My first Usborne Conference and Gala - Vale Resort 2014

I joined Usborne in May 2013. A lot of my division are Welsh and VERY excited that the Usborne Books at Home conference and gala was going to be held in the Vale resort, Cardiff this year. I knew it was an event not to be missed.

In the summer, we could buy early bird tickets for the event priced at only £60. There are however different incentives every month to help you win the cost of your ticket back and I am happy to say I achieved enough incentives that I was able to attend the awards and conference for free!

The Vale resort was absolutely stunning. An amazing venue and choice of location. It had taken a while to travel to Cardiff from Newcastle so I checked in straight away and headed to my room to get ready for the evening's celebrations.

Above is a photograph of some of our lovely division enjoying a drinks reception. Don't we scrub up well!

No expense had been spared at the gala and we enjoyed a lovely 3 course meal plus A LOT of wine! It was lovely to be rewarded in this way for all of our hard work throughout the year.

One of our leaders had made us all our own Usborne goody bags and somebody else had made us all little treat bags. Little touches like this are just so thoughtful and make you feel really special and that although it is your own business, you aren't just selling books by yourself, you have a whole team behind you and who are there for support and advice should you need it.

Various awards were presented throughout the evening and I was delighted to be asked on stage several times to celebrate achieving runaway success, becoming a team leader within 12 weeks and being a member of team Usborne in the Autumn season. It is absolutely amazing having all of your division behind you when you get up on stage cheering you on, it makes you feel very proud indeed.

At the end of the evening we enjoyed letting our hair down and having a good dance! 

The next day, we enjoyed a lovely Welsh breakfast (still not sure what makes it Welsh) before setting down to business at the conference.

We were able to browse new titles and catalogues whilst waiting for everybody to arrive.

The theme for this years conference was 'write your own story'. There were a lot of motivational speeches and stories to hear from our leaders and people just like us.

It was absolutely amazing listening to three of our top leaders introducing the new books that would be available this season and how they would sell them. I was like a sponge trying to absorb every single word they were saying! My notebook is now jam packed with selling hints and tips.

We were given our own 12 month planner to plan our year ahead and write down our own goals for the year ahead. It is great to spend some time focusing on what you hope to achieve in the year.

We broke into smaller groups to discuss key 'table topics' in more detail which included sharing experiences on recruiting, how to earn £500 per month with Usborne and how to effectively manage our time.

As I was an elite member of team Usborne during Autumn 2013 I had been chosen to help run these table too sessions which was a lovely honour. It was fantastic hearing other people's success stories and sharing some of my own with the group.

We stopped for lunch in the hotel restaurant which was lovely. The quality of the food was just fantastic! I didn't take a photograph but the homemade lemon profiteroles with lemon cream were to die for!

After lunch, the conference resumed and they had certainly left the best for last! The team Usborne incentive for the Spring season was announced. A lovely all expenses trip to The Cotswolds for anybody who promotes to team leader for the first time. This along with the other benefits of Team Usborne is such a fantastic incentive to win.

Then there was the biggest announcement of the whole event. The lights were dimmed and we watched a fantastic video introducing us to the luxurious Dubai incentive. The room was filled with people screaming, crying and absolutely mesmerised as we watched footage of Dubai and the luxury trip we could win.I have never seen so many people so excited! This video alone left us all feeling 100% re-inspired and motivated to push our business to the next level.

After the conference we enjoyed time in the spa and then a were label to relax and enjoy a pyjama party in our leaders suite. We ordered room service and went through rather a lot of champagne. This is just a small selection of our empties!

When Usborne ladies get together, we know how to party! The room was filled with laughter, silly party games and yet more incentives were announced just for our division which left us even more excited (if this is possible!!).

The best part of the weekend for me was meeting the people I have talked to for months over facebook and hearing their experiences and at times offering my own advice! Who'd have thought people would ask advice from little old me! It just gives you such a buzz being surrounded with people who have the same hopes/fears and experiences for their business. We have such a fantastic, supportive division. 

That night was a late evening as we just couldn't stop talking! We eventually went to sleep in the early hours of the morning and then enjoyed breakfast together before checking out and travelling home.

My advice to anybody considering joining Usborne and attending the conference next year would be go for it! You would struggle to find such an inspiring, fun and motivational weekend with such lovely generous people which you forget is actually supposed to be work!

If you'd like to experience some of this amazing Usborne treatment for yourself, you can join Usborne via my website www.onceuponastory.org.uk 

Details of next years Spring Gala and Confernece will be announced in the summer. I hope you can join me!