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Pearl-ExPert
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Cleburne, Tx
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This is a little something I wrote last year, it is about Convention. It is long and silly, but I think it is a nice little slice of what convention is like.
Milette
Well, I thought it might be helpful to post some more detailed info, so I am adding a breakdown of what a typical Convention day is like in my experiences!
Day 1
5AM-Can't sleep anymore. My bags are packed; of course my swaps are in my carryon, where all of my important documents are for the plane.
6AM-After getting myself ready, I have a quick breakfast with the kids and give them each big hugs. My daughter asks me when I am leaving. I blink back tears and tell her soon. She says, "Good, because the sooner you leave, the sooner Grandma comes". Gotta love the honesty. I kiss them all goodbye and climb into the car. My husband laughs at me as I check my carry on bag one more time, not for my picture ID, but to make sure I brought my swaps and my convention registration I received in the mail a few weeks before.
7AM-After picking up my downline, my husband drops me off at the airport with a kiss and a "Have fun!". After check in, we proceed to our gate. As we sit down, I notice a couple of women with Barely Banana shirts staring at us. "Do you think they are stampers?"my downline whispers to me. "I would say yes" I replied. I casually reach into my bag and pull out my swaps to show to my downline. I notice out of the corner of my eye that these two ladies are whispering to each other and pulling things out of their bags as well. I stand as they approach us, and utter the one word that I have been waiting 11 months to hear, "Swap?". It is rapidly followed by, "What you got?", "I got 12x12's, card fronts, pins and 6x6's", "I'll give you two fer two", "Whoa, PEARL EX!", and "How lovely, thank you!". Our first swap is complete, I feel like a real woman. I smile at the businessman who is looking at us over his paper with obvious cluelessness.
8:30-We are on the plane. My downline suggests that we should try to get some sleep. I chuckle knowingly. "Say goodbye to sleep for the next 96 hours." We will be moving on pure adrenaline for 4 days!
1:00-We arrive! After collecting our luggage, we proceed to the shuttle service that SU has contracted with to get us to our hotel. I always like to use the service they work with, I know I will be treated well and will save some money too! We meet up with lots of smiling faces at the counter, must be demonstrators! We team up with 4 other ladies going to our hotel also. When you book at the hotels SU suggest, you know you will be in a safe location very close to the convention center, usually less than a block away, often right across the street! Plus, you will be around lots of other demonstrators, which is always good, and SU negotiates rates too!
2:00-We arrive at our hotel after checking in. We dump our stuff and head immediately over to the convention center. As we make our way through the lobby of the hotel, we notice demonstrators with glazed over looks-and brand new catalogs!!!! We restrain ourselves from breaking into a sprint as we hustle even faster over to the check-in area that SU has set up at the convention center. It is very easy to find because in the hotel and around every corner you can see well-marked signs pointing you in the right direction.
2:15-After waiting about 10 minutes, we come to the counter where the smiling SU rep hands us our bag! The suspense is killing us: Will it be a rollaway tote? A backpack? A knapsack? We barely notice our new logo bag, because immediately we walk to the nearest hallway where there are other demonstrators sitting on the floor emptying their bags onto the floor. We sit down and also dump our bags. We find, a new pen, a logo pin with the new convention theme on it, a thick packet of materials for the make and take, a brand new stamp set!!!!, and the crowning jewel, the new catalog! We are lost in reverie for 30 minutes, trying to soak it all in! Then we get up and start swapping. I brought 250 card fronts, 25 12x12 scrapbook pages, and a half dozen pins to trade, and some of the best trading happens before convention even officially starts! I only carry about 30 of my card fronts with me at any given time. Then I go up and "dump" them in my hotel room at the end of each session.
4:30-I meet up with my long-distance upline, who happens to be my sister!!! There are lots of hugs, and then of course I have to see her swaps and hear what she thinks of the catalog. I am constantly running in to old friends! It feels like a family reunion.
5:00-Time to get ready for Manager's Reception! I go up to the room and change into a skirt-nothing too formal for me, just what I would wear to church. Most people wear semi formal at night. Some wear nice pants, and some go really glitzy. Any way you go, you will find plenty of people wearing what you are wearing, so you needn't feel self conscious. I say bye to my downline, she is going to dinner with some friends tonight. She vows that next year she is going to that Manager's Reception, it looks like too much fun!
