Top Tips for Attending #HihoAndCo

Attending an instameet can be slightly intimidating, especially when you discovered the event online & interacted with attendees over social media. So, the thought of meeting up IRL (in real life), in this day and age can actually feel a bit daunting.

With the 3rd (and sold out!) Hiho Silver #HihoAndCo instameet planned to take place Monday 4th November at the beautiful Forde Abbey in Somerset, I wanted to share with you some top tips for attending an instameet from myself @becky_wren & fellow #HihoAndCo attendees @GemEventing, @FarmerRuth_, @A_Girl_And_A_Gun to help you get the most out of the day.

• Get to know people before the day via social media. Invest your time to see who’s going & reach out to anyone who’s local to you. @GemEventing

• Join the #HihoAndCo Facebook group & start getting to know everyone before the big day. I know for a lot of us it’s quite daunting to walk into a room full of strangers alone, so getting to know people beforehand can make such a difference!! This will be my third one & I can tell you from experience, you have absolutely nothing to worry about. They really are the nicest group of girls you will ever meet!! You’re going to have so much fun. @A_Girl_And_A_Gun

• Reach out to fellow instagrammers local to you & organise a mini meet up, it could be a Sunday carvery or even a coffee. Chances are they will only be too pleased that someone else has taken the initiative. Myself @Becky_Wren, @GemEventing, Charlotte & Liz from @thecountrygp all met up the night before the 2nd #HihoAndCo in one of my local pubs for a yummy carvery which certainly broke the ice. @becky_wren

• Plan what you’re going to wear ahead of the day. It’s likely there will be a mix of workshops inside & outside, so be prepared for the elements. Wear something that makes you feel happy & don’t worry about following the trend. I love wearing pretty dresses which make me feel good. @becky_wren

• Bring some bits or props in your car that reflects your personality, whether that’s one of your products or you have a favourite theme of colour products which you could use for content in photographs. It’s not too far to go if you need them. @GemEventing

• If you’ve been umming & arring about taking your DLSR which has been gathering dust, bring it along & chat to @SophieCallahan or Rachel from @RachelBraggPhotography who are both fabulous photographers & will give you the confidence to fall in love with your DLSR again. And make sure you have storage space on your mobile phone. There’s nothing worse then going for that perfect flat lay & having a memory full message pop up! @becky_wren

• Don’t be afraid of chatting to anyone and everyone! Everyone is in the same boat & equally nervous. I’ve made some great friends from being brave & striking up a conversation. @FarmerRuth_

• Ask questions to the experts & to fellow Instagrammers. Everyone is super friendly & you’ll find by speaking up there is probably a few other attendees who will be grateful you asked that question. @becky_wren

• Make sure you bring a power pack to charge your phone. You will be using it in many ways – from networking & adding contacts, or following new friends on Instagram, to photography & taking lots of pretty flat lays. I also use mine for note-taking. @GemEventing

• Final top tip from @GemEventing – Don’t feel you need to put on a front, everyone is so lovely & won’t judge you. So, enjoy the day & just feel relaxed enough to be like you are on your social media channels.

Are you attending the next #HihoAndCo instameet at Oxleaze Barn, what would your top tip be?