I’ve been abroad and out of the blogging loop for a few weeks but now I’m home – it’s time to put all my energy into the #bloggersfestival, an event I am organising myself for the benefit of other bloggers, writers and journalists. It’s been a real work in progress and as the big day approaches (September 6th) the nerves are gradually bubbling up. I’m going to be an absolute wreck on the day itself, but hopefully it will all be worth it!
We have some really REALLY exciting stuff planned for you and I am so excited to watch it all come together. I might be panicking inside but if everything comes together, I can promise a very glamorous shindig with breath-taking views, goodies, champagne cocktails, canapés, live music and my all-time favourite brands. I honestly cannot believe some of the brands we have showcasing are coming along (it’s a dream come true) – and with some extraordinary prizes up for grabs over on our Twitter raffle, it’s set to be a day never seen before in the blogging calendar!
Pictures from last year’s #ldnbloggersparty
For the benefit of those attending, I thought I’d give you a quick run down on everything that the day will entail. Some bits are still in the planning stages (so I’ll leave those as a surprise) but I wanted to share a few details with you:
I wanted to stay true to the brands I truly love, wear, buy and try myself – because I figured at least I’d be able to personally vouch for them and talk about them all with genuine passion. I was approached by a lot of different companies but I am so happy and grateful for the 12 wonderful companies we have coming along on the day. Each will have their own area, which they are going to decorate themselves (some are even bringing along huge props to take photos with) and you’ll be able to go up, chat to the brand representatives, try a few goodies, browse the rails, indulge in a bit of lucky dip (so that you can try samples you might not usually chose yourself), watch demonstrations about how the products are made, have your hair made over by a top celeb stylist and network.
As stated previously, the main aim of the event is to network. If you’re a relatively new blogger, this will be a great chance to mix and mingle with fellow writers, in addition to introducing yourself to brands and setting up strong relationships which will see you through your blogging career. It can seem a little daunting but we’ll have members of the scarlettlondon.com team there to welcome you, match you up with fellow bloggers who have come on their own (and might not know anyone), show you round and chat to you. It’s a very casual, informal affair – so don’t worry about it too much. The main thing is to have fun! And I promise, there will be lots of opportunity to do so. It’s a festival after all!
Co-sponsoring the event are Search Laboratory and Want Her Dress, who I have worked with very closely to ensure we have the most amazing setting for the event. Luckily, we managed to secure Paramount, Centre Point – who have an event space on Level 31. I’ve had my eye on it ever since I visited it a year ago – with beautiful views over the London rooftops (it’s featured in another post here in case you wanted to take a look) and a large open space with light pouring in from the huge windows – which makes it perfect for photographs.
Showcasing at the event and also sponsoring it, kindly donating funds towards welcome drinks for the first attendees to come through the door are Ted Baker, Urban Outfitters, Fashion Union, Quiz Clothing, Lee Stafford, Oriflame Cosmetics, Cloud Nine, Ecco, Minimum, Bee Good, Izabelle Hammon and Very.co.uk. I’ve linked them all up so you can take a look at them before the event, however they are a mix of beauty and fashion brands – each with their own individual style and a fantastic array of products. Each will have a little area you can visit, products you can browse, take home and try – and representatives to speak to. They have all conjured up their own activities to showcase on the day, which will make it extra enjoyable but I’ll leave that as a surprise!
As announced on Twitter, celebrity make-up artist Gary Cockerill will be in attendance, showcasing his skills on behalf of Oriflame, as the two are currently collaborating. I am a huge fan of Gary myself, so this announcement was particularly exciting for me – however I am so pleased you’ll all be able to witness his work on the day. Well known among the celebrity circle in his own right, Gary’s regular clients include Eva Longoria, Isla Fisher, Alicia Silverstone, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Kelly Brook, Emma Willis and Katie Price.
In order to really enhance the experience, Oriflame and Gary have asked for four guests of the event to come forward in advance (email me – scarlett_dixon@hotmail.co.uk and I can direct your email to the correct person) so that they can prepare a look specially designed for you, to be displayed and created on the day. This is a really unique opportunity which I’d take up myself if I wasn’t attending – and may give you some great ideas for an everyday or evening make-up look which you hadn’t thought of yourself.
The Twitter raffle is another really unique and exciting aspect of the event, with prizes donated from each of the sponsors and external brands – the majority of which have a minimum value of £150. To be in with a chance of winning any of the prizes, you’ll need to tweet to enter (using the hashtag displayed on the day) and get creative with your reasons why you love it. The winners will be announced at 6pm on the day – so make sure you hang around to find out if you’ve won something! We have gift bags from Ted Baker, hair stylers which haven’t hit the market yet and £100’s worth of shopping vouchers among the prizes. Eeek!
We also have a live band booked to play – Franklin, a duo from St Albans who have some really well written, wonderfully crafted songs to their name and are definitely worth a listen (you can take a look – with your ears – here).
There is tonnes more I could say, as we have so many things in preparation however I want to ensure some things are a surprise, and similarly – I’m conscious I don’t want to bombard you with information all in one go, as I’m aware I’m waffling lots. So hopefully this gives you an indication of whats in store. I’m not a professional events organiser and aside from the few blogging events I’ve put together, this is a relatively new experience for me – so hopefully everything goes to plan.
I wanted to organise this solely to meet more like-minded people, make a few (or lots) of new friends and have a fun day. It’s not entirely designed to be totally brand orientated, but merely something informal and casual which is enjoyed by all. The aim is for everyone to go home having discovered something new, met someone new and with something new to blog about. I seem to have lost my blogging mojo at the moment and I really struggle to sit myself down and finish an article – so I hope this will re-ignite the hobby I absolutely adore.
I can’t wait to meet you all and as ever, if you have any questions do feel free to tweet me here. I will be posting lots of surprises and announcements over on my Instagram primarily, so please do make sure you’re following me here.
Please note: this event is invitation only. If your name isn’t on the guest list, the doormen won’t allow you into the event so please make sure you’ve RSVP-ed and that I have confirmed your place on the guest list. If you are unsure about your place, email or tweet me.
