CBN 2023 Education Schedule Info

Education - Workshops and Seminars
updated 1/26/23

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FRIDAY, March 31 - Tour
9 am to 12:30 pm
Price: $25/person
Limited Space
Columbus Retail Store Tour!
KIZER & BENDER SPEAKING

Join Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender for a Master Class in Visual Merchandising! Our walking tour - we actually hop a comfortable chauffeured van - will take you on a spectacular tour of some of finest retailers Columbus has to offer. We'll visit stores with deep design and display pockets, and shops with lovingly hand-crafted spaces and displays. You'll celebrate the differences in store experiences, and find design inspiration and ideas. KIZER & BENDER will share the hows and whys of layout and display to help you translate what you see so you can easily apply it to your business and make it your own unique sales floor. Space is limited. Pack your comfy shoes!
Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender are speakers, authors, and consultants who have helped thousands of businesses in the retail, creative, restaurant, healthcare, deathcare, hospitality, pet, collegiate, travel, beauty, tech, auto, sales and service industries grow their sales since 1990. KIZER & BENDER are listed among the Top 40 Omnichannel Retail Influencers, Top 100 Retail Influencers, and the Top Retail Industry Experts to Follow on Social Media. They made Meetings & Conventions Magazine's list of Meeting Planners Favorite Keynote Speakers, were named two of Retailing's Most Influential People, and their award-winning Retail Adventures Blog consistently ranks high on the list of Top Retail & Marketing Blogs. As global retail thought leaders, KIZER & BENDER serve as BrainTrust panelists for RetailWire, retailing's premier daily online discussion forum. Rich and Georganne are experts on generational diversity, consumer trends, marketing and promotion, and everything retail. As consumer anthropologists they stalk and study that most elusive of mammals - today's consumer. In addition to focus groups, one-on-one interview, and intensive on-site studies their research includes posing as every kind of customer you can imagine. The result of their research is literally straight from the mouth of the consumer: solid ground level intelligence you can use to better serve your own customers. BACK TO TOP

FRIDAY, March 31 - Workshop
11 AM to 12:30 PM
Cost: $25/person
Paper Makes a Difference with
Modern Paper Making from Germany's Oldest Mill
Hahnemuhle USA

Nearly all artists use paper but often do not know much about it, why it works or does not work with different media. Attendees will learn why quality paper matters, all about sizing, weight, deckles, the features, benefits, and differences between the many types of paper fibers, including sustainable fibers. Attendees will learn about the environmental impact of making paper, how fine art paper is made, and the history of making paper, including a 438-year-old mill. This is NOT a brand-specific workshop. We will cover the pluses and minuses of all popular watercolor paper brands. Videos and images of paper machines in operation. It goes without saying that the products and manufacturing methods have changed since 1584. Only the highest qualities of fibers pass our rigorous testing before use in Hahnemuhle papers. The presenter will provide many tactile examples of different felts and paper textures. All attendees receive free knowledge and paper samples!
Category(s):Paper, Canvas, and Other Substrates
Level: Beginner
Items attendees should bring: none mentioned
Estimated time: 1.5 hours
Joe Domeier Started oil painting and drawing in high school and continued his creative endeavors in 1985, at Minneapolis Community College where he earned his associate degree in Commercial Art, Design, and Advertising. 1985 is also the year he started working part-time at a local MN art supply store where his curiosity for product knowledge and techniques led him into a 37-year long carrier in the art materials industry. He has worked on all sides of the Art Materials Industry, Artist, Store Owner, and Manufacturing. My goal is to not only sell paper but to follow up the sale with product education. Joe grew up in New Ulm, MN, and is very proud of his German roots. Working for a family-owned German company is the perfect fit! Joe lives in Burnsville with his wife Carol. BACK TO TOP

FRIDAY, March 31 - Workshop
12 noon to 1:30 pm
Cost: $0 - Compliments of the Presenter
Encaustic 101
R&F Handmade Paints

Painting With Wax - Demonstrations are designed to give participants a brief introduction to R&F materials. During this demo Dietlind will discuss safe working temperatures; appropriate fusing tools; basic studio ventilation and tips for workspace setup; appropriate encaustic grounds; how to prepare a surface using encaustic gesso and the benefits of Ampersand Encausticbord; suggestions for equipment; methods and helpful hints for working with encaustic; fusing and surface effects; additional techniques (i.e. collage, stenciling, inlay, accretion, image transfer, and monotype); and clean-up of materials, including brushes and palette.
Category(s): Paints, Colors, and Mediums
Level: Beginner
Items attendees should bring: none required
Estimated time: 1.5 hours
Dietlind Vander Schaaf- Dietlind Vander Schaaf holds an MFA from the University of San Francisco and an MA from the University of Southern Maine. Her work has been described as the transformation of disparate objects into elegantly simple compositions of pattern and grace (Artscope). Vander Schaaf has exhibited at the Cape Cod Museum of Art, Conrad Wilde Gallery, The Fuller Craft Museum, and On Center Gallery, among others, and been featured in Maine Home + Design, Decor Maine, UPPERCASE, and Downeast magazines. In addition to serving as R&F's Director of Demos, Donations & Special Projects, Vander Schaaf is a Core Instructor for R&F Handmade Paints, an Ampersand Ambassador, and the former president of New England Wax. An annual presenter at the International Encaustic Conference, she has taught workshops throughout the country, including Haystack, Arrowmont, Castle Hill, Snow Farm, Penland, Maine College of Art, R&F, and internationally at Zijdelings in The Netherlands. The recipient of grants from the Maine Arts Commission and International Encaustic Artists, as well as a Tending Space Artist Fellowship from the Hemera Foundation, she is represented by Portland Art Gallery. BACK TO TOP

FRIDAY, March 31 - Business Seminar

12:30 pm to 1:45 pm
Price: $30/person
Technology and Creative Products
Boldly Go Where no Creative Products Marketer has Gone Before!
Pyle Creative Studio

What is driving innovation in creative products? What materials and methods are creators experimenting with? How can we market new products to inspire curiosity and creation? How can retailers capitalize on these new modes of creating? Furthering the conversation that was started in Namta Connect, this lively panel discussion brings these issues to the Creativation Show! We’ll dive into the intersection of technology and creative products, exploring how products like 3D printing, laser cutters, and circuitry enhance existing crafts and how we can incorporate them into our product line ups. You’ll leave with confidence on how these products can drive growth and opportunity for your business. Come with us and boldly go where no creative products person has gone before!

David Pyle has been developing and managing successful marketing campaigns in the art and creative products community for over 35 years. He’s served as a leader in retail and branded consumer products. He also spent 15 years in media as an executive leader and Group Publisher for the largest media brands in the fine art-making and crafting categories. In 2020, he launched a new marketing services group called Pyle Creative Studio. David is also an accomplished artist and image maker - and he teaches at Colorado State University in the Arts Management program.

Taylor Palacio is Head of Sales for Ellison, the parent company of the Sizzix brand. Since joining Ellison, she has been a pivotal part of the creative industry in both sales leadership and creative collaboration. Since 1977, Ellison, and its brands, have paved the way in die-cutting innovation for the consumer market, delivering imaginative solutions for every creative lifestyle. Over the last 40 years the company has grown significantly, from two ambitious individuals pioneering die-cutting for the classroom, to a global market leader in die-cutting for the arts and crafts enthusiast through our Sizzix brand. Together with the talented team at Ellison, Taylor continues to build strong relationships and collaborations with industry partners and through her passion and devotion for the all things creative, inspires and influences the ever-growing making community.

FRIDAY, March 31 - Business Seminar
2 pm to 3 pm
Price: $30/person
Cracking the Code to What Customers Crave
KIZER & BENDER SPEAKING

We live in a world where great customer service is expected, but sometimes great isn't good enough. It's easy to assume you are doing a wonderful job service-wise, but consumers may beg to differ. Overall, they complain service isn't what it used to be, and they are distracted by too many options to buy the product and services that you sell. Ask yourself these questions: Has your customer service kept up with the times? Are your customer-winning strategies still connecting with your customers and community? During this presentation you will learn what successful retailers do to provide consistently great service; how to rate the customer service experience in your store; how to tap into the services customers crave; how to connect with customers in-between visits, and more. You'll leave this presentation with the tools to evaluate your current state of service and the knowledge of what to do next!
Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender are speakers, authors, and consultants who have helped thousands of businesses in the retail, creative, restaurant, healthcare, deathcare, hospitality, pet, collegiate, travel, beauty, auto, sales and service industries grow their sales since 1990. KIZER & BENDER are listed among the Top 40 Omnichannel Retail Influencers, Top 100 Retail Influencers, and the Top Retail Industry Experts to Follow on Social Media. They made Meetings & Conventions Magazine's list of Meeting Planners Favorite Keynote Speakers, were named two of Retailing's Most Influential People, and their award-winning Retail Adventures Blog consistently ranks high on the list of Top Retail & Marketing Blogs. As global retail thought leaders, KIZER & BENDER serve as BrainTrust panelists for RetailWire, retailing's premier daily online discussion forum. Rich and Georganne are experts on generational diversity, consumer trends, marketing and promotion, and everything retail. As consumer anthropologists they stalk and study that most elusive of mammals - today's consumer. In addition to focus groups, one-on-one interview, and intensive on-site studies their research includes posing as every kind of customer you can imagine. The result of their research is literally straight from the mouth of the consumer: solid ground level intelligence you can use to better serve your own customers. BACK TO TOP

FRIDAY, March 31 - Workshop
2:30 to 5 pm
Cost: $0 - Compliments of the Presenter
Everyday Cardmaking
Sizzix

Are you ready for a splash of fun? Join Sizzix Creative Designer Alexis Trimble for a fun-filled 2 1/2 hour making extravaganza featuring three projects with the latest Sizzix releases! We will showcase beginner mixed media techniques for the every day maker using a selection of Tim Holtz, Eileen Hull and Chapter 2 dies, alongside our innovative tools and making essentials. Our workshop makes center around the everyday celebration of friendship and uplifting messages. Utilizing new wildflower florals, timeless icons and acrylic paint to capture the small moments worth celebrating.

Category(s): Paints, Colors, and Mediums, Mixed Media, Papercrafting, Other, Paper, Canvas, and Other Substrates, Brushes and Application Tools Cardmaking
Level: Beginner
Items attendees should bring: Smock/Apron
Estimated time: 2.5 hours
Alexis Trimble was born and raised in Southern California and began papercrafting at 12 years old. She spent most of her college years working at a local, independent scrapbook store. After earning her B.A. in Sociology at UCSD, she worked in casting for the television industry. But the art world called, and she returned to her first love of papercrafting. As a member of the Sizzix Design Team, Alexis enjoys being able to support the creative community through tutorial videos and intricate makes. Her inspirations for designs and project are often drawn from her time spent in nature and traveling. She enjoys reading, writing, learning how to paint, and exploring the world. BACK TO TOP

FRIDAY, March 31- Business Seminar
3 to 4:15pm
The Events and Education Landscape: Driving Growth Panel
Price: $30/person
Pyle Creative Studio

How has the pandemic affected the events landscape? How has social media changed the way makers engage with products, brands, and creating? How have traditional media (books, magazines etc.) methods adapted to continue to drive growth for creative products businesses? We’ll take a hard look at how media and events have evolved due to social media growth and online learning. You’ll learn where in-person events fit in our market and how hands-on, high touch experiences with art and crafting products are needed more than ever. This panel of leaders across the media and events landscape will boost your knowledge on how best to take advantage of media and events to grow your business and product opportunities.
David Pyle has been developing and managing successful marketing campaigns in the art and creative products community for over 35 years. He’s served as a leader in retail and branded consumer products. He also spent 15 years in media as an executive leader and Group Publisher for the largest media brands in the fine art-making and crafting categories. In 2020, he launched a new marketing services group called Pyle Creative Studio. David is also an accomplished artist and image maker - and he teaches at Colorado State University in the Arts Management program.

