What do you get when you take an introvert and place her in a position where she needs to talk to people selling her business for 4 hours straight? A whole lot of cringey teachable moments.
Earlier this week, I had the thrilling experience of being an exhibitor at my first wedding expo! The event was hosted by TheWeddingRing.ca at The Greens at Renton golf course in Norfolk County. It was incredibly exciting to be back in my home county and see so many old friends and familiar faces.
As this was my first expo, my biggest goal was to simply learn and network with other wedding professionals. I felt very welcomed by so many other wedding professionals who took time to come and speak with me to learn more about Iris Moon. Being a person who is shy and socially awkward, I had to really push myself out of my comfort zone in order to make connections, but I really lucked out with the company I had in the other vendors, who were very kind and took time to offer some sage advice (this is only a little punny, as one of them was Leslie of SixPence & Sage Bridal Boutique)
Throughout the expo, I was able to speak to approximately 120 lovely couples. The beautiful thing about small towns and small town events is that you will never find a more down-to-earth group of people. Although I am positive I was not hiding my nerves well, everyone was patient with me while I stumbled through my speech and gracious in giving me their time and asking questions. Over time, I was able to let go of the rehearsed speech and just take time to converse with the couples on a more personal level. What I lacked in confidence I definitely made up for in uncomfortable laughter. However, a glass of wine from the bar helped tone that down just a bit.
Overall, I accomplished what I set out to do with my first expo. I forced myself out of my comfort zone, made connections with other wedding professionals, and I put Iris Moon out there in the public eye. It was cringey and uncomfortable, but so is growth. I learned a lot and look forward to taking those lessons to the next expo.
To top it off the cringey moments, my eyes are shut in the only photo I have of me from that day.
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