6:00-Manager's Reception is a big party! As I sit down at my table, I notice that there are several gifts on the table, one each from 3 of my upline! What a surprise! It is kind of a tradition for my upline to give gifts to their downline when the go to Convention, but it always surprises and touches me that they went to the effort. Thanks guys!!! They served a wonderful dinner and the entertainment was hilarious, top notch! It was so great to see the guys at the home office let their hair down and have fun. We had a great Tina Turner impersonator, she rocked the house! I am pretty conservative when it comes to entertainment, but I really enjoyed myself and the food was great! There are also plenty of Manager-only swaps going on.
10:00-Heading back to the hotel room. Sleep? HAH~! I have 3 roommates to catch up with! We are all busting with excitement for tomorrow's convention opener-they make all kinds of announcements and we get a demo of all the new accessories!!!! We actually fall asleep around 1:00AM, after 3 giggle fits and yet another round of, "I am going to sleep now, GOOD NIGHT's".
See you later with DAY 2!
Day Two-"Touching Liver? Who comes up with these things?"
6:00AM- My upline is entirely too perky in the morning! I groan as the alarm goes off, but then remember, this is Opening Day! Gotta get up and going! Those doors will open at 7:30, and we want to be there when they do! I am glad I packed bagels and granola bars, that way we don't have to stop for breakfast or wait for room service.
6:45- We leave our hotel room, all spruced up with our swaps in hand. There is a short list of things that you don't want to leave the hotel room without: Your hotel key, your swaps, and your trusty SU badge-wallet-thingee! This essentially is a wallet with a string attached to it so you can sling it over your shoulder. On the front is a clear pouch where you put your name badge. You have to have this at all times at convention or they won't let you in! I love this thing, because it also can be used as a wallet to carry debit cards, money, receipts, change, etc...One of our roommates NEEDS COFFEE, and trust us, we all want her to have that coffee too, so we make a pit stop at one of the many little vendor carts on the way to the convention center. You can purchase fresh fruit, bagels, bottled water, candy, coffee, and all sorts of little things to nosh on. This was great when I was pregnant and needed a little something, but I didn't want junk. You definitely want to eat healthy, substantial meals, because you will pay for it if you don't!
7:00-We meet up with our stamping grandma and all her group for a photo outside the doors to the Main Stage! We are all wearing matching stamped shirts; they are a really pretty yellow stamped with Terrific Tulips. We are looking good! After a photo we all get in line to wait for the doors to open. Never fear a line at a SU event-it is a PERFECT opportunity to swap! We are standing next to a group from Minnesota. I tell you, I love Minnesotans (Is that the correct term?) I don't know if everyone in the state is like this, but every single demonstrator I have met from Minnesota is so extra friendly, they crack me up and I love em to pieces. Are there any introverts in Minnesota? This group all have matching Dr Seuss hats on, I take a picture of them with my camera for my scrapbook.
7:30-Okay, the excitement is building-they are opening the doors!!!Demonstrators pour in to the Main Stage arena! SU wisely cautions people to NOT RUN. There are cables on the floor in places, and it would be so easy to hurt yourself or someone else. But a few always sprint down the aisles! I myself walk BRISKLY and purposefully to the spot that we always sort of aim for. Do not trouble yourself if you don't get a seat up front. SU puts up big screens (like at ball games) so you can see and hear everything that is going on, even if you are in the waaaaaaaaaaay back! The place is so alive with energy! You see women and men with all sorts of odd things on: Googly eyeball antenna-headbands, crystal tiaras, Uncle Sam hats, glow in the dark necklaces, homemade hats, and so many different kinds of hand-stamped t-shirts, bandannas, belts, aprons,etc...It is so fantastic! These unusual clothing items have a very useful purpose-it makes it much easier to identify and find your group when you all know you have pink shirts with flamingos stamped on them! In a sea of 7000+ demonstrators, anything helps!
