Linda and I really wanted to attend the Tri-State Staging Expo in New Jersey a few weeks ago. There were so many people that we had become acquainted with through Active Rain that we would love to meet in person, but we were still very busy and just could not get away. We were very disappointed, but that's just how it goes when you're a business owner. Things to do, Places to go, Homes to Stage!
Then last week we had a window of opportunity and noticed that Melissa Marro's Round Table was being held on a week end, so off to South Carolina we go. We thought the proper thing to do would be to call Melissa and let her know we wanted to come and that's when the Southern Hospitality started.
Linda and I were made to feel so welcome by Melissa, her husband John and her assistant Sue. It all started with breakfast where we were able to meet Bevin Googer... What a delightful young lady she is. Melissa, who had cleared her caleldar for our visit, then spent the day with us touring her staged homes and talking business until we were blue in the face. Then the end to a perfect day we met Melissa's husband John and her assistant Sue for dinner. The next day we participated in Melissa's round table, held at the First Impressions warehouse & Training Center. We meet Marci Toliver, who was the very first AR member to introduce herself when we joined SIF. Besides Marci we meet a whole bunch of wonderful people from all over South Carolina. We even made some new friends from North Carolina and Florida that were in attendance. We were treated so warmly and were made to feel welcome by everyone. After the Round Table, another end to a perfect day where we met Melissa and the North Carolina ladies, Michele Kurelich and Janine Varney for dinner and talking business until we were again blue in the face.
I found a definition that reads, "Southern hospitality is a phrase used to describe the positive stereotype that residents of the Southern States" (Or in our case those of Summerville, North Carolina) are particularly warm and welcoming to visitors.
Now, I called our experience Southern Hospitality, but I suspect if you were to let's say travel from your home in San Francisco to a Chicago Round Table, your experience may be called Windy City Hospitality, but I suspect the experience would feel very similar. For the most part, Stagers I have met everywhere are warm and welcoming people with varying degrees of passion for what they do. As for me, I got to spend two days, with two ladies that define the phrase Passion for what they do! Watching and listening to Melissa Marro and Linda Barnett discuss every aspect of "Where Home Staging has been", "Where Home Staging is going", "and "every other aspects of the journey of running a successful Home Staging business" was at times dizzying, but an absolute treat for me. And as an added bonus, I got to experience Southern Hospitality!
Thank you Melissa and John Marro for the Southern Hospitality! We are looking forward to showing you, John and anyone else that comes our way some of our Mid West Hospitality! Soon I hope!
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