Carrie Kilmer, CEO SoHo Publishing: Carrie is the Chief Executive Officer of SOHO Publishing Company, West Broadway Distribution Services, LLC, and Mixed Media Resources, LLC. She joined the company in 1997. Carrie has been involved in the creation and management of West Broadway Distribution Services, LLC (WBDS) since the company’s inception. WBDS is a Vendor Managed Inventory, pay-on-scan, book distributor merchandising the book assortments in over 2,000 stores, and representing 100+ publishers. In 2012 Carrie was appointed the Publisher for Sixth & Spring Books, an Imprint of SOHO Publishing. Sixth and Spring Books is a leading publisher of DIY craft books with a strong emphasis in the category areas of art instruction, knitting, and crochet. In 2012 Carrie helped to form Mixed Media Resources, LLC (MMR). MMR publishes mainly art instruction and adult coloring books and represents the leading how-to-draw author Christopher Hart. In 2018 Carrie became the CEO of the company. She oversees book publishing, book distribution, magazine publishing, and the consumer event and retreat businesses. She graduated from Rutgers University with a BA in Psychology. BACK TO TOP

FRIDAY, March 31 - Workshop
3:30 to 5 pm
Cost: $0 - Compliments of the Presenter
Introduction to R&F Pigment Sticks
R&F Handmade Paints

A Pigment Stick demonstration offers a relaxed environment where participants can see and experience Pigment Sticks. Topics covered include: how R&F Pigment Sticks allow artists to explore traditional and alternative methods of painting with oil by allowing them draw or paint directly onto a surface with immediacy and fluidity; what Pigment Sticks are (pigment and linseed oil); health and safety when working with Pigment Sticks (including proper disposal of oil soaked rags and paper towels); appropriate supports and tools; transparent vs. opaque Pigment Sticks; building a surface, monoprinting, image transfer, and mark making; and additional techniques (the use of cold wax, Gelli plates, etc.).
Category(s): Paints, Colors, and Mediums
Level: Beginner
Items attendees should bring: none mentioned
Estimated time: 1.5 hours
Dietlind Vander Schaaf holds an MFA from the University of San Francisco and an MA from the University of Southern Maine. Her work has been described as the transformation of disparate objects into elegantly simple compositions of pattern and grace (Artscope). Vander Schaaf has exhibited at the Cape Cod Museum of Art, Conrad Wilde Gallery, The Fuller Craft Museum, and On Center Gallery, among others, and been featured in Maine Home + Design, Decor Maine, UPPERCASE, and Downeast magazines. In addition to serving as R&F's Director of Demos, Donations, and Special Projects, Vander Schaaf is a Core Instructor for R&F Handmade Paints, an Ampersand Ambassador, and the former president of New England Wax. An annual presenter at the International Encaustic Conference, she has taught workshops throughout the country, including Haystack, Arrowmont, Castle Hill, Snow Farm, Penland, Maine College of Art, R&F, and internationally at Zijdelings in The Netherlands. The recipient of grants from the Maine Arts Commission and International Encaustic Artists, as well as a Tending Space Artist Fellowship from the Hemera Foundation, she is represented by Portland Art Gallery. BACK TO TOP

FRIDAY, March 31 - Business Seminar
4:30 pm to 5:30 pm
Price: $30 /person
What Should Your Store Look Like?
Pro-Active Planning to Make Your Sales Floor More Profitable
KIZER & BENDER SPEAKING

Merchandising your sales floor involves more than placing fixtures in an attractive configuration, it involves careful consideration to which areas of the store sell best, customer flow, which fixtures to use, techniques used to display the merchandise, and more. Join professional store planners Georganne Bender and Rich Kizer as they take you take you through every aspect of store design. You'll learn how to build a positive first impression every time, how to determine which type of layout is right for your unique sales floor; how to identify the parts of your sales floor that sell best, where to merchandise clearance items, and more!
Bonus! Each attendee will receive a free copy of KIZER & BENDER's illustrated ebook, Visual Merchandising & Store Design, a $19.95 value. Attendees are also invited to request a complimentary, no obligation Zoom consultation to discuss their store's personal needs.
Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender are speakers, authors, and consultants who have helped thousands of businesses in the retail, creative, restaurant, healthcare, deathcare, hospitality, pet, collegiate, travel, beauty, tech, auto, sales and service industries grow their sales since 1990. KIZER & BENDER are listed among the Top 40 Omnichannel Retail Influencers, Top 100 Retail Influencers, and the Top Retail Industry Experts to Follow on Social Media. They made Meetings & Conventions Magazine's list of Meeting Planners Favorite Keynote Speakers, were named two of Retailing's Most Influential People, and their award-winning Retail Adventures Blog consistently ranks high on the list of Top Retail & Marketing Blogs. As global retail thought leaders, KIZER & BENDER serve as BrainTrust panelists for RetailWire, retailing's premier daily online discussion forum. Rich and Georganne are experts on generational diversity, consumer trends, marketing and promotion, and everything retail. As consumer anthropologists they stalk and study that most elusive of mammals - today's consumer. In addition to focus groups, one-on-one interview, and intensive on-site studies their research includes posing as every kind of customer you can imagine. The result of their research is literally straight from the mouth of the consumer: solid ground level intelligence you can use to better serve your own customers. BACK TO TOP

SATURDAY, April 1 - Business Seminar
8:30 to 10 am
Price: $30/person
Elevate Your Business with Short Form Video
Erin Reed Makes

Video marketing is expanding and reaching more consumers than ever before across the most popular social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, and TikTok. This effect is occurring as a result of the explosion of short-form videos, and if you're not already using these in your content strategy, it's time to start. By providing short bursts of entertainment, information, or educational content, you deliver a new way for consumers to engage with the world and with your particular brand. If you need another reason to use them, consider that short-form videos already have the highest ROI of any other social media strategy. As attention spans continue to shorten, capturing the attention of consumers is becoming more challenging. That is where short-form content can help.

Erin Reed has been working in the crafting industry for the last 10 years creating content for blogs, companies, magazines, and videos. She has been focused on video content for the last 6 years, specifically short-form video for the last 2 years creating content for her multiple social media channels as well as for the numerous brands she collaborates with. BACK TO TOP

SATURDAY, April 1 - Workshop
8:30 to 10:30 am
Cost: $25/person
Craft with Light
Chibitronics

Paper crafts, mixed media, and STEAM education GLOW with Chibitronics - Chibitronics is a fun and easy way to add light and interactivity to paper crafts. Perfect for card makers, scrapbookers, artists, and STEAM educators, Chibitronics is an electrifying product that will delight your customers. Join the CEO of Chibitronics for an illuminating hands-on workshop that introduces the basics of crafting with light and how to bring this innovative way of making to customers. Participants will create projects that glow, twinkle and come to life! No prior experience with electronics necessary.
Category(s): Mixed Media, Home Decor, Papercrafting, Party/Special Occasion, Scrapbooking, Other, Paper, Canvas, and Other Substrates
Level: Beginner
Items attendees should bring: Scissors (optional)
Estimated time: 2 hours
Jie Qi is founder and CEO of Chibitronics, which produces high-tech art supplies and STEAM learning toolkits. Her mission is to combine art with engineering to empower creators of all backgrounds to make expressive and personally meaningful technologies. Jie received her Ph.D. in media arts and sciences from the MIT Media Lab, where she researched innovative ways to blend electronics and computation with traditional art media. She has given invited talks and workshops across diverse venues including Rhode Island School of Design, LEGO, Google, Microsoft, and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Exploratorium Museum, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Ars Electronica and is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.

My name is Jill Dawson. I am an educator, artist, and maker, working as an instructional designer for Chibitronics. A lifelong learner passionate about increasing creativity through high- and low-tech literacies, I hold a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in curriculum design, an M.Ed. in Integrating Arts and Education, and an MA in Teaching with Technology. While I am no longer a classroom teacher, I still enjoy teaching a variety of camps and workshops, most of which involve paper circuitry, e-textiles, and bookbinding.

SATURDAY, April 1 - Business Seminar
9 to 10 am
Price: $30/person
Visual Merchandising Not So 101
How to Set Displays that Sell
KIZER & BENDER SPEAKING

There is an art to setting displays that attract customers, but there is also a science. When the art and science combine your displays will encourage shoppers to stay longer and buy more while they are there. Increasing your shelf esteem is easy when you know how! Join Georganne Bender and Rich Kizer and learn how to tell product stories, how to use props to set the stage to sell, how to properly merchandise the front, center, and back sections of your sales floor, how to utilize Strike Zone Merchandising, how to locate and work your Power Walls, and where to place Merchandise Outposts. The science of shopping continues with how to properly sign your displays; where and how to utilize Cross-Merchandising, Vertical Merchandising, Visual Curve Merchandising, Color Blocking, Color Ribboning, Multi-level Merchandising, Negative Space, the Power of 3, which fixturing to use and more. You'll be blown away by the visuals and eager to put what you learned to work on your own sales floor!
Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender are speakers, authors, and consultants who have helped thousands of businesses in the retail, creative, restaurant, healthcare, deathcare, hospitality, pet, collegiate, travel, beauty, tech, auto, sales and service industries grow their sales since 1990. KIZER & BENDER are listed among the Top 40 Omnichannel Retail Influencers, Top 100 Retail Influencers, and the Top Retail Industry Experts to Follow on Social Media. They made Meetings & Conventions Magazine's list of Meeting Planners Favorite Keynote Speakers, were named two of Retailing's Most Influential People, and their award-winning Retail Adventures Blog consistently ranks high on the list of Top Retail & Marketing Blogs. As global retail thought leaders, KIZER & BENDER serve as BrainTrust panelists for RetailWire, retailing's premier daily online discussion forum. Rich and Georganne are experts on generational diversity, consumer trends, marketing and promotion, and everything retail. As consumer anthropologists they stalk and study that most elusive of mammals - today's consumer. In addition to focus groups, one-on-one interview, and intensive on-site studies their research includes posing as every kind of customer you can imagine. The result of their research is literally straight from the mouth of the consumer: solid ground level intelligence you can use to better serve your own customers. BACK TO TOP

SATURDAY, April 1 - Workshop
9 to 11 am
Cost: $30/person
Tim Holtz Alcohol Inks in Bloom
Ranger Industries

