What Happened in 2018?
2018 was our 2nd year of organising the South East Property Expo, with the Hop Farm playing host to another great celebration of property in the region.
TV’s Dick Strawbridge was our keynote speaker supported by a host of other TV personalities and property experts.
Doors opened early (6.30am) for a pre-event networking session with BNI attended by over 40 keen revelers. These early-birds were then released into the event, along with the amassing crowds, at 8am, as the doors opened.
Professional property investor and experienced speaker Dick Dabner opened the stage , followed by Rob Jarman (of Maidstone Council) and TV interior designer Pippa Jameson before lunch. All the while of 50+ exhibitors are meeting with and talking to those milling around the main exhibition area and talking part in various networking sessions.
Lunch was served from 12pm by Tonbridge Old Fire Station in their pop-up lounge area. The feedback to the food is always exceptional and certainly a level above usual ‘expo fayre’.
Following lunch, Squerryes opened their Sparkling Wine Bar offering free glasses of their award-winning English wine. It is fair to say that our guests really start to enjoy themselves now.
The stage kicks in again after lunch with Lawrence Gold – star of BBC TV’s ‘Bank of Mum & Dad’, followed by David Roberts (offering the secrets to becoming a property Billionaire). Dick Strawbridge takes the stage at 2pm and regales a packed house with the details of his fascinating life in property.
Dick draws the winners for all of the various raffles and competitions for the day before spending time meeting the guests and exhibitors. Numerous selfies later Dick is whisked away back to his Chateau in France and David Lawrenson closes the stage.
At 4pm, the exhibitors, tired from a very busy day, then begin to pack away their stands while we try to nudge the stragglers towards the front door.
Feedback from both exhibitors and guests was overwhelmingly positive and buoys us all at Thackray Williams to do it all again in 2019.
See Dick Strawbridge’s full talk here:
