Craftcation Creative Business Conference
A business conference is a great way to learn new skills and connect with a community in your industry. I recently attended the Craftcation Conference and would love to share my experience and encourage you to attend a conference for yourself!
What is Craftcation?
Craftcation is a craft and creative business conference held annually in Ventura, CA. The conference spans 5 days and includes workshops on various craft and business topics and social events meant to inspire creativity and connection.
I have attended Craftcation for several years and the friendliness of the staff and attendees and the general creative environment is incomparable. As a former educator who attended many educational conferences, this conference is a breath of fresh air and feels like a Disneyland for creatives.
Why attend a business conference?
-Learn new skills
A business conference like Craftcation is a great way to learn from other business owners and build up your entrepreneur toolbox. Learn from workshops on relevant business topics such as social media, bookkeeping, project management, and email marketing.
-Business tools and advice
Why not work smarter, not harder? I always leave conferences with resources to explore later on my own time. From apps to organizations there is so much information out there, learn from others which resources are worth checking out.
-Networking
Meet other people who are in your industry or have more experience running a business than you. This is a great opportunity to bounce ideas off others, plan collaborations, and build connections with the goal of supporting each other through community.
-Be in a creative space with other creatives
There is something inspiring about being in a creative space. A conference like Craftcation is filled with people in creative outfits, wearing things they have made, surrounded by beautiful decor helps to put you in a creative mindset and get your creative juices flowing.
-Get away and tune out other tasks
Going to a conference is a great way to get away from your day-to-day and put full focus on your creativity or business. Removing distractions can sometimes help you find clarity and focus when thinking about your business.
My favorite experiences from the 2023 Craftcation Conference
I was able to volunteer ahead of time to prepare for the event which included making decor and packing supplies. This was a great opportunity to meet people as well as get excited for the event. I also secured a free ticket for the following year for my work.
The most helpful business workshop I took was on social media led by Laura Lambert. I learned so much and she was such an engaging presenter!
My favorite craft workshop was a class on creating your own collaged oracle cards. This was so fun and relaxing, I will definitely continue to work on this project for my personal well-being.
The Wanderings is an event where attendees can decorate their rooms with different themes and host activities. I love this event as it feels like a party where you get to wander around with friends and admire people's creativity.
I am most excited about the connections and new friends I made at the conference.
Post Conferences next steps
After a conference, you often feel a little exhausted and overwhelmed. It is good to get some rest and process everything you experienced at your conference. Next, I follow up with people I met or connected with at the event. I friend people on social media that I want to remember and type up notes from workshops that I want to revisit. I find it helps to then build action steps while the ideas are still fresh in your mind. What do you want to implement? It is easy to fall back into the grind and forget about everything you learned. Avoid that by having a plan!
Are you interested in attending Craftcation or another conference?
Here is the information for Craftcation
I am also really interested in attending Alt Summit next year.
Some other conferences to check out (both virtual and in-person):
Have a conference to share? I would love to hear about it in the comments!