this business and I am ready to move forward. I believe with everything I have in me that I can do this because I WANT it and am WILLING to WORK HARD for it. Here is a recap from our conference.....

Day 1 began with Sandals Training with the lovely Cynthia & Troy. We had 4 packed hours of Sandals Resort Information and how we can become the best at what we do PLUS get a bonus in the process. I am happy to say that I am a Certified Sandals Specialist now and am proud to book your next honeymoon, anniversary, family trip or because I can trip!! Let me help you get connected to my partner at Sandals!! Not to mention we couldn't keep our hands off the FABULOUS linen...

Once checked into our rooms at the Holiday Inn at Dunwoody, we prepared for a delicious meal at Eclipse di Luna, famous for their Tapas. I was in love with the mini Coke bottles and decided that they must come home with me. I started with just one in the purse but the lil busboy proceeded to stack every empty bottle on our table in front of me to take home and a bag to put them in....."Now You Have a Set"!!

Once home to our room and into our Jammies...we head to Gail Johnson's Suite for a night of Fun Photo Prop Pictures, SWAG bags, sweet goodies and my new favorite Nye's Cream Sandwiches....can we say KEY LIME IS THE BESST!! I think Gail would agree!! But the night ended with a few calls and notifications that these Wedding Planners were too loud...despite the Dart Tournament going on downstairs and the Parking Lot Waste fill of Cigarette Butts and Beer Bottles. I saw the man the next morning cleaning the place up and he was not a happy camper. Needless to say we had a great time talking about "what we would do"...ALL SMILES!!

 

Day 2 Began at the 741 Edgewood Avenue Event Center, a Unique and Cozy Design Space for Events. We began with Breakfast from Avalon Catering and enjoyed Ivory Bridal Designs and Getting Set up for the Opening of the Conference. Kendrick Law brought some major Legal Jargon for us to marinate on as we enter into the business world on our own. She shed some light on many areas ..for example...if you are in business as an LLC and you have to go to court for any reason..you must have an attorney present....plus getting an LLC is a must to protect your assets and person.

 

 

Our next speaker...Mark Kingsdorf of Queen of Hearts...I do not have enough space on this blog post to let you know how I adore him and everything about who he is...he discussed ways to be successful in the business..."you don't get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate" and donating time to a organization can put you in the media and the spotlight for recognition while doing a great service to your community. He was a true gem....Chuck is a lucky man!!

 

 

While enjoying our lunch we had the pleasure of listening to Dawn Cowart speak about how to make a broach bouquet and different elements you can add to your decor for very little money and make a great statement of creativity. She was a hoot...crazy and blunt and loved her personality!!

 







Next we were told the truth by the lovely Lisa Smith about how to Be proud of who you are and put together your "MeFolio" for people to see your accomplishments. To stand tall and deal with issues as they come and never quit furthering your education and experience in the field. She has been planning weddings and events since she was 16 years old and has information galore to share with us!! Plus she was looking too cute in her dress and matching accessories...

As we waited for our last speaker to arrive we ate some dessert to die for and participated in the DIY Station "Put A Ring On It"...too cute...Stella DOT came with jewelry to showcase and information about how this could enhance your business on the side. Beautiful stunning pieces that brides and the everyday woman would enjoy!! Not to mention our impromptu Twitter Infomercial provided by the lovely Teras Smith...and her stationary was absolutely stunning as well!! Love her to pieces!!

The final speaker was the lovely Heather Vreeland, owner of Occasions Magazine. She shared tips on how to do this when you are the only one...different apps...different programs and making decisions for you that will gain you further knowledge and success in this business!! Which happens to be one of my favorite magazines to read and I always look forward to it coming out!!

Well that was A LOT!!..but you know there is no way to explain how much I enjoyed the conference..all the SWAG and all the things we experienced together!! I love to learn about this business and Love ABC!! Gail is the best State Coordinator and confidant...She is a role model for anyone in this business!! Happy Weekend for this GIRL!!