Visited the RHS head quarters for a seminar for stands, and met some lovely people, got some great advice and some possible new contacts.
It all too easy sometimes to think that you don’t have time in your busy schedule for seminars, but you never know when you might meet the person in the know or get a useful bit of knowledge about something.
After a train trip down to London, reading my new book and then a cramped travel via tube, then a brisk walk to find the correct building, I arrived slightly behind schedule, a bit flustered and very thirsty. Not being sure what to expect, I signed in, got my self a coffee and looked at the vast seating already filling up. Not knowing anyone in the room can sometimes feel a little overwhelming and can almost make you feel completly out of your depth. But I plunged in feet first, found a seat, said hi to the people sitting near me hoping to strike up a conversation, and got a smile in return.
The seminar began, and it did offer some very useful bits of advice which I scribbled into my note book. Every aspect of the show was covered, and I started to become a little more relaxed and comforted that I was on the right track with my plans.
During coffee break, I did manage to have a chat with a gentleman sitting near me and quickly realised that I wasn’t the only one feeling unsure and apprehensive.
But I think the best bit came at the end, as the seminar reached 5pm and was coming to a close, the organisers said if any one wanted to stay on afterwards they would be available for questions. At this nearly everyone ran out of the room, muttering things about traffic and rush hour. I stayed behind as I had another 2 hours before my train ride home, and it was the best half hour of the day.
One of the RHS members of staff kindly took me around to introduce me to the people I needed to talk to, and what I got in return was very friendly advice, lots of contacts and offers of help.
I came away feeling elated and full of optimism that I was doing the right thing exhibiting with the RHS, I feel that this could be a big stepping stone onto the next stage of my career and that people were genuinely interested in my work.
It just goes to show that no matter how busy you think you are, it pays to take the time to reflect and gather new information, if I hadn’t took the day to travel down to the seminar and may have missed a vital piece of information that could make a real difference to my stand and most importantly missed the opportunity to make new contacts.