7:45-I am wheelin' and dealin' with my swaps! I remember so well the first time I experienced Convention, I was so amazed at the swapping process! Some people are ultra organized with plastic shoeboxes to sort their cards. I always think it is a good idea to bring 2-3 different card ideas to swap, because then you don't have to choose between someone's fabulous work! I look around and notice that some groups have banners and signs with their group name written on them so people can find where their group is seated. Brilliant! "Man, I feel like a woman!" by Shania Twain is being played over the stereo system. They always play such great music in between sessions. I hear the "Demonstrators: Convention 2003 will begin in 15 minutes!" I decide to wrap up swapping for now and head back to my seat.
7:55-I sit down with all my new swaps-it feels like Christmas! Everyone was so polite swapping; it really is one of the convention highlights for me! I sit in between my downline and a member of my "side"line I haven't met before. I introduce myself and settle in. I decide to kill the next couple of minutes looking through my new catalog again, but just as I pull it out they begin to dim the lights, that means it is starting!!!!
8:00-The new theme song, Touching Lives, is being sung! It is pretty good! I always think that the songs are so cheesy when I first hear them, but pretty soon I am singing them and tearing up. It is ridiculous! You should have seen me in 2001- "Stampin Up! Stampin Up! Puttin' it all toooogeeeeether, Stampin Up! Stampin' Up! Puttin' it together right now, woawoawhoooa!!" Then Shelli appears, and the crowd lets out a big cheer! Rarely do you get an opportunity to meet someone as genuine, as warm, and as fun as Shelli Gardner. She welcomes us all, and then we get to see a funny bit about demonstrators hosted by Brent Steele, the VP of Creative Services. The people back at the home office are so talented!
9:00- Pam Morgan comes running out! She is so spunky! Last year she had just had knee surgery and was scooting around in her jazzy, and she was laughing at herself! I love Pam, and I get excited when I see her, because she always walks up to a long table covered with black cloths and unveils and demos the new accessories! So exciting! Then, they give them away!!! Sometimes they drop little mailers from the ceiling, sometimes they draw random names, and one year, they just ran around tossing them into the audience! A girl in front of me is lucky and grabs one of the little parachutes that tell her she gets a case of the newly designed markers!!! I resist the urge to knock her over and take the parachute, because that would not be nice! Then Jerry Day comes out. He is lovingly called, “Uncle Jerry�? by many, because he is so warm and wonderful that he feels just like a wise and kind uncle and he is so lovable! Jerry makes all sorts of exciting announcements about SU! These will all be added to the website as the week goes on, but we hear them first! Hey, why is Jerry wearing protective headgear and pushing a wheelbarrow full of FREE STAMPS?!?!!!! Hey!!! Everyone gets more free stamps!!! SU employees begin passing them out down the rows! You would think they had announced that we all won Ferraris, we are that pumped!
10:00-Time for some recognition! Everyone who sold 20K and up in a year get to walk across the stage, and they get free stamps! It is exciting to see just how much SU gives away, and this is just the tip of the iceberg, the CASH is given away at night! They also give away The Heart of Stampin Up! Award to someone who most personifies what it means to be a demonstrator. It is a 4 hanky moment, for sure!
10:30-Okay, I need a break! SU sends us for lunch break. I have a ticket in my packet for each day's lunch. I go pick it up in the cafeteria, then scoot over to a corner with my group to enjoy lunch. It is a cold turkey sandwich on a croissant with a cookie, fruit, and chips, and they threw in a free bottle of water too. I was tempted to grab a Coke instead, but I decided to be good!
12:30-After lunch and more swapping, I head to the next event. Since my convention color is Blue, today I have classes! I head in for an awesome seminar on how to effectively recruit and promote my business by Belinda Ellsworth. She was absolutely amazing; I was on the edge of my seat the whole time taking notes. I couldn't believe it when the time was up, I learned so much and she was so entertaining!
2:30-I head over to the next set of classes, I am excited! I will get to see 4 of the top demonstrators demo their workshops and inside the hall there is a wall filled with samples! I brought my digital camera, so I start snapping pictures. The classes begin and I am so motivated by what I see! I learn a lot about scrapbooking from Susie Miller, and heat and stick powder from Lis Ljung. I loved the dry embossing that Karen Barber showed, and I can't believe that you can make such a cute tote from two pieces of 12x12 background paper!