Create beautiful blooms and abstract art using Tim Holtz® Alcohol Ink and Ink Blower. You'll learn techniques to achieve soft, flowing, dimensional florals, as well as beautiful abstract art with shimmery highlights. We will work on different substrates so you can see how beautifully the inks perform on each and how these surfaces can work together.
Category(s): Paints, Colors, and Mediums, Mixed Media, Paper, Canvas, and Other Substrates, Brushes and Application Tools
Level: Beginner
Items attendees should bring: none mentioned
Estimated time: 2 hours
Kimberly Deene Langlois is a self-taught mixed media artist residing in Raleigh, North Carolina. In 2017, she left a 30-year career in the insurance industry and now works full-time in her backyard art shed painting and teaching workshops, both online and in person. Kimberly has experience in a variety of mediums; however, her true love is for the contemporary use of alcohol ink. Her series of impressionist blooms showcases the vibrancy and organic flow of this medium. The centers of her flowers carefully capture the light and have a three-dimensional aspect which is a common thread in her work. When she is not painting or teaching, Kimberly enjoys live music events with her husband and friends, spending time with family, and running behind her toddler grandson. She feels her life journey has now landed her in a place doing exactly what she was always meant to do. BACK TO TOP

SATURDAY, April 1 - Business Seminar
10 to 11:15 pm
Price: $30/person
Wellness and Creative Products Panel
Pyle Creative Studio and Guests

How do our marketing and product design tactics change if we focus on the health benefits of making? How do we sustain growth and interest in creative products after the pandemic boom? How can we communicate the necessity of our products for our wellbeing and make them stand out in the vast wellness industry? One of the most attended NAMTA Connect sessions is coming live to Creativation! We’ll dig deeper into the concept of wellness and how the creative products industry fits into this growing movement. You’ll walk away with tangible impacts of crafting to wellness and how we can make a substantial difference in the quality of life of our consumers. Don’t miss this inspiring conversation!
David Pyle has been developing and managing successful marketing campaigns in the art and creative products community for over 35 years. He’s served as a leader in retail and branded consumer products. He also spent 15 years in media as an executive leader and Group Publisher for the largest media brands in the fine art-making and crafting categories. In 2020, he launched a new marketing services group called Pyle Creative Studio. David is also an accomplished artist and image maker - and he teaches at Colorado State University in the Arts Management program. BACK TO TOP

Saturday, April 1- Business Seminar
10 to 11:30 am
Price: $0 - Member Benefit
Digital Marketing Toolkit for Art and Craft Retailers in 2023
CRAFTalytics

In the first part of this session, attendees will learn about digital marketing options and tools available for art and craft retailers, and the trends for 2023. Topics will include:- Retailer website platforms- Single and multilocation retailers- Online reviews- Content Marketing- Search Engine Optimization- Google Business Profile- Competitor analysis- Social media- Influencers- Affiliate programs- Email Marketing- Paid advertising- Online Marketplaces.
In the second part of this session, the presenter will walk attendees through the CRAFTalytics Business App. This online app brings together many of the digital marketing tools under one user-friendly platform, and is available as a NAMTA member benefit for a 3-month free trial and preferred pricing on paid plans. Attendees will be invited to sign up for the free trial during or after the session. After the session, attendees will have the information required to assess their current digital marketing strategies, to decide on next steps, and to start using some of the tools for their businesses. Attendees will also be offered a free consultation with the presenter after the show to assist with this process.
John De Fusco has a Bachelor's Degree in Engineering and an MBA, and held positions of increasing responsibility over a 20-year career in Information Technology in the Financial and Telecommunications industries. In 2005 John made a transformational pivot and joined his wife Carla Canonico in launching a quarterly consumer craft magazine, which they've grown to a readership of over 20,000, and continue to publish in both print and digital formats. In 2014 John and Carla launched CRAFTEDcontent, providing online content marketing services to craft brands building on relationships established through the magazine. In 2016, John and Carla launched CRAFTalytics, an agency offering a range of leading-edge digital marketing services focused solely on the art and crafts verticals, targeting brands, suppliers, retailers, and networks of independent dealers. In 2021 CRAFTalytics partnered with Namta to offer free trials and discounts to members. BACK TO TOP

SATURDAY, April 1 - Workshop
11 am to 1 pm
Cost: $40/person
Letterpress Made Better with Spellbinders
Spellbinders Paper Arts

Join the Spellbinders team as they debut a new crafting system: Betterpress Letterpress. Be among the first to create with this easy-to-use system that produces professional stationery with detailed impressions that you can feel. You will walk away with your own letterpress system to demo in your store, plus numerous samples to prepare you for launch. Total value of product is over $130. Don't miss out on the opportunity to create with this brand new system!

Category(s): Papercrafting
Level: Beginner
Items attendees should bring: none mentioned
Estimated time: 2 hours
Kim Kesti has been a diehard paper crafter for almost twenty years. From scrapbooking to mixed media, playing with paper and glue is her passion. Cardmaking has become Kim's go-to and she finds it so rewarding to create, and share those creations, on the simple canvas of a card. Kim's teaching style is easy to follow, she really makes the student comfortable resulting in a class that is fun and relaxing. She promises to share all her special tips and tricks that make creating a card approachable from start to finish. Kim is currently the Director of Marketing & Education at Spellbinders Paper Arts, where she has worked for the past 8 years. BACK TO TOP

SATURDAY, April 1 - Business Seminar
11:30 am to 12:30 pm
Cost: $30/person
Ethical Use of AI & Emerging Technologies in the Creative Industries
Design Bundles Limited

The Use of Artificial Intelligence challenges and excites the Creativity Industries. The opportunities to utilize Artificial Intelligence and emerging technologies to enhance product development, artwork creation, and customer service exist to create efficiencies and cost effective options, if utilized in an ethical and legal manner.
The Presenter, Attorney Tammy Browning-Smith, works extensively in the creative and digital worlds and will discuss with attendees:
      1)   A Brief Overview of the Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies available to the Creative Industries
      2)   Ethical and Legally Considerations in utilizing Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies for the Creative Industries
      3)   Exciting New Applications of the Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies for the Creative Industries.
This will be a fast paced seminar for attendees of all levels. The Presenter will provide resources and opportunities for attendees to ask questions.

