Hello. Welcome to by blog post about the HEA Reader Event that was held in Indianapolis, Indiana, last weekend. It has taken a few days for me to get my thoughts organized to tell everyone about this event. Though a few of the pictures included in this post belong to me, I must credit several of them to Jen Olson, P.A. She spent many hours last weekend taking pictures of everything going on.
A year ago, my hubby and I were having cocktails in a bar in Oklahoma City with Emily Silver and Tina Snider at the Route 66 author event. In the course of conversation, Tina and Emily mentioned that they should host a signing event in Indianapolis, where they both live. The dream was born. Just over one year later, they pulled off an incredible first year signing event in the heart of America. They had a phenomenal list of authors sign up and show up. They included a few extra events in addition to the signing which allowed more time to mingle in a casual setting. They managed to keep events to the perfect size and did not plan so much that it became unmanageable. All of this is an incredible feat with a first year event.
The venue was about 20 minutes from the airport. The Sheraton at Keystone Crossing had the additional perk of not only being within walking distance to several restaurants, but also being attached to a mall via a skybridge. The mall itself was high end with several designer stores, a food court that offered several options, and a few sit down restaurants. The hotel also had a restaurant on site where I enjoyed breakfast, a coffee shop with grab-and-go that was open in the morning, and a lounge/bar that attendees kept busy in the evening. Valet and self-parking options were available to guests and attendees. The smaller event space on the first floor of the hotel was ideal for the intimate atmosphere of the influencer event and the ticketed cocktail hour. Just up the escalator or the elevator to the second floor, the main event space was easy to find. The room was large with high ceilings, good lighting, excellent ventilation, and carpeted floors. I especially appreciated the carpet after attending several signings on just concrete floors. The carpet offers just a little more cushion for tired feet.
The influencer event offered a limited number of influencers to meet the authors before things got started. An open bar was available in addition to sparkling wine that was served to attendees. The authors were given a list of attendees ahead of time, and I was thrilled that several of them had gone through the list and followed me because of it. Several authors and the event organizers also provided special swag selections for the influencers. It was a relaxed space and I finally met Marika Ray! I have been on her arc team for years, and so that was a special treat for me. I also met several other authors for the first time, and got hugs from several I was seeing again. It was also a nice time to connect with other influencers and do a little networking.
Following the influencer event, doors opened for the cocktail hour. This was a ticketed event so it was intentionally kept small. In addition to the open bar, fruit, veggie, and cheese trays were set up buffet style for nibbles. Swati M.H. and Emily Silver both sponsored a designer drink each from their books. Attendees were each given two drink tickets as part of their package to use at the bar for alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks. This was the perfect time to catch up with reader friends and authors alike. A few vendors were also set up inside the event for those who wanted to get started shopping a little early. I felt like a good time was had by all.
Though a couple of vendors were located inside the signing event, most were lined up outside the room in the wide hallway. Vendor Alley was a wonderful way to allow readers to shop while waiting in line or taking a break. In fact, it even opened an hour before the event for just that purpose. Vendors looked like they had good traffic to their tables and I know I am not the only one who came home with a heavier suitcase and a lighter purse.
The first hour of the event was dedicated to the VIP ticket holders. Roughly half of the attendees had VIP tickets which was a great way to start the signing. VIPs also were given a different event swag bag with some additional items included. Before the signing, authors had time to set up, if they still needed it, and to mingle with other authors and assistants. For this event, I was a volunteer for the first time. I was given the honor of assisting Swati M.H. (I will discuss that more a little later.) What that did mean for me, however, was that I used this time before the event to pick up my preorders and grab a few pictures with authors.
(Pictured Tina Snider and Emily Silver)
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