2020. Can you believe it? It doesn’t seem that long ago since I, Rachel, saw in the millennium at Rosies nightclub in Chester. Not a highlight of my life, I’ll be honest. But it has made every New Year’s Eve since seem amazing in comparison. Always a positive, right?

When we set up Aster & Fern in early 2019, Karen and I had grand plans to share super amazing posts on our blog packed full of hints, tips and everything you ever wanted to know about social media from people (us) who have actually tried and tested different methods rather than read about them in a book. We didn’t quite make that happen because the trying, testing, and teaching some of you lovely lot face-to-face took over but with two new additions to the A&F team, we’re hoping to write a lot more in 2020. We’ve even got a monthly editorial plan. How good are we? Just got to stick to it now.

What else have we got planned for this glorious year? Read on!

New Faces

Yes, two new faces have joined us at the helm of Aster & Fern. That’s Helen and Kirsty, the social media powerhouses behind the successful InstaMingle Events. Karen and I helped out behind the scenes at their last event and we made such a great team that it seemed only natural to join forces. It means that we have more experience to offer our social media clients alongside more time and energy to run regular Mingles and workshops. It’s all very exciting.

Networking Brunches

Because we loved Helen and Kirsty’s friendly and informal events, we’ve decided to run monthly Mingles. On a smaller scale from the incredible ones that they organised in 2019 but with the same charm and flair (hopefully). These will take the form of intimate brunches at the very beautiful and very instagrammable Palm Court Restaurant at the Grosvenor Pulford Hotel & Spa. The aim is to bring together a special group of small business owners, freelancers and influencers to share knowledge and support, and to basically inspire each other. Of course, the Aster & Fern team will be there to answer any social media and marketing questions or queries. Dates have been scheduled and tickets are on sale, so do be quick to book as spaces are limited. Come along once or every month; we’ll be happy to see you, whatever works for you.

Social Media Workshops

We currently have five social media workshops pencilled in for 2020 focusing on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, Photography and Content Creation. They won’t be aimed at absolute beginners – more a 102 than a 101. The dates and locations have been finalised but we have a couple more details to clarify before the tickets go on sale. If you want to us to hold a ticket for you, send us a quick email on team@asterandfern.com and we’ll make sure that you’re at the top of our list.

A Day of Social Media & Mingling

In June, we’re going to be combining mingling and introductory workshops aimed at small business owners, freelancers and influencers. Put June 20 in your diaries; you won’t want to miss this if you’re just getting to grips with social media.

A Spring Social and a Festive Mingle

We’ve tentatively pencilled in a Festive Mingle for November 14 but as it sees like such a long way off, Kirsty is taking the lead in organising an earlier one. So, on March 21, fancy attending a Spring Social Lunch at the very stylish 1539 Restaurant & Bar overlooking Chester Racecourse? Join us for fun, networking, fabulous photo opportunities and a delicious lunch. It’s for small business owners, freelancers, influencers or anyone that wants to chat all things social media and take lots of Insta pics without feeling self-conscious. Tickets are just £30 and include a glass of Prosecco on arrival plus a two course meal and one further drink. It’s going to be so much fun. Are you in? Grab your ticket ASAP.

I think that’s quite enough for now but to be the first to find out what’s happening at Aster & Fern, sign up for our monthly newsletter at the bottom right-hand corner of this page. We’ll be including articles, hints and tips designed to keep your social media accounts perfectly polished and irresistible to your audience and sharing snippets from behind the scenes at the busy A&F office.