Attorney Tammy L. Browning-Smith, JD, LL.M has dedicated her legal practice to those who create and innovate for over 20 years.
Tammy currently serves as General Counsel for Design Bundles Limited, a dynamic digital asset marketplace. For 17 years Tammy owned her own law practice working extensively with clients of all sizes helping to secure and commercialize their valuable intellectual property assets (copyrights, trademarks, and trade dress) along with advising on issues relating to data protection and privacy and emerging technologies. Tammy focuses her practice on the entire intellectual property process from concept to consumer.

Tammy holds a Juris Doctor and Master of Laws – Intellectual Property from Western Michigan University – Cooley Law School. She currently serves as the Chairperson for the American Bar Association – US Copyright Office Committee. Tammy provides policy advise to governmental agencies regarding copyrights and emerging technology use. A Native of Michigan, Tammy lives with her husband Dale Smith in Delaware along with their Chinese Shar Pei, Bob. BACK TO TOP

SATURDAY, April 1 - Lunch and Learn
12:00pm to 1:00pm
Price: Free, No registration required (lunch not provided, grab your own lunch and join us for the session)
Lunch and Learn: Make Your Own Products With Lasers
Hope Yoder

Hope is passionate about helping fellow entrepreneurs learn the ins and outs of turning their CRAFT INTO CA$H! Because we run a full-time laser business and have conducted 100’s of hands-on consumer events, we understand what customers are looking for.
You can create new products your customers will LOVE. The best thing is you don’t have to make thousands of products to make a profit. You can make your own rulers, craft kits, applique kits, and more using lasers, making one product at a time.

Hope Yoder - Hi, I’m Hope, the entrepreneur behind Designs By Hope Yoder. I started my journey in the embroidery and fabric industry by creating products, courses, designs, and fabric for the home market. I have had the privilege of inspiring many along the way with our magazine articles, workshop, and our corporate projects. We hosts hands-on laser entrepreneur workshops, offer online courses and paid communities for budding entrepreneurs. Most days, you can find me dancing to Cupid Shuffle, in front of my computer designing, or behind my machine creating handmade happiness. BACK TO TOP

SATURDAY, April 1 - Business Seminar
12:30 to 1:30 pm
Price: $30/person
10 Power Ideas to Keep Your Customers Close!
KIZER & BENDER SPEAKING

There is a celebrated saying in the retail industry: 'If you don't make dust, you eat dust.' To be competitive today your job is to be the dust maker, willing to do things that surprise and delight your customers. You also need a list of things that surprise and delight shoppers on a consistent basis. Customer service is an election that's held every day and customers vote with their dollars. So, here's the question: What is it about your store that would entice a customer to drive by a competitor's store to get to yours? What makes YOUR STORE special, different, and memorable? This presentation focuses on 10 things you can do RIGHT NOW to keep your customers close. You'll learn: How to create a unique guest culture; Why only the customer's definition counts, plus how to find it; Easy ways to exceed shopper expectations; Stealth marketing tricks that fly under the competitions radar, and more. You'll leave this presentation armed with the strategies, tactics, tips, and techniques to help you keep your customers closer than ever before!
Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender are speakers, authors, and consultants who have helped thousands of businesses in the retail, creative, restaurant, healthcare, deathcare, hospitality, pet, collegiate, travel, beauty, tech, auto, sales and service industries grow their sales since 1990. KIZER & BENDER are listed among the Top 40 Omnichannel Retail Influencers, Top 100 Retail Influencers, and the Top Retail Industry Experts to Follow on Social Media. They made Meetings & Conventions Magazine's list of Meeting Planners Favorite Keynote Speakers, were named two of Retailing's Most Influential People, and their award-winning Retail Adventures Blog consistently ranks high on the list of Top Retail & Marketing Blogs. As global retail thought leaders, KIZER & BENDER serve as BrainTrust panelists for RetailWire, retailing's premier daily online discussion forum. Rich and Georganne are experts on generational diversity, consumer trends, marketing and promotion, and everything retail. As consumer anthropologists they stalk and study that most elusive of mammals - today's consumer. In addition to focus groups, one-on-one interview, and intensive on-site studies their research includes posing as every kind of customer you can imagine. The result of their research is literally straight from the mouth of the consumer: solid ground level intelligence you can use to better serve your own customers. BACK TO TOP

SATURDAY, April 1 - Workshop
1 to 3 pm
Cost: $30/person
Ditch the Brayer
Ranger Industries

Join me for some unique gel plate printmaking techniques and methods that don't use a brayer. We'll play with several techniques that are full of expression, texture, and serendipity. We'll use our paintbrushes, fingers, and stencils to create interesting effects on both tags, cardstock, and collage paper. Once we have some prints made, we'll create mixed media tags and add stamped images, collage paper, and transparency images. Think outside the brayer!
Category(s): Paints, Colors, and Mediums, Mixed Media, Paper, Canvas, and Other Substrates, Brushes and Application Tools
Level: Beginner
Items attendees should bring: none mentioned
Estimated time: 2 hours
Dina Wakley - Dina’s colorful, expressive style is anchored by her design hallmark, the creative use of white space. Her personal, organic design aesthetic strikes a balance between “artsy” and “classic”.
Dina is a mixed-media artist and teacher. She loves everything about art: creating it, thinking about it, looking at it, and teaching it. She has been scrapbooking since 1995, stamping since 1996, and art journaling since 2004. She believes in writing yourself down, expressing yourself, and making your mark on the world. As a Ranger Signature Designer, Dina designs a line of mixed-media art supplies that includes acrylic paints, mediums, brushes, rubber stamps, stencils, and more. BACK TO TOP

SATURDAY, April 1 - Business Seminar
1:30 to 3 pm
Price: $30/person
Working with Designers
Ann Butler Designs

There are several ways to work with designers to get your products seen. Join us as we discuss how to work with designers in ways that will benefit both the manufacturer (store owners) and the designer/content creator.

