Knit One, Purl Two - and Deb, Too!

It's official: In March, 2010, I'll be speaking at the Yarn Market News Smart Business Conference in Seattle at the FABulous W Hotel!

The 2010 Yarn Market News Smart Business Conference is a three-day conference featuring speakers and sessions devoted to providing the tools yarn retailers and business owners need to thrive in today's marketplace. Sponsored by Yarn Market News and SoHo Publishing, the goal of the event is to help savvy retailers learn how to innovate, how to sell and how to thrive - providing specific seminars focused on bolstering retailing skills and lots of peer-to-peer networking.

My seminar presentation is entitled 'Tell Your Own Story: Express Your Brand Image in Your Store Environment' and will help yarn shop owners make brand-centric and budget-wise choices for their store fixturing, lighting, decor, and more. This helps build a rock-solid image for a brand and business, lifts it above the competition, and literally envelops customers in the brand experience. 

Look at this subject from the perspective of my audience at the conference.... as fiber artisans (knitters, crocheters, and other needle arts), they already know that each choice made for a project - yarn weight, color, and texture, as well as needle size - affects the outcome of the final product. I'll show them that as a retailer, each choice made for their store's environment - color, paint, textures, fixtures, lighting, layout - similarly affect the image their business presents, and the way it is perceived. I have a plethora of tips, tricks, helpful information and copious resources to share on this subject that will help each and every attendee maximize their visual impact and Build a Better Business.

Following my seminar on Tuesday morning, my friend and former gift show seminar cohort Linda Cahan will be speaking on the topics of visual merchandising and sensory marketing. More great info for retailers! The conference will have many speakers addressing a variety of topics relevant to retail, and the keynote speaker for the event is Cinda Baxter of The 3/50 Project.

I am really looking forward to speaking at this conference.... not only is it a whole new group of retailers to meet, educate, inspire, and share with, but these are all CREATIVE people! I've been told they will sit and knit the entire hour that I am onstage speaking.... and that I shouldn't let that bother me. ;0) Good thing I always have handouts of my notes!

If you are a retailer with an interest in attending this conference, get more information here. (And if you're just wondering if there is anything more to yarn than knitting, check out this post on the YMN Blog. Creativity knows no bounds!)

Image Credit: YMN, used with permission. Some text (description of conference) originally appears on the YMN site.