This is a conference for crafties and foodies who want to learn more about the business, blogging, branding, making and networking. There are speakers galore from all over the country, as well as classes and demos and gatherings. Registration ends March 1st, so check out the site and sign up.
See you there!
Craftcation 2012 from Letter Box Films on Vimeo.
Here is an interview with co-organizer, Delilah Snell!
Tell us about Craftcation - what is it and how did it come to be?
About 2 years ago, Nicole (my business partner and niece) and I were heading to Ventura to discuss hosting one of our craft festivals (Patchwork Show) there. This day happened to be the day after Carmagenon and we ended up being in traffic for 4 hours. While sitting in the car we talked about the vendors we worked with, small business and our own journeys of having small creative businesses. It was so rare that we had the chance to just talk business without having to run off and do something, go somewhere or just plain "get back to work"!
So it was on this 4 hour trip that we decided to create CRAFTCATION: a conference that connected the creative community to build business skills, inspired each other and our work and a chance to make things and have fun.
What is the main mission of the event?About 2 years ago, Nicole (my business partner and niece) and I were heading to Ventura to discuss hosting one of our craft festivals (Patchwork Show) there. This day happened to be the day after Carmagenon and we ended up being in traffic for 4 hours. While sitting in the car we talked about the vendors we worked with, small business and our own journeys of having small creative businesses. It was so rare that we had the chance to just talk business without having to run off and do something, go somewhere or just plain "get back to work"!
So it was on this 4 hour trip that we decided to create CRAFTCATION: a conference that connected the creative community to build business skills, inspired each other and our work and a chance to make things and have fun.
To inspire, network and build upon the independent craft business community. our objective is to ignite the entrepreneurial business spirit, strengthen skills and abilities of both seasoned business owners and newcomers to indie craft business.
If you are thinking about starting a business- its perfect for you. If
you just started one in the past year- there is a ton of support. As a
business owner for over 7 years, i could not get enough and wished i
wasn't putting on the thing so i could attend workshops! We have a
whole host of people coming to Craftcation because they just want to
make stuff all weekend!
What is great about Craftcation is that it is more than a business conference. We have a a number of classes on all sorts of crafting mediums, food craft and cooking workshops, yoga, tours. Ventura itself is a cute little beach town so there is surfing, hiking and an adorable downtown area for fun breaks.
What are some of the highlights? What is great about Craftcation is that it is more than a business conference. We have a a number of classes on all sorts of crafting mediums, food craft and cooking workshops, yoga, tours. Ventura itself is a cute little beach town so there is surfing, hiking and an adorable downtown area for fun breaks.
One of the things i am
most excited about this year is the track dedicated to the growing
artisan food business movement. With the Homemade Food Act passing in
California this year (where people can sell food items made in the
home), there are more possibilities for food businesses and we have a
number of workshops there to help people make the best and most
successful decisions.
Other workshops: Publishing, Beer Tasting + Crochet, office hours with Mailchimp, Heart of the Italian Kitchen master cooking class, partnerships...i love all of them!
One thing i really love though are the Sunday roundtables. Usually at conferences, the roundtables are at the beginning with networking. At Craftcation, our roundtables are one of the last items of the conference and we have all the speakers at different tables covering niche topics or ideas that might have needed more time during their presentations- it is a really great way to recap the conference and it was really popular last year.
How is it different from other creativity conferences? Other workshops: Publishing, Beer Tasting + Crochet, office hours with Mailchimp, Heart of the Italian Kitchen master cooking class, partnerships...i love all of them!
One thing i really love though are the Sunday roundtables. Usually at conferences, the roundtables are at the beginning with networking. At Craftcation, our roundtables are one of the last items of the conference and we have all the speakers at different tables covering niche topics or ideas that might have needed more time during their presentations- it is a really great way to recap the conference and it was really popular last year.
Craftcation
really embraces the DIY culture of our lives and business- lots of
handmade touches, crafted and often locally sourced meals, even our
attendee bag is from a vendor from one of our shows (Sweet Perversion).
Not only does Craftcation have a wide array of workshops but one of the interesting aspects of the conference is the fact that we utilize downtown Ventura as the part of programming. Lunches are a beautiful 5 block walk to City Hall, which might at first seem like a pain, but the point is to get moving a little and get outside- it's beautiful! Cooking classes are held at the Museum, the opening party is at the fairgrounds, our closing 80's dance party is at a local bar. You leave refreshed and knowing a little bit about the place you stayed in (which our hotel, The Crowne Plaza is where Little Miss Sunshine was filmed)!
What other projects do you have in the works?Not only does Craftcation have a wide array of workshops but one of the interesting aspects of the conference is the fact that we utilize downtown Ventura as the part of programming. Lunches are a beautiful 5 block walk to City Hall, which might at first seem like a pain, but the point is to get moving a little and get outside- it's beautiful! Cooking classes are held at the Museum, the opening party is at the fairgrounds, our closing 80's dance party is at a local bar. You leave refreshed and knowing a little bit about the place you stayed in (which our hotel, The Crowne Plaza is where Little Miss Sunshine was filmed)!
Right now we are working on 2 additional event for 2013. One is an edible version of our craft fair and the other is a large-scale Patchwork Show for Phoenix later this year!
Ohh this is my home area code! I wanna go!
ReplyDelete