4:30- Done for the day! As I head back to the hotel, I snap some photos of some of the thousands of displays in the halls of the convention center, and of course get in some more swapping. We relax for a few minutes, then climb in a cab and go out for Mexican food!
8:00-First session of Awards Night! I change into my semi dressy attire and head back to the main stage for more awards. Oh great, it is that cheeseball Craig Bolerjack again. Who likes this guy? The good news is, even though he is the emcee, we don't hear much from him, because Shelli and Jerry are onstage keeping him in line. I think it is just me that doesn't like him, because my downline thinks he is great! Oh well! There is a lot of money getting handed out tonight! Now it is time for the cruise achievers to walk across the stage...HEY! That's me!!! Oh my gosh, I think I am going to faint! Even though I am walking with several hundred other demonstrators, I feel my heart pounding. This is kind of fun! I go sit down and my legs are still shaking- I can't imagine what it is like to go up by you!
9:30-They are finished with the awards, now on to the entertainment! We have a wonderful comedienne who keeps us in stitches!
11:00-Done for the night! I can't believe that I did all of that in one day! My roomies and I change into our comfies and compare swaps and look at the free stamp sets I and my upline got at the Manager's Reception the night before. I sure am glad I saved room in my suitcase for all these free stamps!
If you are still with me, Day III awaits!
By the way, forgot to add what the "Touching Liver" comment was about. When I got home from Convention my husband saw my bag with the logo "Touching Lives" on it, but at an odd angle. He comments,"Touching Liver? What is it with their fascination with organ meats?"
Of course I give him a blank look- then he reads the logo again and laughs. "I just remembered last year was, "It Starts With Heart", and I figured they wrapped up there and were moving on to the liver". I could only laugh, what else can you do?"Yes honey, they decided the theme should be Touching Liver this year." What a goof!
DAY III,"Hmmm, what is it about a man that watercolors that is so irresistible!?!"
7:30 AM-We are up and in line at the convention door again! I am almost out of swaps, but I do have a handful I am working on right now. I bump into Karen Gregorian! Wow! She is TALL! I mention my up-up-upline's name, who she knows from way back, and she gives me this big hug! She is the best hugger! I tell her that I think she is awesome and I am inspired by her success, and she holds my hand and tells me that I can do it too, and then gives me her business card and tells me if I ever need any help to let her know. I was so impressed with her genuine warmth and kindness that I had tears in my eyes, this company rocks! That was so generous of her!
8:00- Here we are at the beginning of another General Session. Brent Steele is demoing the new My Favorite Teddy Bear set, and boy, is he cute! Oops, of course I meant the new bear, um, yeah, the bear... I muse that Brent would be so much better as an emcee up there in a tux...did I mention that Brent is married with a bunch of little kids? It is so awesome-as each speaker comes up, they introduce themselves AND show photos of their spouses and families. I really like that. It demonstrates to me that family really does come first with Stampin Up!
9:00-More business announcements! They talk about new features on the website and show how they are used. Last year, they announced that earning the cruise would be even more achievable, and they also announced that the price of order forms would go down! It was so great to see a company pass savings on to their demonstrators instead of just automatically upping their profits.
9:30-Pam Morgan just introduced the Inspiration Sheets, how exciting! And wait, we each get a sampler? TODAY? FOR FREE? Woohoo! More free stuff!
10:30-Break for lunch. Today it is a chicken Caesar salad with fresh fruit, a cookie, and a drink. As our group exits the lunchroom with our box lunches, we notice a gal sitting by herself and my upline nudges me and says, "Let's go sit by her!" We all introduce ourselves and sit down. Her name is Amy and she is from Florida. Her upline just had a baby and was unable to attend, and she didn't know anyone there. We got to talking and she shared that she had been really nervous about traveling to convention not knowing anyone, but that she had made so many new friends that it ended up being a great way to mingle and meet people! It is such a friendly, safe environment, I have never experienced such total acceptance in a group of people before. I am usually pretty self-conscious, but something about convention makes me feel so comfortable in my own skin, I love it!
