COMPETE LESS. COLLABORATE MORE – SupportSavvy.com

ABOUT the AUTHOR // Meet Melissa Mosher, @savvyninja!  – career executive assistant, connector and community ops advocate  | LinkedIn Portfolio

WHAT DRIVES ME?! Enabling others to leverage, love and contribute to collaborative career and business endeavors.

I have spent my waking life building, nurturing and supporting connected partnerships > > With over 20 years building online connections, and 15 years administrative & executive operations, I made an intentional career of enabling  and optimizing collaboration. From receptionist to C-Suite Executive Assistant, in start-ups to massive-entreprise company environments, I’ve had amazing experiences to learn from diverse leaders, mentors and peers in a variety of industries and cultures. #lovewhatido #executiveops #communitymanager 

ABOUT SUPPORT SAVVY:

@savvyninja, Founder and Community Manager Admin Advocate and Consultant // @savvyninja’s blog 

CONNECTIONS vs PARTNERSHIPS

#absolute #truth

Collaboration is the most effective way to win, (it takes a village) and before you can build and leverage partnerships you first have to make meaningful connections. 

1. Connections

2. Relationships

3. Partnerships

4. Your Guild of Advisors + Peers

It’s not enough to just ‘collect email address’ like we’ve got time to be some infrequent ePen-pal 🙂 or carve out the time to try a dozen groups, meetings or events. In today’s hyper-saturated online social networks, brands, companies and communities we are involved in, it’s critical to be efficient and effective in building connections that matter, nurturing the right relationships to create authentic partnerships. 

Making connections doesn’t mean > “I need your services tomorrow.” 

Connections are seeds that we plant for future opportunities. 

POWER OF PARTNERSHIPS: Why making connections matters.

You NEVER know who you’re going to meet or  where you’ll find your professional or personal brand energy going. While I’ve largely “been a corporate executive assistant”, I’ve also attended, arranged, staffed and produced a number of tradeshows, conferences, small and large scale events — without EVER calling myself an ‘’event planner.” 

I simply bring people together around a shared goal and take care of orchestrating the people, resources and requirements to help everybody win. 🙂  And this event is practically in my backyard!? 

(CASE 1) #NWES18 – Savvy Ninja + IAAP-PNW + Imagesource
> Collaborative Booth WINNING

CHECK THIS! Talk about a perfect pairing. 

As a contributor to IAAP-PNW, I met Leslie Hall, Regional Director, IAAP-PNW. We first met as a connection, built and nurtured a relationship to later partner on a number of admin-advocacy projects and events (also mentor of mine!).

Through this relationship, I met an amazing (my MOST FAVORITE) SWAG guru Fawn Allison at IMAGESOURCE. Regardless of the employer, project or incident event I’ve worked on, due to the relationship Fawn and I have built, as a result of the first connection, Image Source is my absolute go-to for all things SWAG. She brings a fun energy to any room and has the perfect balance of soul, heart and attitude.

WHY #NWES? As an admin-community advocate and membership group, it made total sense for IAAP to have a presence – as over ⅓ of attendees identify admins or support staff > and admins need a SWAG-partner right? 🙂  BOOM! 

We connected then to have our booths joined and we collaborated on a SWAG + COMMUNITY pod. 

(CASE 2) #SAVVYPARTNERSHIPEVENT19 – @Thinkspace
> Collaborative Reception + Panel Session

Our locations, vocations and industries change – but the general service or support functions are the same. Build partnerships that span beyond employer-networks, and carry you throughout your career. 

In an amazing turn of events, September 2019, I found myself producing an in-person, keynote speaker and networking event, featuring Monique Helstrom! (You NEVER know who you’re going to meet, where you’ll find your professional or personal brand energy going. #savvypartnershipevent19

THE ART OF THE PARTNERSHIP: Featuring MONIQUE HELSTROM, former Chief of Simon Sinek. 🙂 

#NWES CONNECTIONS 

Part 1 of our event: a networking reception, with carefully curated brands, providers and connection-potential relevant to our attending audience. BOOM! @savvyninja leverages connections and relationships from prior events, to create a collaborative partner event — 

85% of all vendors at our event came directly from connections I made at @NWES. 

Catering, photography, wine, photo booth, SWAG bags, raffle prizes, and venue – it was a group effort for an all-up event win. THANK YOU!

