so all my scrapbooking friends out there....are you finding that these scrapbook conventions are overkill? i normally go to one of our suppliers conventions in the spring (which i will be this year). they are having becky higgins and not sure who else. one of the other suppliers conventions is having lisa bearnson. i won't be going to that one. already met mrs. bearnson. so now, urban is doing their convention which you can register for at urban scrapbook but i am shocked at the price. it is $310! i know it was a lot last year but it was new last year and no one had gone to one. well this year they have the following people attending and teaching...
- stacy julian (simple scrapbooks & big picture scrapbooking) ...... highly recommend seeing her! she is probably the most amazing woman in scrapbooking! absolutely recommend getting the big picture book. it is available at love 2 scrap.
- melissa chapman (gel-a-tins)
- candi higley (cactus pink)
- carrie utley (chatterbox)
- imaginisce (don't know who yet)
we have cku, cku-a, cku-m, ckc, creative escapes (plan on going), camp croppin' and so many more.
we have been asked to put on large events and we have checked into it, contacted people we were interested in, figured out how many people we would need to make it a profitable event and really thought... what a risk. what if you don't re-coop your money? love the scrapbook celebrities but they don't come cheap! i contacted a few well known's and we would have to pay airfare, car rental or cabs, accommodations, meals and lso of course, the fee which you would pay for classes, they get most of it. the rest is class materials and a small profit. so it really is an expensive endeavour. some of the not as well knowns don't charge as much but you then think, will we get the turnout if they are not as well known? also playing into this is the fact that we have had so many large events in such a short time, that people have already seen some of the well knowns. for example...
- ali edwards (just at scrapfest)
- lisa bearnson (coming to retailers event - not sure about camp croppin')
- candi higley (been at urban and is coming back)
- heidi swapp (was at a retailer's event i was at - may be slowing down now?)
- stacy julian (coming to urban)
- donna downey (was at urban)
do you think it is overkill? how much is enough? is this a trend and just a fad?
what is your take on all these conventions?
are you just happy with local, less expensive retreats?
let me know!
5 comments:
hey renee...I enjoy conventions...my first experience with them was scrapfest...and it was an amzing experience! but i liked that i could choose my cost depending on the classes i took. but smaller less celebrity inclined conventions sound appealing to me too. they appeal to me in the sense that i enjoy just getting out and learning something new and meeting new people. i think if the classes offered at one these can teach and inspire new things than it's just as cool as a big celeb one. that, in my eyes, is the point of these conventions...learning new ideas, techniques, skills, concepts...and i think that any skilled person can achieve this wether a big celeb or not.
I won't be attending Urban either. I don't think it's worth it. First of all, I wouldn't want to attend classes by all of those people as I am not much of a class taker. I wouldn't mind listening to Stacey Julian but just seeing her isn't an option. I like to go to the social parts like the crops so that's why I prefer how ScrapFest is set up. I haven't been to any local retreat but have attended a CKU (Vancouver) and been to Memory Trends and CHA. I think I'm going to thoroughly enjoy the retreat next weekend and will likely contine to do things like that! It's much more affordable and you get a weekend away to relax and scrap - what more could you ask for?? I can take in a lot more "retreats" for the kind of money they are charging for the Urban Convention and it's just the registration/classes - if you stay at the hotel as well, there's a couple hundred more too! OUCH!
Hmmmmmmmmmm.....not sure what to think!
I love the idea of having local(big)events so there is no flight expenses to add on. I have attended Scrapfest twice, and Urban once(ya there's only been one). I found pro's & con's to both. If I do attend another large event I would do it only for the social/fun aspect, with that said, I guess a retreat would be a much wiser choice. I found the actual class content/instuction to be nothing more than you can get at a local scrapbook store. I realize there is the celeb side of things, meeting them, getting autographs, taking pictures with them(which I never did, darn)being entertained!! But as for what you come away with from the class......honestly, I've had better results from classes I have taken at local scrapbooking stores!!!!
I wonder how a large weekend crop with vendors(like at Scrapfest) would go over. Make N' Takes, demo's, maybe a speaker??????? Much to think about, I wish you luck! It is so hard to plan something that is unique to what is already being offered.......and not to mention(like you said)the huge risk factor. After all the whole idea would be to make some mulla, and the upfront costs would be HUGE I am sure!
For me, I like the retreats that involve somewhere to get away from the family for a weekend, scrap with a bunch of other like minded ladies, but not break my bank. Celebrities just aren't enough of a pull, I'm with the other gals here in regards to classes - they're nice, but anyone with a magazine and a stash can create a lot of those ideas, are they worth so much more of an admission? Though I do think it is nice for those who like them (or who have the cash to spare), just not for me. Give me a table with some proper lighting, an onsite vendor or two, and I'm happy :D
I have to say that I haven't gone much to anything really, but did go to the US convention and had a great time. I met a lot of great ppl and that is mostly why I am going back this year, more for the social aspect really. I did learn some new things that could make me think "outside the box". The celebrity thing wasn't a biggy, but since they were there it was cool. I don't get to go to retailer conventions so I wouldn't meet a celebrity that way and don't know how much CKU or Creative Escapes cost (never mind the travel, the time and other expenses involved in going) so having something like this local is a great thing. The classes cost about the same as the ones at convention, but the plus was you did pick the ones you really wanted. This will be the 2nd year I will go, but will I go the year after that? I don't know, but I went, I saw, I learned some stuff and met some new friends who share my passion for creativity.
Post a Comment