12:00 we make our way to the Memento Mall where we can purchase convention merchandise. I have a silver charm bracelet that I add a collection of charms to every year at Leadership and Convention, so I purchase my charm, and then I get a couple of t-shirts for my kids and a onesie for my baby at home! I also buy the new demonstrator planner-I use it all the time and it is best to get it at convention and not pay shipping fees! On our way to classes, I snap more photos of the giant displays of cards, scrapbook pages, and other stampables lining the halls. Literally THOUSANDS of the cutest samples SU gets from demonstrators are here!
12:30-I attend a class by Jackie Bolhuis, (one of the top demonstrators)on how to use the starter kit to propel your business and make money from the get go. I can use most of this to train my new recruits, but I do pick up some great info for myself too! The next class by Lisa Ziebarth is SO HELPFUL to me too! She talks about organization, and being streamlined in your business, and focusing on things that get results and not worrying about the other small stuff.
4:00-My upline pokes me and asks,�? What is that sticking out of your backpack?" I look down and slap my forehead-it is my award ticket! I totally forgot that I earned some stamps, I feel like a dufus! I run over to the awards booth where I present my ticket and do the little impatient dance while they go get my prize: I earned the Just my Type set for selling over $20,000, and the Elegant Ornaments set for have 6 recruits in a year! Wowser!!! With the set that I got with my catalog on registration day and the set I got at Manager's reception, this makes four free stamp sets! I am so happy!
5:00-The beginning of our FREE night, where we can go out on the town and have a blast doing whatever we want! Since we are in Vegas but not much for gambling, we decide to go see the Blue M*n Group, they are phenomenal! Then my upline buys me dinner at a yummy Italian restaurant. We decide to do a little sightseeing and walk around the strip in Vegas a little. We got some great photos!
11PM-Back in the hotel room and in my jammies! I call my husband ( I talked to the kids earlier, I missed them but they were having too much fun playing with Grandma to miss me much, which is just the way I like it!).My husband took everyone to the zoo and out for ice cream and he is pooped. I am amazed at how supportive he is. He was not so sure about Stampin Up! in the beginning, but he is loving it now!
12PM-Time for lights out! I can't believe convention has gone by so quickly, and that we only have one more day!
Convention, Day 4, the last day...
8:00 AM- I am in my seat for the final Opening Session of Convention, this one is a biggie! I can't believe time has gone by so quickly! We have more info from Shelli, and they start out the session by announcing where each of the area seminars will be held! This is always exciting! I can relax today after I swapped my last card; I am so thrilled with the quality work I got back!
Now it is time for some silliness, and FREEE STAMPS for some! They announce that six lucky demonstrators will be playing "Who Wants to be a Stampanaire?!?" Okay, I can't for the life of me remember the stage names of the two guys who host this game show, but they are hysterical! The game is poking a little fun at the cheesy game shows of the 70's, but the stamps they give away are for real! Last year we added it up and they gave away almost $2000 in stamps and accessories to the contestants. "PICK ME!!!" My sister always gets picked for stuff like that, even though it is a completely random drawing. I tell her that if she gets picked I am going to throw my shoe at her and take her stamps! She sticks her tongue out at me.
It varies from year to year, but usually it is trivia about our 48 colors, facts about Stampin Up!, etc... This year they showed 3 tables full of supplies, and it was like The Price is Right where you have 5 totals and you have to assign a total to each of the tables. It was pretty fun and interesting!
9:30-Shelli reveals where the next incentive trip is to be- the WESTERN CARRIBEAN!!! WOOHOO!!!! When you are at convention, you always get to hear first!
10:00-We have a wonderful speaker address us, I love the people they choose for us, because they are so inspirational! This gal has us laughing one minute and crying the next as she shared her life story about being crowned Miss South Carolina and all of the interesting things she has learned.
10:30-Just before we break, Shelli has one more big surprise for us: Where is next year's convention? I know that next year the cat is out of the bag, but every other time this is HUGE NEWS!
We break for lunch, today it is a turkey wrap with tortellini pasta salad on the side along with a fruit salad and cookie. I break down and have a Coke, I need all the energy I can get to help me stamp 9 make and takes!
12:00-The day of the make and take has arrived!! We are so pumped to get started and see what we will be making! Inside our convention bag is a craft keeper filled with cardstock, ribbons, and other supplies. We know once they open those doors we will face a Mecca in the stamp world-a huge stamp camp just for us! I look forward to this every year, because this is the only time I get to relax and just stamp and not be the one preparing the projects.
