Plus London Three Aftermath

So nearly four days have passed since Plus London Three ended and I’ve really struggled with this post. This is my fifth and final draft and written today whilst on the bus home. My aim was to post almost immediately after the event, but in retrospect, I'm glad I've had a few days to truly sit back, think and give an opinion which reflected my own but also taking into account a few things others have spoken about.

I will start with this, PL3 for me, was a success. Were there disappointments? Yes. Did one or two friends let me down? Yes. Did I wish Sunday had more attendees? Yes. Am I going to let those things make me bitter and see the event as anything other than positive? NO! Because here's the thing - regardless of numbers, people turned up for each and every aspect of PL3. Myself, Lauren, Claire, Michelle and Kirsty wanted to create an event that spoke to everyone. We wanted to involve brands, we wanted big sponsors and we wanted small independent companies. We wanted to include non-bloggers and create an environment that welcomed all. We wanted to have a panel, workshops and an area designed to get people talking and get to know each other. We achieved ALL these things! I will always be proud of that, we covered all basis with full knowledge that not everything would be everyone's cup of tea.

With that, I find it odd reading that people feel frustrated having to defend their blog. I can honestly say I haven't read a single blog entry attacking anyone, or with a purposeful intent to make anyone feel guilty about their blog and why they do it.

I do think it's a valid question though, and one we shouldn't be afraid to discuss. The blogging world is split down the middle; those whom are brand focused and those whom are community focused. One is not better or more worthy than the other, but I think that difference has to be acknowledged without guilt.

For instance, all the organisers for PL3 are community focused so we of course felt upset when the most important aspect of the weekend (for us) was not one which others felt they wanted to participate in; and I'd like to think people would understand that we would express that when accessing the weekend. But again, I haven't seen a post set out to make anyone feel like what they're doing has no substance, it's just that our vision is not the same and there's nothing wrong with that.

I see Plus London Three as a positive thing. I hope everyone had a good time and got what they wanted out of it. I for one met so many wonderful women during the weekend. I had a blast getting to know everyone I hadn’t yet met and look forward to developing those friendships.

When people began to thank us I felt a little weird about it. For me an event is only a success if it’s attended, and both days had an awesome group of people regardless of interest. But particularly those who came on Sunday. I hope that doesn't sound cruel in any way or dismissive of those who came on the Saturday, but rather selfishly, that was the most important day for me. That was the day that gave me energy and excited me. The panel discussion and Lauren's blog talk were the highlights for me as both created converse, different perspectives and new ways of thinking. The space encouraged others to speak their minds without judgement and the fact that each had an array of giggles showed how relaxed they were. I couldn't have asked for more.

A huge thanks to our amazing brands, particularly Simply Be and Curvissa as without them, there would not have been a PL3. Thanks to Dr. Charlotte Copper, Dr. Caroline Walters and Gina Warren for taking the time to partake in our panel discussion; thanks to The Diablo Daniels, Blast Photo, The Vintage Cake Company, and thanks to all our little helpers – there are too many to mention but we could not have done it without you all. Huge love to you guys!

There’ll be a weekend outfit post on Sunday, so I’ll end this post with one picture taken by the amazing Dannie from Blast Photo. I may be biased, but this is the best picture of the weekend. It’s just us – just us having fun and for a moment, forgetting about all the things we had to do over the weekend. Despite Kirsty’s spirit being punched in the boob by Lauren, this picture makes me smile. I love these gorgeous women and if I’m sad about anything, it’s that we won’t see each other as often as we did during the eleven months of organising. 

Love and hugs,

Isha

xxx