The attendee experience and vendor reception was 100% a success because I made meaningful connections at #NWES. Nearly all of them I have done multiple events, referrals and recommendations. They are my ‘professional event family’! @gayleorthcatering

The attending audience was largely supplied by the amazing promotion and connection efforts of Margaret Smith, Dir. of Ops – Pickett Street Properties,  and a tenacious community of real estate admins and operation managers. 

Part 2 of our event: Power of Partnership Panel – an #ama, ask me anything style panel discussion with local leaders who thrive on partnerships. Monique Hestrom, Margaret Smith … WHO ELSE TO CALL? Oh yeah!  > Jeff Holtz, VP of Sales Imagesource and NWES’s very own, Stuart Butler! 

NWES? Make Personal Connections – en masse!

We’re all here doing the same thing, with our 3,000 of like-minded folks!

(SPEND YOUR TIME WITH RELEVANT PEOPLE)
As a career connector, executive assistant and community manager who thrives on making meaningful, authentic partnerships across industries, domains and geographies, I am completely ADDICTED to the NWES conference and network. Why? Because it’s like going to the best nursery in town to browse over 200-seeds of partnership from vendors, fellow attendees, event staff and more!

About the Northwest Event Show (NWES) The Northwest Event Show (NWES) is the biggest and most prominent tradeshow for Event Professionals in the Pacific Northwest.  This year, we’ve packed 25 years of networking into two full days of direct connection to resources that will ignite your planning year with inspiration. From professional education to the newest event & hospitality trends, you’ll connect with the resources you’ve been looking for — all in one place.

• Plant partnership seeds and start to grow relationships BEFORE you need them.

• Partnerships, like flowers, take the right environment, ingredients and care to nurture and grow. Connections are the seeds of Partnership

  Events like NWES make it easy to ‘try before you buy’ – it’s like speed dating for professional meeting and event services! Everyone is there to meet, greet and seed potential partnerships

(DIGITALLY CONNECT EFFECTIVELY) @savvyninja
Personal Connection Hacks

UPDATE YOUR LOCKSCREEN – Screenshot your LinkedIn QR Code.  

Regardless of what event you’re attending, or their specific apps and community tools they use, when you want to make a person-to-person connection (vs. a brand to service connection) here are a couple of hacks to keep track of individuals’ information at a mass-volume event. One quick way is to make your cellphone lockscreen you’re QR code for easier scanning! 

1. LinkedIn QR Code is a thing. Learn how to set yours up here

   1. When connecting via LinkedIn, Include a message so that you have connection history in your messages. “So great to connect from NWES#19!”

WRITE PERSONAL NOTES – Keyword references to individuals vs brands.  

1. Business cards > yes you’ll sign up for individual brand and booth newsletters, but for personally interesting conversations, write a few keywords or relatable references on the back of business cards so that you can make a PERSONAL outreach when you connect next time!
   

   1. Follow-up // only reply to the conversations you remember. Don’t plant more seeds than you can nurture.

@SavvyNinja at #NWES19 –
WHY I PERSONALLY ATTEND NORTHWEST EVENTS SHOW

Connections, partnerships and event stuff, right? But it’s so much more than business cards and free eats and treats. NWES is the largest, common event for people from diverse industries and specialized expertise come together and exchange ideas, solutions and strategies for professional partnerships.

MAKING IT A REALITY #savvyeventpartnershipevent19

Fast forward a year later and I was met with the fantastic opportunity to host a keynote networking event at Thinkspace in Seattle. While I’m not a ‘professionally event planner’ in that I do nothing but events for a living, I do find myself involved with or being asked for referrals relating to events, conferences, vendors and virtual community activities.

This year I’ll be there supporting the VIP-network, join my table at the VIP Event, or find me roaming the showroom floor. 🙂 

HEY! Sharing is caring! 

• Why Attend NWES – from NWES blog

• Need to convince your manager you should attend? Check this out from NWES – LINK

• Check out the #savvypartnershipevent19 and panelists Stuart Butler – HERE

• Hit me up on your favorite social media platform and introduce yourself at the event!

Northwest Events Show: MAKE PERSONAL CONNECTIONS 

SEE YOU THERE!

Melissa Mosher – Savvy Connector, Career Executive Assistant + Online Addict

Website | Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram | Twitter

#nwes19 #savvyninjaevents