There’s no need to book – just turn up, and don’t forget your business cards!

Tea/coffee and scones are available for €3 per person and we will also be collecting donations for Kerry Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

There are more than 30,700 marriages registered each year in the island of Ireland and nearly 262,000 in England, Wales and Scotland – that’s great news for the many businesses who cater for the wedding market.  Annie Byrne of Aislinn Events is convinced that bringing these businesses together to learn and network can lead to new or improved business opportunities. 

 The first Business of Weddings Ireland conference will be held at the luxury five-star Muckross Park Hotel in Killarney, County Kerry on 2^nd and 3^rd November 2010.  This is timed for “pre-engagement” season!  Annie Byrne is excited and delighted that Meghan Ely, an expert in PR and marketing for wedding businesses in the USA, will be flying over to be the main speaker. 

 Annie comments:

“This conference is ideal for wedding co-ordinators and planners, bridal shop owners, photographers, florists, bakers, designers, videographers, hairdressers, make-up artists, entertainers, chauffeurs and any other business connected with weddings.  Meghan will be focusing on how to reach and market to “Generation Y” brides and grooms, bridal show marketing strategies and using social media and networking to raise your profile.”

 Annie Byrne (http://aislinnevents.com), originally from Los Angeles,  is an experienced wedding planner and co-ordinator based on the lovely Dingle peninsula; she specialises in working with couples from outside Ireland who want to come to Southwest Ireland for their wedding.  The process starts with “dreamstorming” – a chance for the couple to chat about their wishes so that Annie can come up with a “to do” list, inspiration board and checklists.  Annie has been working in the wedding business for more than five years, involving hundreds of weddings and events.  Her blog (http://aislinnevents.com/blog) is an inspiring collection of photographs and articles.

 Meghan Ely of OFD Consulting lives and breathes the wedding industry and has planned three “Artful Wedding” bridal shows.  She is MD of the Richmond Bridal Association, co-host of Bridesight TV (a webcast show) and Marketing Chair of “Wish upon a Wedding”.  As a writer, she contributes to Virginia Bride and Premier Bride magazines.  Her blog – “Illuminate” (http://ofdconsulting.blogspot.com/) – gives a taster of her tips and ideas for the wedding professional.

 Booking for the conference is already open and there’s an early registration price of €237 until 1^st September which includes lunch, dinner and overnight stay plus breakfast in the Muckross Park Hotel.  Killarney is only a 20-minute journey by taxi from Kerry airport (served by Ryanair and Aer Arann).  Book on www.thebusinessofweddings-ireland.com or contact Annie Byrne at hello@aislinnevents.com or phone +353 76 6026800 or mobile +353 87 676 1900.

http://networking.entrepreneur.com/2010/05/17/carrots-eggs-and-coffee-beans/comment-page-1/#comment-4771

“The dissemination of purposefully planned and executed messages to selected media and publics to enable an organisation (or person) establish and build relationships founded on trust, and to enhance and safeguard its reputation.” (Public Relations Institute of Ireland)

In other words, your relationship with your clients or customers – past, current or future. 

OK – so how do Kiely & Associates help with that? 

Step 1            We provide a questionnaire for you to complete so that we can find out more about your business

Step 2            We meet with you to talk about your business and how you promote it – that’s a free consultation, without commitment or obligation

 Step 3            We send you a costed proposal for a preliminary report on ways to promote your business and you decide whether to go ahead

 Step 4            We write the report and send it to you.  At this stage you decide whether to continue to work with us and how.

 Public Relations with Kiely & Associates includes 

• Press Releases, Photo Calls and Photo Shoots 
• Newsletters and ezines 
• Proof-reading 
• Writing articles for publication on- and offline 
• Sponsorship e.g. sports team, cultural event  
• Event management – open days, launches, anniversary celebrations, exhibitions etc. 
• Business networking – Kerry Businesswomen’s Network; Open Coffee Tralee 
• Social Media (e.g. LinkedIn, Facebook for Business): three key stages of research, implementation and management 
• and much more …… 

As a bonus for all clients, we continue the relationship by promoting your events and special offers on this blog and our Facebook Fan Page (www.facebook.com/kielypromote)

BNI (www.bni.ie) provides a structured, supportive, business environment in which local business people can get together to network, learn valuable new marketing skills and develop the strong personal relationships that lead to trust and the consequent generation of significant business for each other.  The Kingdom Chapter, which meets in Tralee, was launched on 31st March this year and already has 32 members, generating business for each other.

Business Showcase will be on Thursday 6th May, 7 for 7.30 pm at the Meadowlands Hotel, Tralee.  Guests are welcome to attend their first meeting without a fee; subsequent meetings are €12 per guest.    Membership is €60 (until 31st August 2010) and has many more benefits than just the networking meetings.

On 6th May, nine of our members will take ten minutes each to tell us about their business.  We will also have an exhibition for members to display information, samples or demonstrations.

To book a place for this event, contact kerrybusinesswomen@gmail.com

To find out more about the network, visit www.kerrybusinesswomen.com

The philosophy of BNI (Business Network International) is built upon the idea of Givers Gain: by giving business to others, you will get business in return.  What goes around, comes around.  BNI provides a structured, supportive business environment in which local business people can get together to network, learn valuable new marketing skills and develop the strong personal relationships that lead to trust and the consequent generation of significant business for each other.  BNI’s policy is to allow only one person from each profession or trade in each Chapter. 

Anne Kiely would be happy to tell you more about BNI and the Kingdom Chapter in particular.  Contact her at kielyassocs@gmail.com

Be prepared.  Networking is not just about business cards and flyers. Practise a 60-second summary of your business and its benefits for potential clients.  Take a notebook and pen to record the names and contact details of people you would like to follow up.  At some networking meetings, you might have the opportunity to do a ten-minute presentation about your business.  Take advantage of that and plan it well so that your audience will have a good idea of what you could do for them and their contacts.

 Give to receive.  The law of reciprocity is what works!  Successful networkers don’t just hand out business cards: they ask “How can I help you?”.  What goes around, comes around and if others have the same attitude, you will gain new contacts and new business.

Dress up rather than down.  It’s a cliché but you only have one chance to give a first impression.  Don’t risk a bad one: some people will be turned off by your holey jeans or hoodie!

 Listen.  Make it a priority to really listen to each person you meet (and hopefully they will listen too).  If you rush into telling someone all about yourself and monopolise a conversation, you may miss a golden opportunity.

Be a welcomer.  Take on the role of welcoming newcomers to a meeting rather than gravitating towards people you already know.  We can all remember how difficult our first meeting was, so help to make it easier for someone else.

Never close your mind.  Everyone in the room will have their own contacts and they are likely to include potential clients for yourself.    I never ceased to be amazed by the interconnections in Kerry!

Follow up. A file full of business cards is of little use unless you make and maintain contact with at least some of those business people.  Set a target of meeting up with at least one of your new contacts each week or fortnight and give yourself the opportunity to find out more and explore any possibilities.  Your 60-second introduction was just a taster, so find out how you can help another networker and how they can help you.  Joint ventures and mutual support will develop in many cases.

Become a fan of our Facebook page – http://www.facebook.com/kielypromote

The meeting will be on Thursday 8th April at the usual venue – the Meadowlands Hotel in Tralee.  Registration starts at 7 pm, with the meeting starting at 7.30 pm. 

Guests are welcome.  Please contact Anne Kiely at kerrybusinesswomen@gmail.com if you would like to attend.