Last week, I got to attend my very first Midwest Craft Con. I knew very little about the event before I purchased my ticket, but knowing that this will be my last spring in the Midwest before our next move, and looking for ways to level up my business, I decided to just go for it. Now, I'd love to share my experience!
The Midwest Craft Con of 2023 took place in the Columbus Museum of Art in Columbus, OH, and was spread over 3 days. Each day, there was a choice of lecture you could take during the mornings and afternoons. There was also a ready room where different leaders would teach a craft that participants made and took home. I chose classes for each of my time slots, unfortunately I did not get to make an of the crafts. However, I learned a ton- so let's get into Day 1 of MCC (Midwest Craft Con)!
Day 1:
I started the day furiously trying to find parking at the museum. It was raining, I was flustered, and both the museum lot and over flow lot were full. Not to mention, a lot of the parking around the museum was for faculty and students of the nearby Columbus College of Art and Design. However, I did eventually find a public lot eventually before scampering to the museum. I was really nervous about being late my very first day! I should not have worried though, because the MCC staff gave everyone a little extended time to check in and get ready. After some announcements for the group of what to expect, we were released to make our choices for the day.
Now, because I wanted to be an A+ attendee of my first craft con, I had already made my schedule the night before of the classes I wanted to take. All fo the options were listed in the catalog provided by the MCC. I started my day with a class called "How to Make Love to Your Customers" by Olivera Bratich. Catchy title, right? Olivera shared with us the best ways to make sure we are developing lasting relationships with our customers, and to make sure they feel valued. She used examples from her own store, Wild Cat Party and Gift, to give us concrete ways we could foster relationships in our businesses. Very valuable stuff!
After lunch in the café, with some new friends, I went to my second class of the day. The class, "So You Want to Teach a Workshop" with Tabitha Harper of McHarper Manor, was my favorite class of the day - maybe even of the weekend. Tabitha was very straightforward about the skills you need to have in your craft before you teach, as well as ways to choose a venue for workshops. She even got down to the brass tacks of different ways to get paid, and things to look out for before agreeing to teach a workshop. I really enjoyed this class, because I felt empowered to approach workshop opportunities with practical knowledge and understanding.
In between this class and the last class of the day, I had time to explore the museum. There were beautiful paintings, quilts, carvings, and much more organized by theme in different rooms.
My last class of the day was "How to Scale Your Business" with La'Asia Johnson of Elle Jae Designs. She walked us through ways that she has grown her skincare boutique, government organizations that are designed to help small businesses, as well as how to manage staff. Her class was really helpful for people wanting to expand their business and hire employees. Since I'm planning to keep my business primarily just me, the beginning of her lecture was more applicable to me than the ending. Even so, her story and her class was great!
After the last class of the day, I toured a local yarn/sewing store, Sew to Speak. They were predominately a fabric store, but I did find some delightful minis that came home with me. After that, I grabbed a pizza and cheesecake slice from East Market, called my husband, then chilled at the hotel room for the evening. A great Day 1!
Be sure to check out the next blog post for Day 2!
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