{"id":1511,"date":"2019-12-09T14:40:37","date_gmt":"2019-12-09T14:40:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/triciawilson.co.uk\/?p=1511"},"modified":"2019-12-09T14:42:41","modified_gmt":"2019-12-09T14:42:41","slug":"how-was-the-threads-of-success-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/triciawilson.tyler.gb.net\/?p=1511","title":{"rendered":"How was the Threads of Success conference?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Schoolhouse Series<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The opening day of Quilt Market features the Schoolhouse Series and TOS attendees had the opportunity (for a small extra fee) to join the quilt retailers.  Tula Pink was the keynote speaker and she introduced her latest Homesewn fabric line which wouldn\u2019t be in the shops until April 2020.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of the 280 available sessions my favourites were the ones\nwith the well-known names in the quilting industry – Lynette Anderson, Kathy\nSchmitz, Lisa Bongean and Marti Michell.  Without attending the TOS conference, a\nnon-existent (for now) quilting business like mine would not have been able to\nsoak up the entrepreneurial expertise offered in the Schoolhouse series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Threads of Success Conference<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

TOS officially opened with a drinks and nibbles networking\nevent on the first evening of Quilt Market which takes over the entire\nfacilities of the George R. Bush Conference Centre in downtown Houston.  A chatty, business card swapping melee\npredominately attended by US quilters, three Canadian provinces were also\nrepresented at the conference along with a lone international delegate \u2013 me\nfrom the UK.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Breakfast the next morning was accompanied by a motivational\nkeynote address with Ricky Brooks of RNK Distributing.  His theme of \u201cTurning Dreams into Success\nStories One Stitch at a Time\u201d was repeated over and over at the conference with\ninspiring presentations from the likes of Alex Anderson and Kimberley Einmo,\nboth of whom are incredibly successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the breakout sessions I learned about pattern writing,\npackaging for customers, photographing quilts and answering the question \u201cAre\nyou ready for a booth?\u201d  The Chief\nVisionary Officer from Martingale, Jennifer Keltner, outlined the procedure for\napproaching publishers in \u201cIs writing a book right for you?\u201d while Ebony Love\ngave the lowdown on independent publishing and distribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creating a social media strategy, building a personal brand\nand developing a professional media kit were underlying suggestions for all\ndelegates to consider before they should approach a publisher with a book idea,\nsend art designs to fabric companies, launch online classes on YouTube or book\non as a teacher at a quilt guild meeting. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the fourth day of the conference TOS delegates met with a\nmentor who talked them through what they could expect on the Quilt Market\nfloor.  I was lucky enough to be paired\nwith Tula Pink who showed her small group around her Homesewn booth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personal attention<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we handed out business cards and swapped quilting histories it became obvious to me that practically every person at the conference had a book idea, pattern design, fabric artwork or new template buried away in their bag that they wanted to share with someone firmly ensconced in the quilting industry.  I know I did and if I could have had five minutes of Jennifer Keltner\u2019s time she might have been able to give my book idea a little professional looksee and a few words of editorial advice that I could have used to improve my proposal.  With 100 delegates I know this kind of personal contact is probably impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n