They open the doors to an enormous hall filled with tables and we make our way inside. There are nine areas clearly marked, and we head to the back of the room to start. They always have the make and takes so well organized; I wish my stamp camps were this well done!
We get in a short line that is winding its way to the table. Within two minutes I am standing at a table pulling out my materials for my first project, this is a scrapbook page. We are using the new Travels Abroad set in a collage style. It is so great! There are photos of the page in front of me, and a smiling helper stops by to make sure that we are all set! All of the ink pads, stamp sets and other non-paper or ribbon supplies are at the tables, so you don't need to bring any supplies from home.
As I complete my page and exit the area on the way to the next project, I notice that they have a big display board filled with ideas using the new stamp sets. This alone is such a wonderful resource to have. Imagine, your own portfolio filled with thousands of images of stamped cards, pages, and other ideas to archive and use throughout the year!
I love that we stand and stamp! The tables are up high enough so that it is very comfortable; you are not bending over at all. If you need to sit, there are chairs available. Stampin Up! is so accommodating to people who need it- if you are pregnant or nursing mom, wheelchair-bound, or otherwise disabled, the staff is so great. Demonstrators will bend over backwards to help you, especially if you have a little baby they can hold while you stamp your project!
4:00-Whew! That was a lot of stamping! I made two projects using the new die-cut boxes, four cards, 2 scrapbook pages, plus I got to try my hand at wall-stamping! Make and takes are great, because you get to stamp, but you also get hands on exposure to SU's new accessories! This year we were the first to try out the new Mono-Adhesive, plus play with Fancy Fibers, new die-cut boxes, tags, etc...This is a great opportunity for training!
4:20-I go back to the hotel and flop on the bed, I am pooped! I decide to take a little siesta while my roomie watches her soap.
5:00-Tonight we decide to grab a bite to eat at the local pizzeria-nothing too fancy before the final awards night.
8:00-Final Awards night, and the last of Convention 2003. It is a poignant moment for me. I am not normally a mushy person, but convention is a very touching time for me. This is a time when I can set aside my cynicism and enjoy my fellow demonstrators. As I watch Jerry Day and Shelli Gardner embrace demonstrators on stage and congratulate them on their accomplishments, I feel such genuine affection for this company and all of those associated with it. They award many tonight, including Demonstrator of the Year, who gets a check for $25,000!! Shelli shares her final thoughts with us, and of course starts crying, as she always does. She is so real, there is never anything artificial or saccharine in her smile or words.
As convention comes to a close, thoughts of home steal into my heart. Although I have missed my kids and husband, I really start thinking of them and anticipating giving them all big hugs and kisses the next morning when I fly home. I am so grateful that God put Stampin Up! in my path, and yes, I do feel that this business was heaven sent for me.
You see, that is what convention can do for you. It is unduplicatable. It is unimaginable fun and a roller coaster ride with lots of surprises and uncontrollable energy and excitement. It is quiet moments where you reflect on what is most precious to you in your life. It is kindness and fellowship. It is knowledge that will enrich your business and help take your creativity to the next level.
If you want more from your business, go to convention. If you are trying to define just exactly what it is you want, go to convention. If you need a stamping buddy and feel alone, go to convention. If you are in a rut and need fresh new ideas, go to convention. If you are frustrated and ready to quit and are hanging on with white knuckles, go to convention.
Okay, so you know how I feel! If you simply cannot go because you have tried every possible way to get there and it isn't working for you that is one thing. But if you simply downplay the significance of convention and are letting minor roadblocks stop you in your tracks you are, quite frankly, missing the boat. Convention will do things for your business that you have never dreamed possible. If time or money is giving you pause, remember, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained!" Do not let fear of the unknown stop you from going!
I hope that you have all enjoyed my little travelogue. I am sure I left out tons, because there is so much! I hope that any who have questions or reservations will post them so everyone can learn more about this unique experience we call a Stampin Up! Convention.
I hope to see you all there, and I have a hug and a card swap for each of you!
Milette Siler
every day is a gift that is why it is called, "the present!"
__________________ Milette
The dreamers of the day are dangerous people,For they dream their dreams with open eyes,And make them come true.- D.H. Lawrence
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