Cyd Connects’ Post

Just wrapping up before adventures start again: several things for my colleagues to be aware of going on (some that need advance registration): #First (to get ahead of their presentation at PERFORMANCE DAYS at the end of this month), catch up with Claudia's live conversation (CEST!) this Wednesday afternoon https://lnkd.in/evCD2MBa #Second THE Sophie Mather/ biov8tion is running a #Free workshop starting #22ndOctober https://lnkd.in/eEixqAKa #BitesizeEntrepeneur (the time is BST on this one!). If you do not know #Sophie - you need to come up to speed with someone who has #Always been in advance of the #TextileIndustry, this will be especially relevant with the #EUGreenDeal legislation being enacted over the forthcoming years. An opportunity to learn from one of the best at a time when start-ups & new concepts are being put to the new parameters #TheEntrepreneurialToolbox #Third: I am in Shanghai this week for https://lnkd.in/ed2VYpsV which is shaking up the #IngredientSourcing market & #SupplyChain for #PerformanceMaterials in the #SportsAndOutdoor industries. If you are coming to the show: find me (+ the session on stage #FunctionAndFashion) #ShangahiWorldExpoExhibitionAndConventionCenter #Finally: the PERFORMANCE DAYS #ExpertTalks schedule is 95% there so diaries can be better planned for the end of this month in Munich https://lnkd.in/etQn29Qb Also remember to cross-reference the #Workshops & #Tours happening at the fair too, including one at 18.45 on the first day for which there will be both #Beer & #GinAndTonic available Think that is all on the desk right now: Wolfgang, Gabriel, Madelaine, Emily, Jing, Noel, Lisa, Marco, Clarissa, Astrid, Michael, Lisa, Claus, Kitty, Stefan, Martin, Alexa, Martin, Nina, Michael, Sam, Andrew, Johanna, Elva, Pascale, Karla, Nora, Anna, Sophie, Kelly, Louisa, Nichole, Kim, Baljinder, Katy 😳

Just got back from the Northwest Event Show (NWES) in Seattle, and let me tell you, it was something else! 🎉 Great vibes and even greater people, but let's chat about the entertainment—because that's where it really popped. 1. Hyper-Personal Goodies: Photo booths are somehow still a hit, and honestly, I’m not mad about it. 📸 Plus, they had robots sketching portraits with pencils—pure fire. 🔥 And don’t get me started on the water pencil drawings! This level of personal touch isn't just fun, it’s a crowd-pleaser that really connects. 2. Cozy Venue Vibes: Forget the giant, soulless ballrooms. NWES nailed it with intimate spaces filled with cozy nooks perfect for actually talking to people without shouting over the music. 🗣️🎶 3. Quality Over Quantity: The food choices were limited, but each dish was a hit. 🍽️ Massive buffets are out; exceptional, focused cuisine is in. And yes, they remembered the vegetarians and vegans—no one was left foraging for scraps. 4. Smart Booze Management: Limiting drinks with tickets might sound lame, but it kept everyone from turning into complete party monsters. Plus, it added a fun twist with people swapping tickets to grab a drink when they wanted. Cheers to not being a wreck! 🍻 Big shoutout to Lisa, Stuart, and the gang for keeping it real and making sure everyone had a blast while still getting down to business. It’s events like these that remind us how a well-thought-out bash can support our goals and still leave a memorable mark. It's not about entertainment, but good entertainment makes all the difference. Here’s to making every event not just a gathering, but a smashing success! 🚀 #NWES #EventProfs #NetworkingDoneRight

Don't miss out on the chance to build awareness, trust, and new business opportunities at MAD//Fest London! With 12,000+ top brands and agencies in attendance, this event is the perfect place to discover exciting, problem-solving innovation and build face-to-face relationships. At MAD//Fest, you have the opportunity to showcase your knowledge and speak on-stage, sharing your expertise with top brands. With only 9 speaking slots remaining, don't miss out on the chance to present on our topic-themed content stages, including the main stage, Creator Economy, DigiAds, Brand Innovation, AI + Emerging Tech, Attention!, Creativity + Experience, and Female Leaders’ Club. Plus, you'll receive opted-in data of people who attended your session to fuel targeted follow-up. You can also exhibit in MAD//Fest's marketplace and forget about the monotony of traditional trade shows. Choose a low-cost picnic table, cabana, or beach hut that reflects your brand and attracts brands to walk up and discuss your solutions. Plus, you can use our platform to book 121 meetings, rank leads, and export data directly into your CRM for ROI peace of mind. But hurry, limited availability remains (many areas are now SOLD OUT). Join us from 2-4 July at the Old Truman Brewery Estate in Shoreditch and choose your strategic investments for H2! Harry Clark Oli Marlow Thomas Domino Głowacka Ben Phillips Dulcie Williams Martin Wallace Bindi Houghton Chris Kemp Mihiri Bonney Dan Brain Clare Roberts Ellie Edwards-Scott Lisa Menaldo Katie Street Sheena Lawlor Dom Tillson Clare Povey Tim Waldron Graham Kemp @

Over the past 7 years I've spent hundreds of hours at events. Here's my take on how to make the most out of YOUR investment. - Make connections beforehand. Make plans to actually connect with them beforehand. - Leave your pitching pants at the hotel, you can put them on when the time is right. - Look for sidecar events happening around the show. Here's why: - Real connections matter more. If you're going just to pitch every connection you make will be transactional and will really only last the length of the handshake. Almost everyone at that event is going with the intention of meeting new people or learning something new. Find sincere ways to deliver on that. - Lead with mutual value first and I promise you'll get the opportunity to give a real pitch if your new connection is a qualified buyer. At the end of the day these interactions will lead to stronger future pipeline and a more successful event. - Smaller, sidecar events create a unique opportunity to spend more time getting to know peers and these new connections you've made. More importantly, they also get to know you without the booth behind you or the elevator pitch. Goes a long way. There's a time and place for different event strategies. I'm not saying this will work at scale for everyone, but I know for me it's turned into hundreds of true, strong connections and Millions of $$ closed for more than just me.. P.S. If you are in Phoenix next week for B2BMX make sure you drop in at the Real Retreat! RSVP here: https://lnkd.in/g_rHb7W9

Simply wishing for a diverse audience won't make it happen. For the first time, Dr. Breeze H. and I are sharing with individuals (you!) the tips we usually just share with our corporate and professional organization clients on how to make your important corporate event, conference, or gathering  as *diverse* as the values you hold dear. Grab the advice ($29): https://lnkd.in/gPbYBApm We know you want to create a space where everyone feels welcome - and valued. But where do you start? In this $29 checklist, we give you simple, evidence-based, [non-awkward] advice for leaders and event planners who want to make their events, spaces, and conferences more welcoming and fair. Get started: https://lnkd.in/gPbYBApm

I am so proud of the FIVE (yes, 5) Naturally Network opportunities that we have created at Expo West to support the success of our members. Meaningful collaboration is at the core of our partnerships and I am incredibly thankful to our major partners that scale our impact. New Hope Network, SPINS, Moss Adams, Greenberg Glusker LLP, Avery Products Corporation, Wellvest Capital, LLC, BeyondBrands, rePurpose Global, NielsenIQ, Whole Foods Market 1) A new retail access program facilitating relationships between 65 brands and Whole Foods Market. 400 companies applied, 85% are first-time founders and 45% are backpack brands at Expo. What makes this pilot extraordinary are all the additional resources and opportunities that we are facilitating for ALL applicants and getting our 65 brands ready to show up with data and their best foot forward. 2) Bringing together 1,000+ emerging brands, retailers, brokers, investors, and experts in one room for our Expo West Kick-Off Party next Wednesday. What makes our ecosystem so unique and different from any other community in the industry is the commitment, level of engagement, and generosity that industry leaders offer our members through mentorship, education, and serving on a Naturally board. Did you know that there are ~250 industry veterans that sit across our chapter board ecosystem? On top of that, we are highlighting 28 member backpack brands at the party to help maximize their show investment. THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT AND THE WAITLIST IS OPEN! 3) Connecting and activating purpose-driven brands, founders, and retailers tackling big topics in sustainability like the plastic crisis. We'll network and talk strategies, solutions, and impact AND give away a scholarship to one CPG Founder to attend a Plastic Reality Project event in Columbia or India to observe and engage with trash warriors on the front lines. 4) Our Minority-Owned Fellowship culminates at Expo West. There are 16 brands in this year's cohort and we are bringing all 16 to the show and created a tabletop showcase that facilitates their access to the industry. We've served 116 companies in the last three years and watching the brands and founders grow during the curriculum and after is so rewarding and energizing for the NN team and our partners. Come and support the amazing brands in this cohort over breakfast Thursday AND Friday. 5) We are also highlighting some first-time exhibiting brands in hot products and they all received 25% off their booth. The link to RSVP to all the events above is below. See you all next week! https://lnkd.in/gdsKTa2j

See you there in September! Let’s chat about streamlining your Business Solutions!

