Our first Quilt Pro Retreat was last weekend and I’m calling it a success!
We had a great mix of quilt shop owners (brick & mortar and online), pattern designers, long armers, fabric reps, furniture designers, retreat organizers, product manufacturer…all aspects of our business. This was a great plus when we had our business discussions as we each got the perspective of another arm of our industry. We held several formal round-table discussions and tackled Social Media, Marketing and Time Management. That’s a lot of heavy stuff to tackle! Of course we left lots of time to sew on either personal projects or store samples. There was plenty of informal discussions during sewing time as well. Once you let all that info marinate for a bit then you think of a new solution/idea/option for whatever was discussed.
The weather was absolutely perfect in Waterville Valley NH. We did get out several times to enjoy the views and do a little shopping in the town square. I spied these super cute ski poles for quilters! We also played some games. I lost a round of Giant Jenga and had to take an awful selfie and post it…it wasn’t pretty…
We all made new friends or were able to touch base with friends we hadn’t seen in awhile. The comments from the guests were mostly positive. Just a few minor bumps that we can work on for next time. Ya can’t expect me to be perfect right out of the gate!! Some of the comments…
Favorite Parts: “collaborating with other business owners”, “Time dedicated to our business/craft”, “Feedback & ideas from participants”, “Contacts! Meeting professionals and learning from and with them”
Least Favorite Parts: “Not enough exercise (my own fault)”, “broken foot” (she came with it, no excitement during the weekend), “Sometimes the discussions focused too long on one issue”
We are going to be doing our Quilt Pro Retreat again this fall, September 27-30, 2018. It is open to anyone who is in the business (shop owners, long armers, designers, retreat organizers…) If you’re interested, just holler! Space is limited…
Special thank you to all the participants for joining in the fun and to the Snowy Owl Inn for providing an inviting place to be for the weekend!
It was a great weekend! I highly recommend it for any quilt professional.