Ann Butler is a licensed artist, social media influencer, instructor and consultant for the creative industries. Her designs appear in multi-authored books, magazines, booklets, manufacturer trade show booths and websites. She has been teaching workshops and conducting seminars locally and internationally for the past 20+ years. She regularly is a guest artist on TV and on-line. She is the CEO, founder, and editor of Bella Crafts Publishing which produces Bella Crafts, a free downloadable digital craft magazine as well as craft eBooks that are available in both digital and print on demand formats. Additionally, Ann has a patented line of rubber stamps and licensed products with several manufacturers in the creative industries. BACK TO TOP

SATURDAY, April 1 - Business Seminar

2 to 3 pm
Price: $0 - Member Benefit
How to Get Started with Live Selling
Rain Retail Software

You'll learn what live selling is and how to get started to set yourself up for success and strengthen your relationship with customers. We will also take a look at technology solutions like CommentSold to help you streamline your live selling. You will learn the best practices for using live selling integrations to maximize sales.
Spencer Wright is an experienced operational expert specializing in small business and social marketing. Spencer has a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Brigham Young University. He has a strong background in point-of-sale training and sales analytics. Spencer is an avid fan of the Utah Jazz and the Pittsburgh Steelers. BACK TO TOP

SATURDAY, April 1 - Workshop
3 to 5 pm
Cost: $35/person
Fabric Flowers Necklace
Dress My Craft

Flowers attract all, and we are no exception. So come and learn a beautiful handmade necklace with beautiful handmade flowers. Once you learn these flowers, you can create many more for any jewelry, layouts, scrapbooking, cards, etc. In this class, you will hand on flower making and creating jewelry so it's TWO IN ONE class for you! The class will consist of understanding the flower-making techniques by colouring them in the right way and along with sticking them to form a natural-looking flower. After this class you will have a great understanding of colouring, cutting, assembling, etc. So see you in the class !!
Category(s): Jewelry Making, Home Decor, Papercrafting, Party/Special Occasion, Scrapbooking, Paper, Canvas, and Other Substrates
Level: Beginner
Items attendees should bring: none mentioned
Estimated time: 2 hours
Darshana Savla is of the finest paper craft designer for about 12 years. She has a great experience and expertise in paper quilling, mix media, flower making, etc. She has conducted tons of workshops and videos for crafters worldwide and profoundly understands what a client likes. Darshana has excellent expertise in flower making as she has done paper, fabric, satin, silk, and many more for over a decade now. BACK TO TOP

SATURDAY, April 1 - Workshop
3 to 4:30 pm
Cost: $45/person
Larger Than Life Stamps and Stencils
Altenew

Get crafty with the co-founders of Altenew, Tasnim and Jen, with their yet-to-be-released 8" x 11" stamp set with coordinating layering stencils! Create elegant and luxurious cards and learn creative tips and techniques that you can apply to future projects. All levels are welcome!
Category(s): Papercrafting, Brushes and Application Tools
Level: Intermediate and higher

Items attendees should bring:
Watercolor Friendly Black InkColor Inks - Greens/Pinks/Reds/Yellow color families
Ink Blending brushes
Watercolors (Pan set or custom palettes they are using)
Watercolor brushes

Estimated time: 1.5 hours
Jen Rzasa - Jennifer, a co-founder and current VP of Product Development, is a key figure in the company's history. Though she has always had an appreciation for the arts, it wasn't until she started her blog, Our Change of Art, in 2010 that paper crafting truly became a hobby for her. Since then, she has hosted the Runway Inspired Challenge, worked on the design teams for several companies, and been featured in many magazines about paper crafting. Jennifer isn't just good at paper crafts; she also paints fashion illustrations. As an illustrator and designer for Altenew, she is overjoyed at the opportunity. BACK TO TOP

Tasnim Ahmed - Altenew was founded by Tasnim, who also serves as its current President. She has always enjoyed making things, but it wasn't until 2011 that she discovered stamping, and the following year that she began her blog, Cards & Bookmarks. Soon after, she began doing research and planning for Altenew with the goal of introducing designs/greetings appropriate for cultures underrepresented in the mainstream crafting space. She is determined to introduce fresh looks inspired by people and cultures from all over the world.

SATURDAY, April 1 - Business Seminar

3 to 4:30 pm
Price: $30/person
Increase Sales and Build Loyalty Through Enhanced Staff Training
Royal Talens North America

Sign up early! The first 25 guests who register will receive a SWAG bag valued at over $30.

In keeping up with the day-to-day challenges of running a business, it can be difficult to provide staff with product training. Come learn about new ways you can empower your team's learning that will lead directly to increased sales and customer loyalty. We'll show you how easy it is easy to do, using an online education platform that features technology customized for the creative learner. It's a system that makes the learning process rewarding by combining competitive goals with fun incentives. These are proven tools that will enhance staff product knowledge in a very short amount of time. When store associates feel empowered through knowledge, morale and confidence increases. It also leads to overall customer satisfaction. Join us to learn more and take your staff training to the next level.

Jeff Olson, Art Education Director for Royal Talens North America, is an exhibiting artist with a Masters in Fine Arts. He taught Studio Art and Art History at the college/university level for ten years and has worked in the art materials industry for over twenty years. His expertise includes art/craft retail operations, as well as the history and working properties of a vast array of art materials.

