Mission accomplished
By Kristin Ely

The first time you do anything can be a bit scary: starting a new job, getting on a bike, flying in an airplane, trying a new recipe or getting up in front of a crowd all come to mind. The inaugural Coastal Connections Conference certainly was no exception. Going into the conference, I couldn’t help but wonder if we had made the right decision by launching an event specifically for this dynamic segment of the retail industry.



Any reservation I had went right out the window as soon as Cathy Donovan Wagner of RETAILMavens took the stage at Margaritaville Resort Orlando on the afternoon of Jan. 22. I looked at the crowd of retailers as she was speaking and saw nodding faces, relating looks and note taking everywhere I looked.



I’ve been to many conferences over the years where the audience is afraid to share or ask questions. That was not the case at the Coastal Connections Conference. The crowd, containing retailers from 13 states and the Virgin Islands, was not bashful. During a session called Creating Coastal Connections, panelists and the audience openly shared suggestions on employee training and customer loyalty programs.


Speaking of trying new things, we also developed a unique session model with vendors who were exhibiting during the last day’s The Boardwalk event. We designed an entire session, called The Boardwalk Chat, around the exhibitors sharing trends and product offerings one-on-one with Seaside Retailer Publisher Karen Carr. Attendees provided feedback that the session was extremely helpful to them when it came time to do their buying the next day at The Boardwalk.


"We look forward to building upon the newfound friendships and relationships that formed from the first Coastal Connections Conference."



A special awards ceremony was held during the event to honor the many retailers who have received a Starfish Award from Seaside Retailer for their charitable efforts. I was so incredibly touched to see how emotional the recipients in attendance were as they came up to accept the award and share a few words. I never realized until seeing them in person how much this award truly meant to them. I understood then that there really is no replacement for in-person interactions, and I think attendees figured that out, too.


When Karen and I launched the magazine in 2020, our goal was to create a community of retailers and wholesalers who could help strengthen the coastal retail community. Launching the Coastal Connections Conference was the missing link in helping us achieve that goal.


Thank you to all the attendees, speakers and vendors for taking a chance, breaking out of your comfort zone and joining us. Now that the first one is under everyone’s belts, I can safely say it was worth all the stress and sleepless nights leading up to the conference. We’re already reviewing feedback from participants and working on making the next one even better!