The Mother Of All Networking Events - HBC: Festive Special
by Fiona McGarvey
As some of you beady-eyed eagles may have noticed, we have delayed our next LWL event til 2020. But FEAR NOT… We have something else wonderful to offer in its place if you’re in need of a pre-Christmas networking+eggnog boost. The HBC: Christmas Special on the 10th December at The Flowerpot Hoxton, you lucky things. More information to follow, but first let me tell you a little story.
It’s Friday afternoon and I’ve just hung up from a call with Fab Giovanetti and Samantha Couzens, CEO & Founder and Communications & Events Manager respectively, from the Health Bloggers Community (HBC). The company was set up in 2014 by Fab, an author and experienced business coach for health and wellness entrepreneurs.
Originally trained in marketing and PR for the technology and music industries, Fab became a blogger and writer herself (her book ‘Make An Impact’ discusses what it means to be truly influential in the modern world) and quickly noticed a gap in the market that she could fill using her two areas of expertise. She began to teach bloggers and entrepreneurs in the wellness industry how to market themselves more effectively and maximise their impact. And so, HBC was born and six years later it is a multifaceted organisation that offers a huge range services and resources (courses on all aspects of running an online business, masterclass events, the annual HBC Award and their very own ‘Make An Impact’ podcast) to its members.
But the essence of HBC is slightly pivoting, Fab and Samantha tell me. The ‘health and wellness’ category can no longer encompass the breadth of people whom HBC encounters. A more appropriate way to describe the HBC network, Fab says, is a diverse group of individuals and companies who want to make a difference. To what, I ask. To other people, to the environment, to the planet. Those are the people that Fab and her team want to work with – can’t argue with that.
They plan to announce this rebranding of sorts (they’ve got a new name to go with their new spirit) at their Christmas event on the 10th December. They give me the down-low and it is basically the mother of all networking events. A chance for current HBC members to celebrate the last year, for newbies to get stuck in and learn more about the organisation and for everyone to meet everyone else whilst eating a mince pie with workshops and talks thrown in. Find out more here.
And at some point, during all the networking, Fab and her team will tell us all about their new plans. Basically, it’ll be a great way to make some new connections, be inspired and kick-start the choc-a-bloc Christmas calendar we will all no doubt be exhausting ourselves with over the following weeks. I’m going to be there so maybe you can network with me (please do).
To top off this very exciting news, we are giving away two pairs of tickets to this Fab event (pun intended) so you can go for FREE. We’re running this on Instagram so head over to our grid post today and follow the instructions in the caption to enter. The competition will run for a week – winners announced on Monday 25th Nov. And if you don’t win – come along anyway! (We have a 50% discount code that we will publish on the 25th Nov as well).
Whoever you are, and whatever industry you work in, you are bound to meet someone else who inspires you or helps you progress down your path in some way, the exciting part is that you don’t know who or what that will be.
The HBC are really looking forward to this chance to meet you all and tell you more about themselves and the brand. Fab is super personable and her enthusiasm for her work and entrepreneurship in general is infectious. It seems that at her core she is a mentor who wants to lift others up by helping them achieve their potential. By the end of this call, I want her to be mine.
If you have an event or initiative you think we should feature on the blog then please get in touch. Our resident columnist Fiona McGarvey will be shining a spotlight on things happening across London over the next few months.