SATURDAY, April 1- Business Seminar
3:30 to 5 pm
Price: $30/person
Can The Art Materials Industry Create New Long-Term Customers by Engaging Academia More Effectively?
American Design EaselWorks

These are facts that the Art Materials Industry faces:

Covid chased many brick-and-mortar art materials customers to the internet for their purchases and material needs.
Many internet sales are price or discount driven, which means to the Art Materials Industry that many of the more expensive, higher quality products are being replaced by lesser priced, lower quality commodity products.
That has resulted with fewer new discriminating fine arts materials customers in the marketplace (perhaps because new potential customers have relied on the internet for purchases).
The internet sales do not necessarily educate new art materials customers on product difference and raw material used in materials.
College and University Art/Art History Department enrollment remains steady or enjoys growth.
Changes in Academic art department curriculums has and will force changes in the Art Materials Industry.

With that in mind, this panel proposes to discuss/establish the importance of educating the educators so they might better inform their students of the long-term value of using our materials. The panel will brainstorm and offer ideas and strategies that might suggest how our industry can work more effectively with higher (college) education to better inform and educate students of the differences and virtues of using fine materials. The presentation will acknowledge the growth and importance of non-credit ateliers and workshops and include success stories that have been enjoyed between manufacturers, retailers, colleges and college students with the intent to borrow from those successes to create more long-term market for our industry.

John Rise has been - Founder/President, Best Artist Products (a.k.a Best Moulding Frames), design and manufacture of wooden/aluminum canvas stretcher bars and hardwood (oak) studio easels - sold Best Artist Products to Jack Richeson & Company where the Best Artists Products designs are an industry gold standard for excellence - Professor Foundation Studies, Savannah College of Art and Design - Creative Director and Shopsmith, American Design EaselWorks. John is a unique manufacturer in that he has been on every side of an easel, designing and building, teaching on easels in the college studio classroom, and more importantly in front of the easel. John observes how artists evolve in their attitude and approach to painting. He sees the easel as a means of engaging the painter - bringing the picture plane/canvas to the artist, making the easel user-friendly and easy to operate. John's objective has remained consistent - offer to the artist tools that will last and reward the owner for years to come and to make the painter more productive and professional in the painting process. After graduating from Arizona State University in 1976 he realized that the stretcher bars on the market did not have a tall enough lip to lift the canvas away from the inside of the frame. John would take the available heavy duty stretcher bars to his dad's shop, re-saw them and add a quarter round molding - to result with a bar that would lift the canvas up from the inside edge of the frame. Thus, the beginning of Best Artist Products and the heavy-duty wood canvas stretcher bar for professional painters. As the area art supply stores had these new stretcher bars on the shelves, and the painters began to use them, John was soon spending all his time making stretcher bars and very little time painting. As his business grew, he was able to hire a crew which allowed John to return to his painting studio. So, John went to Langell's Art Supply in Albuquerque, saw a metal studio easel on display and bought it. He was given a box with the easel parts including assembly instructions in a foreign language poorly translated into English. Once assembled the easel was not sturdy and made John less productive as a painter because he was constantly adjusting the easel. For that reason, John went to his shop and built his first wood easel. It was massive, over-built, heavy and of course, very strong. But that was the start. John Johnson, Johnson Artist Materials in Boston, placed John's first easel order. That was the mid-1980's. At that time easels were lightweight and arrived at the art supply store in K.D. (knocked down) form - each easel had to be assembled by the artist. As a manufacturer John did not want to rely on the skills of the consumer to assemble the product - it placed too much responsibility on the consumer and too much room for blame on the manufacturer. Best Artist Products intended to design easels that would ship 90% assembled. John and his crew designed several systems to stabilize the easel during the painting process. All joints were glued, nailed and screwed. In 1995 Shawn Richeson and his wife Kelly were visiting Best Artist Products and John suggested they purchase the company - they did. For the last 25+ years John has returned to school and earned a second MFA in painting and drawing, traveled to study architecture and paintings, built several painting studios, paints, and for the last 18 years and currently is a professor at the Savannah College of Art and Design. In 2014 John again joined the ranks of the art materials industry, and with his wife, Karen, began American Design EaselWorks. BACK TO TOP

Sunday, April 2 - Business Seminar
12 Noon on the Trade Show Floor
Price: Complimentary from Presenters
The Intersection of Fine Arts and Crafts
Panel Discussion

When Namta merged with AFCI it opened up a world of new product opportunities for all retail members.

Join us for a lively panel populated with members from different sections of the Association. We’ll discuss ideas and inspirations to update your merchandise mix, and attract new customers with new products and categories. Bring your questions and join the conversation!

Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender are speakers, authors, and consultants who have helped thousands of Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender are speakers, authors, and consultants who have helped thousands of businesses in the retail, creative, restaurant, healthcare, deathcare, hospitality, pet, collegiate, travel, beauty, tech, auto, sales and service industries grow their sales since 1990. KIZER & BENDER are listed among the Top 40 Omnichannel Retail Influencers, Top 100 Retail Influencers, and the Top Retail Industry Experts to Follow on Social Media. They made Meetings & Conventions Magazine's list of Meeting Planners Favorite Keynote Speakers, were named two of Retailing's Most Influential People, and their award-winning Retail Adventures Blog consistently ranks high on the list of Top Retail & Marketing Blogs. As global retail thought leaders, KIZER & BENDER serve as BrainTrust panelists for RetailWire, retailing's premier daily online discussion forum. Rich and Georganne are experts on generational diversity, consumer trends, marketing and promotion, and everything retail. As consumer anthropologists they stalk and study that most elusive of mammals - today's consumer. In addition to focus groups, one-on-one interview, and intensive on-site studies their research includes posing as every kind of customer you can imagine. The result of their research is literally straight from the mouth of the consumer: solid ground level intelligence you can use to better serve your own customers. BACK TO TOP

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