Events: Exploring London By Megabus

My love story with London began in 1999 at the tender age of 14 when I visited the city for the first time on a school exchange. Coming from a very rural countryside of Germany into the “big smoke” was going from one extreme to the other – I was simply blown away by London’s charm and vibrancy. It was everything I’ve ever dreamt of and more: there were theatres, restaurants, museums, libraries, cinemas, shopping at your doorstep, the people and the constant impulsive energies never seemed to stop. It was on that school trip that I realised I needed life around me in order to feel alive – it felt inspiring and as if I had woken up from a dream. From that moment on I knew that I wanted nothing more than to get out of my small-minded town in Germany and demand more from life.

Fast forward a few years to my A-Level graduation and it was all set in stone that I would go to London to attend a private language school. Over the years the desire manifested and stayed persistently with me so, in 2005, I finally moved. Though it was only temporarily, I felt that I had made the right step into a great future. London was still exciting and I’m grateful for the friendships I made, mainly with internationals and the experience bonded for a lifetime. Sadly, after my course had finished I had to return to Germany to start uni and finish an English language degree.

The years to follow were marked by working hard to shape my academic career but I never lost touch with London. I regularly returned to roam its streets and explore new areas to add to my personal London map so soon I knew the city and its secrets inside out. No matter how often I kept coming back discovering new sides of the city, I died inside when I sat on the plane back home. The romanticised version I kept of London ever since my first visit was stronger than ever and I knew I wanted to be here – ideally forever.

Events: What Makes A Great Blogger Event?

One of the many perks of blogging is to receive invites to branded blogging events. Personally, I absolutely love these events having been invited to a few myself and the opportunity to create and execute branded events professionally in my previous job.

Blogger events provide you with unique opportunities and according to a recently conducted Twitter poll, bloggers mostly enjoy networking (43%) and meeting the brand (23%). Events can make you feel “special” as they are highly exclusive and London events, in particular, are usually great nights out and a lot of fun!

Speaking from a brands perspective, events are a key to working with wider influencer networks and let the brand connect with their audience on a very personal and interactive level through an immersive experience. An event can also position the brand as an expert in their field by telling stories and creating engaging experiences to bring their message, products and services across. After all, what counts most to bloggers is a great event atmosphere (75%), followed by structure (12%), venue (8%) and an influential guest speaker (5%).

Having been invited to the Very.co.uk Valentines Press event last week, I would like to share in today’s post my 10 ingredients for a successful blogger event to create a memorable experience for a lasting long-term momentum.

Fashion: Dancing On Ice

Happy New Year, how is 2018 treating you so far? Please accept my apologies for not posting in so long but last year ended with a few unexpected life changes and I had to take off some time from London and blogging.

However, whilst I spend some time at home in Germany, I’ve rediscovered one of my oldest hobbies - figure ice skating. It’s one of my hobbies, which actually stayed with me for many years. As a child and later teenager, I was very fickle with sports and I changed my mind so many times. I did bowling, swimming, taekwondo and even attempted ballet but nothing fascinated and engaged me as much and for as long as figure ice skating has.

The winters from my childhood were usually pretty cold and the nearby lakes and the town moat would freeze so all children would go skating sooner or later – I miss the afternoons on the ice playing with friends until it got dark at 4pm. We would play chase or hockey. However, I didn’t always have ice skates as they were very hard to get in Germany in the early 2000s. At first, I used to have strap blades to tie to my shoes, but those weren’t a great deal. My first pair of ice skates were then bought at a local sports shop but the shoes weren’t of great quality. The faux leather was very baggy and didn’t provide much support for my ankle. The shoes weren’t insulated enough so my feet would regularly freeze and get numb which shouldn’t be the case with good ice skates. It took me 13 years to find my perfect pair and here is my story:

Lifestyle: Latest Blogger Events in London

With Halloween and Christmas just around the corner, Q4 is one of the busiest seasons events-wise. London has never seen so many blogger events popping up: from private Halloween screenings to Christmas-themed parties, I had the pleasure to work and deliver two very fun and interesting events lately.

Mira Moments at Six Storeys

Mira is a luxury brand of bath and shower equipment – think shiny stainless steel showerheads and sleek glass shower screens. With the colder season approaching, we wanted to show bloggers and press how to enhance their everyday routine and integrate a much needed pampering Me Time to relax and unwind after work.

I’ve started working on the project back in April with a first draft of the idea, including some data-led research and five suitable venues that fit the client brief. However, after the research was presented, I never heard back if the idea was going to be realised and the project was suddenly put on hold. It wasn’t until later in the year, when the project came back slightly tweaked onto my desk and I was given a six-week turn-around to deliver the idea.

Fashion: David Clulow Style Event

Hi there, when I came back from my last holiday in July, I had four events projects waiting for me in my inbox. Hence why blogging had to take a bit of a backseat these past few weeks but I'm excited to share the latest event with you that I've organised and delivered for David Clulow. 

David Clulow is a luxurious optician with branches all over London. They are specialists in eye care, offering comprehensive eye tests and selling mostly frames by high-end labels such as Ray-Ban, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana and Prada. 80% of medical eye conditions can be detected by regular checks, so it is vital to have your eyes tested every two years. It was, therefore, a core theme at the event to raise awareness for precautionary eye care and to introduce the stylish brand to influencer. 

Lifestyle: Exploring Brussels In A Day

City breaks have never been as popular as they are now. Our world is so well connected these days that it is easy to get on a train after work on a Friday and just leave for the weekend. Come back on a Sunday relaxed and with a bag full of lasting memories. The little escape usually takes no more than three days and is a welcome break from the mundane routine of a 9-5pm workweek. 

Having been on a city break to Amsterdam and Paris this year already, I was keen to explore another European capital and tick off my travel list. I always wanted to go to Brussels as I've never really visited Belgium properly. One of my colleagues visited the city not so long ago and said that you could easily view the sights within a day. Perfect, as there was no need in booking accommodation for the trip: wake up in the morning in my bed in London, spend the day in another country and fall back asleep at home in the UK - simple!

Said and done - I booked myself a ticket mid-week and ventured on a day trip to Brussels.  

Fashion: Balenciaga's Shaping Fashion Exhibition

After Burberry's Henry Moore Exhibition at Makers House and Alexander McQueen's Savage Beauty, a new fashion exhibition has made it to London town: Cristobal Balenciaga's Shaping Fashion at the Victoria & Albert Museum is an absolute must! 

Shaping Fashion marks the centenary of the opening of Balenciaga's first fashion house in San Sebastian and the 80th anniversary of his famous second one in Paris. With a focus on the designer's most creative period, the 1950's and 60s, the exhibition opened officially a few weeks ago in May and will run until February 2018.

Shaping Fashion is the first ever UK exhibition showcasing Balenciaga's work and highlighting his influence on today's fashion industry, e.g. designs by Hussein Chalayan are on display, too. The reason to put emphasis on a later stage in Balenciaga's career was mainly as he produced a significant amount of bespoke designs for high-end clients. It was also the time in which Cristobal introduced iconic shapes to the fashion world that we can't live without today, such as the baby doll shape, the tunic, the shift dress and the sack.