Welcome! All Wedding & Event & Business Professionals!

I have thought about this meetup endlessly, and have changed my description for it! I have come to the conclusion that making this strictly about the Events and Wedding Industry very much limits where we can go with this group! With that said, here is my new description...

"Looking for a truly wonderful way to network, promote your business, and meet others who are seeking a very cost effective way to do the same? Event and Wedding Professionals, looking to get your name out there, gain more leads in this area? Then this is the group you will want to join!"

Hi, I'm Karen of kd Events & party designs! I've been in the events industry for 19 years! Hard at times to believe it has been that long. I started out with a retail party store, which I closed a few years back, however, keeping the event planning/decorating part going on a much smaller scale.

I am now working my business full time, specializing in event decor, planning, and consulting. I have found though that there is a real lack of affordable networking opportunities in the Olympia and surrounding areas that truly pay off for many of us in these challenging times. Therefore, I am inviting businesses and other professionals to join with me to promote ourselves and keep as much of our business as local as possible.

I intend to reach out to the Thurston, Grays Harbor, Lewis, and Mason Counties, however, we are glad to welcome Pierce and King if they would like to join with us. I want to make an emphasis here though that we will not be focusing exclusively on the wedding and events industry, but all facets of business, and the lead sharing process!

So with that said, I welcome any business that is interested in teaming up with me to advertise and network yourself. I am going to keep costs to a bare minumum for everyone, and welcome any who would like to join as assistant organizers to provide more networking opportunities!

We hear continuosly that times are tough, the economy is bad...but let's face it folks...For us in the events industry, ... People still like to throw a party, host an event, get married, etc! There are always festivals and fundraisers going on in our area. It's not a lack of work for any of us really, so much as keeping our names out in the forefront. This is something that as a team we can all do together! This is also a concept that goes beyond my particular business niche, but which I can help other businesses with as well.

I have many ideas on running this meetup, and ways to network outside of a meeting. I am more than happy to take suggestions from any of you on ways that will make this a truly profitable experience for us all!

Besides monthly meetups, I am going to promote "One-On-Ones" among our respective businesses. This way we can gain more insight into our own unique talents and services, thus giving us each more info to network about each other. I am also interested in any business that would like to host an after hours. This DOES NOT involve any fuss or cost to you. Just a chance to showcase your business at your location. It will also keep our costs to a minimum by providing a free location to hold a meetup.

Join us in future meetups and come prepared with a 15-30 second commercial about yourself and your business. This will be a regular feature at each meetup, helping each of us to focus and remember each other and what we have to offer. I am going to plan meetups at various times as we get going to afford a greater opportunity for members to get together.

These are not purely social meetups. They will be designed to get the maximum exposure for all of us, thus making the most of our time!