Real business story

Using social media to set up a celebrity-run event in five days

Social media might seem like a minefield, full of noise and hard to navigate. But it can be the gateway to opportunities and access to people previously out of reach.
Taor Morris - Potluck Cornwall

Taor Morris reached out to Australian chef Kumar Pereira over Twitter

Whether it’s with her supper club operation Potluck Cornwall or design and print company Leopard Print, Taor Morris has never been a fan of cold calling to drum up business. Instead, she’s used social media platforms such as Twitter to interact.

Her most creative use of this culminated in a cooking demonstration and dining event featuring a celebrated Australian chef.

Jump straight past the gate keepers

“I came across a gentleman that my family and I had seen on TV because we are huge fans of Australian Masterchef. Kumar Pereira and I got into a discussion over Twitter and then emails were sent,” she said.

Within five days Taor had got in touch with his publishers, had his recipe books delivered, picked Kumar, his wife and mother-in-law up from the airport and held a cooking demonstration and dining event for 14 people.

“It was a pinch yourself moment and just goes to show that if you use Twitter well lots of opportunities can happen for you,” she added.

Social media has become a place where brands, industry personalities, customers and others converge to talk about the things they’re passionate about. It’s a great platform to forge new relationships and jump straight past those gate keepers that make cold calling so painful.

More small changes that work

From maximising local partnerships to reducing waste, Britain's hospitality firms are out to prove that small, creative changes can make a huge difference. Catch up with the other seven stories in the series below:

1

Top takeaways

Reaching out to people directly allows you to forge new relationships and get the ball rolling quickly.