The opening session was great. They gave us a free stamp set from the upcoming catalog, large pearls, a MDS content CD, regular pearls, rhinestones, Pool Party ruffled ribbon and a pack of 4 Occasions Mini Catalogs and 4 Sale-A-Bration catalogs (anyone need one?) They had great announcements about the catalogs and new products. After a delicious lunch there were breakout sessions. I attended a session by Brian Pilling (from the Stampin' Up office) on how to Share the Stampin' Up Opportunity. I saw him present at Convention and enjoyed it so I really wanted to see what he had to say. He gave me some great ideas on how to share why I love Stampin' Up and how to create opportunities to share my story. It was a good presentation and I'm glad I was able to get in it. They tried something new and had several break-out mini sessions in the afternoon by seasoned demonstrators. I attended one on workshop tips, recruiting, effective business tips and customer service. I'm hoping to take small nuggets from each presentation and apply them to my business. It was such a refreshing day and I'm so glad I was able to attend.
Day 2 of Leadership was another great day. We had two general sessions where we heard presentations on the State of Stampin' Up! They really are a great company to work for and I feel like they do very ethical business. We were able to choose our break-out sessions and I attended one on Why Women Buy presented by Carrie Cudney. I really got a kick out of her "mall map" showing how guys buy (they go in, straight to the store, spend $35 and 15 minutes) versus women (who go in, stop at almost every store, spend $376 and 3 1/2 hours). It was a really fun session. I thoroughly enjoyed my Title Benfits session with Bonnie Thurber focused on my current Stampin' Up title. I always enjoy her presentations and her humor. (Bonnie, if you're reading this- I'd really like a project sheet for all the great video tutorials that you provide. Just something with a photo of the project and a list of supplies used.) They ended the day with a project session with Shellie and I won the prize patrol! I won the Apothecary Art stamp set and the Labels Framelits! We all received a pack of the Everyday Vintage Designer Series Paper and the coordinating stamp set. It was a great way to end the conference! They always spoil us with goodies.
Overall, I'm so glad I went and I'm looking forward to next year. Here's a photo of me and my roomies. I love how Stampin' Up can connect you to fabulous people from around the country.
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| L to R: Ginger Tiovonen (Montana), Ann Schach (Iowa) and me. |
