We were lucky to catch up with Amber Hutchings recently and have shared our conversation below.

Amber, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

As the director of a very large event, the Utah Valley Parade of Homes, we were faced with our biggest challenge in 2020 when the pandemic hit. Every event was cancelled left and right, and I was faced with a very big decision on whether or not we needed to cancel our event that summer. Over 35,000 people attend the parade each year, and come from many states outside of Utah. I had to come up with a plan B should we have to cancel. The date for the parade was getting closer and I didn’t know what to do. Through resources within the building industry, I quickly learned about virtual real estate filming and brought in a videographer and photographer and we put our heads together. We came up with a way to still hold our event virtually, should we have to cancel the in-person event. We filmed over 20 homes to the highest quality video and matterport 360 tours, and put together an amazing parade. At this point we had pushed back our parade dates, which has never been done in history since the parade started in 1975. The homes wouldn’t be ready until a month and a half later. Then the risky part came, do we still go through with the in-person event, as well as offer the new virtual component as well? What would happen if we still tried to pull off this event as safely as possible? We made the ultimate decision to continue on with the in-person event. The parade is how the Home Builders Association survives. It was risky, but we decided to go all-in and gave our builders the option to have their parade homes in just the virtual, in-person, or both events.
The parade started and the people came. Over 27,000 people still attended the parade that year, and the new virtual parade became a favorite to those that didn’t feel safe attending in person. It definitely came with challenges that year, but the public was so happy to have something they always loved they could still attend, or see virtually. It was definitely the biggest risk I’ve taken in my career, but I don’t regret it. If we don’t take risks we will never know. I know not everyone would agree, as we were in the middle of a pandemic, but we took great measures to keep people safe, and 27,000 people clearly felt they were safe by attending. The Home Builders Association survived and without taking a risk who knows where it would be today.

Amber, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am originally from California, but have been in Utah for most my life. I wouldn’t trade living in Utah for anything, I love the mountains and all of the outdoor activities it has to offer! I am a single mom of 2 kids. I recently moved my oldest daughter to London! She was offered a spot at the London Contemporary Dance school and will be studying there for 3 years. I have a 13 year old son who keeps me very busy with football and rugby.

I was raised by a builder. My dad took me on many jobsites and I learned so much from watching and cleaning up jobsites for him growing up. I learned to love the building industry. I started a window and door installation business, managed a trash hauling business, and got involved with the home builders association 20 years ago. I now work for the home builders association, and manage all events and the Utah Valley Parade of Homes, the best parade in the nation! We have a very strong building industry in Utah and I feel very fortunate to work alongside the best of the best. People traveled from over 40 states to come to the Utah Valley parade last year, it’s gaining a lot of national attention. I feel honored to work with such skilled builders and trades in the building industry.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Networking. Every opportunity you have to get out and network take advantage of it!

How did you build your audience on social media?

You need to determine who your target audience is first. Make sure your social media platforms match your brand all across the board. Stay consistent. Set aside 15 minutes a day for social media. Prep your weekly social media calendar at the beginning of the week. Be sure you have fresh new content and DO NOT GIVE UP! Social media takes patience and consistency week after week to really build your brand and find your followers.   

Contact Info:

• Website: https://uvparade.com/web/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uvparade/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uvparade
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amber-hutchings-b4a01233/