You’ve probably already heard about the ‘community over competition’ movement, it’s all over social media and even has its own hashtag. Search #communityovercompetition on Instagram and you’ll find nearly 5 million posts from accounts offering guidance, support, and friendship to their followers.

But what does it mean? And can community over competition actually help you in business?

Put simply, it’s about connecting people. Community over competition means building genuine, supportive relationships with others and putting people above commercial gain.

Here are some of the ways we encourage members to embrace community over competition in our UKAWP family.

BEING KIND TO OTHERS

Being a cheerleader for others, whether that’s liking and commenting on Instagram posts, offering useful advice, not keeping industry ‘secrets’ to yourself or being on hand to help when someone needs support, being kind is an essential part of any community.

It also means learning to celebrate the success of others when they book a new client, win their biggest project or get a shoot published, being part of a community means you are genuinely happy for them, inspired to create your own success, as well as knowing there’s a group of people waiting to celebrate your success too.

COLLABORATION

The wedding industry is a great place to learn about working together, whether it’s a team of suppliers helping each other out at a real wedding, coming together to create an inspirational styled shoot or teaming up to launch a new project.

Collaborating with others in your industry isn’t just a great way to create something new, but an opportunity to meet new people, learn from others and grow your own knowledge and experience as a result.

It’s also important to say here that collaboration doesn’t always mean working for free. At the UKAWP our members are able to freelance for each other at set rates, giving them the opportunity to shadow and assist more experienced planners at real weddings and events, because we recognise that all our members add value and should be compensated fairly.

REFERRALS

Encouraging members to share referrals and give others new business opportunities is one of the great benefits of being part of the UKAWP family.

When more fully booked businesses pass on work to up and coming planners they do more than share a client, but also give them a chance to gain more knowledge and experience, elevate their client base and get enquiries they may not have otherwise have received.

Sometimes our members recognise they are not the right fit for a client, or don’t have the appropriate skills, but through the UKAWP network are able to recommend someone who does – helping the client and their industry colleague.

GROWING TOGETHER

As well as benefiting you and your business personally, being part of a community helps the industry as a whole to grow and evolve. For example, UKAWP members commit to a level of professionalism that acts as a benchmark for others in the industry, improving the perception of wedding planners as a whole.

I see community over competition in action daily in the UKAWP, whether its members chipping in with advice in our Facebook group, meeting members at our virtual coffee mornings, or assisting other members at weddings or events, there’s a whole load of valuable support on offer.

Photos from a recent coffee morning hosted at my home, I love how all members wore some form of blue, except me me I clearly didn’t get that memo!

If would like to belong to a community of wedding professionals who are happy to cheer you on when things are good and lend a helping hand when you need it most, then becoming a member of the UKAWP could be just what you’re looking for. Visit www.ukawp.com/membership to apply, doors close next week.