We invite you to take part in our event "Friday Breakfast 20/9". Join us for Friday Breakfast at Karlstad Innovation Park, where we meet to share knowledge and inspiration as well as just have a good time! This event is the perfect opportunity to network with entrepreneurs, innovators, and like-minded professionals in Värmland. Whether you're looking to share ideas, spark new collaborations, or simply enjoy great company, our Friday Breakfast is the place to be. Lets not forget either that every Friday Breakfast offers a chosen speaker to inspire and share knowledge about different organisations. At this event our chosen organisation is Paper Province. They will give us a presentation of the future of building sustainable high-rise buildings with wood. They will highlight the challenges and innovations in the construction industry and reflect on how wood as a building material can play a decisive role in the green transition. Don't miss out—let's start the weekend with fresh conversations and fresh connections! Date and time: Friday 20/9 08.30-10.00 Location: Karlstad Innovation Park, level 3, Coffice. Price: Participation is free. (Optional fee for sandwich buffé is 55sek.) Breakfast: We offer coffee and tea for free in Coffice at level 3 where the event takes place. There will be a smaller sandwich buffé available for you to purchase (55sek) in the restaurant Nova. It is located at the ground floor to the right after coming trough the main entrance. You can then bring your breakfast to Coffice at level 3. The change from pre made and free sandwiches to a paid sandwich buffé is due to high amount of sandwiches waisted during the spring. We hope that this solution will be well received now that those who wishes to eat breakfast can do so and at the same time, the amount of waste can be minimized. This fall we have planned to change the concept i a few ways and we hope that you will se it as a positive development. One of these changes will for example be to use english as the primary language for the presentations and communication around the events to make them more inclusive. We want to make these events more accessible for our international community members and we hope to do this by using english as the primary language for the events. We want to emphasize that for most of us english is not our first language. This means that we help each other and keep a forgiving attitude to each others comfortability to communicate in english. This can also be a possibility to practice the english language for all of us that can use refresh now and then. Another example of development is that the events will be fewer but longer and our intention is to bring more quality and value for you as a participant. We hope to to see you at our Friday Breakfast 20/9! Book your spot at https://lnkd.in/dHHug8_v

2 Days Left – Save with Early Pricing. The 2024 BeautyMatter NEXT Awards are open for submission, and early pricing ends in just 2 days on 3/24. Don't miss the chance to save $100! Why Apply? – BeautyMatter's awards are different from most awards programs in the beauty industry - we've spent a lot of time rethinking our program because we've owned brands ourselves and know the pitfalls. – Finalists and winners receive a seal that you can use without limitations. How frustrating is it to win an award and then find out you have to pay thousands of dollars to let people know about it? You can use our seals on packaging, marketing, your website, your trade show booth - anywhere you like. – Receive editorial coverage on BeautyMatter. We're a content platform, and our innovators get amplified. Plus, you can be honored for your achievements in person at our NEXT Summit in Los Angeles in October. APPLY NOW: https://lnkd.in/dMW7XuDm Start and pay today to take advantage of early pricing. You can polish your application afterward - just be sure to submit by the final deadline of May 24. #BeautyMatter #NEXTAwards #beautyindustry #awards

Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity #Day2 A lot of walking, lot of inspirational talks, lot of FOMO feelings 😅 Day 2 was about BRAVERY. Don't be scared, be creative (but remember, it's just not only that). 1) McDonald's and E.L.F. BEAUTY (completely different companies) shared how connecting with their fan base (and not focusing on the 'haters'), co-creating with them and really joining the conversation, was key to their success and fueled highly successful campaigns based on true insights. 2) Mark Ritson's first ever Cannes talk 'Creative is not enough' - to be really controversial with all the other talks. In summary, #creativity it is a vital factor for communications, but there are so much more other elements when it comes to marketing effectiveness. From the importance of market orientation (diagnosis), to having a proper positioning and a clear understanding of who your target is (strategy) right through to the fundamentals of 4Ps tactics. With the amazing #TeamBayer #BayerCannesRoar Daria Costantini, Kelly Davies, Christian Galvez, Maria Cristina Sarmiento, Philipp Schuster Bayer | Consumer Health