The Huddle Orange — The Brand Dance

Event MC Edwina Bartholomew being amazing. Image courtesy of Kirsten Cunningham Photography @kirscunninghamphoto

This time last week I once again hit the road, swapped the beach for the bush for my annual adventure to Orange, a town in regional Central West NSW. It was time to ‘Huddle Up’ with my fellow female business owners for my favourite event of of the year created by the team at Jumbled.

Pip, Jess and the entire team did an amazing job on once again I thanked my lucky stars that I was able to be just one of the 550 in the audience. The speaker line up was quite diverse this year, featuring female founders of both product and service based businesses all with different experiences and learnings to share.

Here are the top 10 things I learnt from The Huddle 2024…

1. If you build it, people will come. Again and again.

A little PSA to all those with the very big task of ‘event organiser’ in their job descriptions. Business events can be fun. A successful business event doesn’t have to be grey carpets, monochrome presentations, black/navy/grey suits and crap catering. A successful business event can be a room filled with colour, a diverse speaker line up with diverse presentation styles, an ego-free space that make all people feel welcome, no matter what level of business they’re at. Give the people what they want I say and this style of event, is certainly what people want. And they are prepared to travel (a long way) for it.

2. On that note…..Prioritising important stuff isn’t always easy.

For the one day at The Huddle, it takes me a full day of travel on either side so it’s a 3 day investment (minimum) of time. Many guests could just drive there and back. I missed important things to be there. My son’s very first footy game. A school friend’s 40th birthday. Another friend’s big career milestone. As much as I tell people that guilt is a totally wasted emotion, I felt it, but took a little comfort in the fact I was doing something I really wanted to do and that was important to me. It’s still hard though.

3. Don’t think, just do!

Each year, The Huddle MC, Edwina Bartholomew does an audience shout out to anyone who wants to introduce their business to the room. Last year I put my hand up, but it was too late and I didn’t get a chance to get on the mic. So this year, I knew if it came up again I had to put my hand up straight away. So bam. 20 minutes in, Edwina did the call out and up my hand went. I was the second speaker and although I was nervous because of the spontaneity of it all, I knew exactly what to say and felt very confident about it. Because I did that, I actually met 4 other small business owners from my local area that had travelled to Orange too and it was awesome to meet them.

Michelle Bayley, founder of The Brand Dance sharing with the audience what the business is about.
Image courtesy of Kirsten Cunningham Photography @kirstcunninghamphoto

4. When it comes to presenting….simple is best.

Something I adopt at The Brand Dance and advise clients to do in their own communication, is ditch the industry lingo. When it comes to presenting to such a diverse crowd, it’s best not to try and be tricky. Explain abbreviations and repeat key statements. Don’t assume knowledge of your audience because it can lead to disengagement. A presentation filled with simplicity and authenticity is what hold audience attention. I spent a lot of time observing other people and what they seemed to be connecting to and writing notes about. This sentiment proved to be true.

5. Sequins bring joy.

Oh you bet they do. I’ll be honest, the function centre (where The Huddle main event is held) in Orange is probably one of the ugliest (ahem, I mean charming) buildings in this country town. However when you have a guest list of 500-600 and require all the facilities that come with an audience of that size, your options are going to be limited and you gotta work with what you’ve got. If you are holding an event, think seriously about the room. How it can be an extension of the brand and impact the ‘feeling’ people have when they walk into a space. Set the scene, inspire and delight. The streamer garlands, fairy lights used to fabulously style the location became a main character, the decor was all over social media feeds before the event had even started and what is great, the team who styled the room – ‘Bangin Hangins’ reuse the same pieces year after year so it makes a sustainable option with limited wastage.

6. The ‘Cost of living’ situation is real.

I know, I know, it’s such a downer but it’s real. Which is why you need to support the things you believe in. If we don’t direct the investment of time and money into the things we believe in, not just admire from afar, then they won’t be able to continue. It’s as simple as that.

7. An open mind is an invitation for surprise.

When the speaker line up was first announced, there were a couple on there that I was particularly interested to hear from. Interestingly enough, they didn’t turn out to be my favourite speakers. My favourite was actually money expert Mel Browne. Her topic was personal finance. I know, I know, I was as surprised as you about how much I lapped up what she was saying. Her presentation really was my favourite. Mel was so engaging and insightful and I’ve already implemented 3 pieces of advice she gave around spending habits and superannuation.

8. Don’t be shy, give people the compliment.

See the above,…I went up to Mel Browne and told her all of that personally just as I saw her leaving. During the lunch break I spotted 2 women wearing dresses from one my favourite local labels – Palm Noosa – I introduced myself, told them I loved their dresses and about the sample sale coming up next week (you’re welcome gals!) I made sure the Jumbled volunteers knew how appreciated they were, they were so key to making the day run smoothly for us all. I also gave the gals from Little Cove Collective a high 5 for being brave to stock colourful labels like Sage and Clare and Kip and Co in their boutique which goes against the norm in a beachside locale (I mean, there’s so much coastal themed stuff you can style a house with. Hooray for colour!) Point is, if someone does something you think is great, tell them. It will make a huge difference in their day.

9. Community creates advocacy

Jumbled has created a huge community but it’s not just their own customers bringing the sparkle. The Huddle is actually a mini festival, filled with multiple days of small events celebrating more small businesses in Orange than just Jumbled itself. The weekend event line up featured collaborations with wineries, restaurants, distilleries, caterers, photographers, a high school, multiple cafes, coffee suppliers, a dance troupe, production companies and more. By harnessing the talent and expertise in the local community, the Jumbled team are supporting their neighbours, sharing the love and creating far reaching advocacy that extends beyond their own customer base.

10. A diverse product offering = a new audience.

The main event of the weekend is held on Sunday on purpose. It means the Jumbled boutique can be the hero and open for extended trading on Saturday, maximising the extra visitors in town that arrive the day before or earlier. Many people at the event have shopped at Jumbled before, either online or in store. However, there were people at the event who hadn’t. There were people there who bought a ticket because their friend/boss/colleague told them about it, or because they saw one of the speakers talking about it online and THAT made them then go have a little shop at Jumbled. This kind of event offering appeals to a whole other audience and by creating a NEW product like this where there is a demand, an additional audience has been created for the main Jumbled business. With this, it means that the Jumbled team have also extended their database too which they will be able to use for marketing purposes in the future – for ALL of their product line up if they wish. Clever.

So there you have it. My favourite little gems from the weekend that was. If you haven’t been to Orange yet, I highly recommend it and be sure to go say hi to Pip and Jess while you are there. Tell them I sent you, I know they would love to meet you!

The Huddle Wrap Up

What makes the hard slog worth it?

One day, on a stroll Downtown…