I'm home!! It will be good to sleep in my own bed tonight. I'm not saying the hotel bed was bad - it was actually quite comfy but by being in my bed tonight, I won't have to get up tomorrow at the crack of dawn!!! Just hope my body understands that and lets me sleep. Our flight left Salt Lake this a.m. at 7:30. We had a 2 hour lay-over in Detroit- enough time to grab some lunch and charge our laptops. Then boarded our flight to Greensboro. That plane was reallllllly small - 2 seats on one side and 1 on the other. As we were approaching the Greensboro airport, there were storms in the area so the pilot made a few circles. The storms were not moving so we headed north and landed in Richmond, VA to refuel. Then back to Greensboro - luckily that was only about a 30 minute or less trip. Then we got our bags and drove home and met our hubbies for dinner. I haven't even unpacked - tomorrow
will be plenty of time to do that!!
Here's a little thumbnail of our convention highlights:
The first general session began Thursday night with an emotional, heartfelt welcome by CEO and cofounder, Shelli Gardner, who was thrilled to kick off Stampin' Up!'s historic 25th anniversary party by welcoming demonstrators from all over the globe--some of whom joined the event via a live streaming broadcast on YouTube.
Shelli began the session by sharing how Stampin' Up! started--with her sister, Vonna--and the incredible way it went from a small start-up based in Shelli's living room to a multimillion dollar business spanning the globe. As Shelli said, "It all began with a genuine desire to meet our needs and offer the same opportunity for others . . . whether those needs were social, financial, creative . . . [or the need for] recognition."
From the very beginning, Stampin' Up! was founded to make a difference--and it has--including their philanthropic Make a Difference program. Over the years, Stampin' Up! has raised money and donated to many worthwhile causes worldwide. Shelli was especially happy to announce during this session that Stampin' Up! is now a global sponsor of Ronald McDonald House Charities. (Ronald McDonald himself made an appearance, to the delight of all!) Marianne and I have decided to look into doing something with Charlotte's Ronald McDonald House.
Shelli also spent a few moments distinguishing between making a difference and being the difference. Shelli explained: "Making a Difference looks back at our history--the things we've done and the legacy we've created as a Stampin' Up! family. Be the Difference, on the other hand, embodies where we are right now and where we are going. Moving forward, how are we as a group and each of us individually going to be the difference?" Over the next few days, Shelli said that we would explore the possibilities together--how we can make--and be--the difference in peoples' lives.
Pam Morgan, vice president of demonstrator and employee development, followed Shelli with a fun stamping presentation. She gave tips on gorgeous cards demonstrators could make using the free stamp sets they received at convention. We got Gorgeous Grunge, Tag It, and Hello Lovely and at the end of the session, they gave us all another set, Tags for You from the Holiday Catalog.
After the session, we participated in an Opening Social which included a Guinness World Records challenge--with the goal to send as many cards from a single location as possible. We also had the opportunity to put together special birthday kits for children who are patients at Primary Children's Medical Center.
During the Opening Social, we enjoyed Learning Labs, including a Social Media Lab, a Recruiting Lab, a Booking Lab, and a Paper Pumpkin Lab. Finally, the karaoke stage was a big hit--where demonstrators showed off their musical talent (not us though!!)
What a fabulous first day of convention!
Day 2 kicked off early Friday morning with thousands of demonstrators thronging the Salt Palace Convention Center for one of the biggest events Stampin' Up! has ever held--celebrating its twenty-fifth year anniversary in fabulous style! It was almost a stampede when they opened the doors and 5,800 people rushed in to find a seat!!
This year Stampin' Up! also welcomed demonstrators from all parts of the globe--some of whom joined us on their way to Grand Vacation 2013 in Park City, Utah.
The Friday morning general session began with Sara Douglass reminiscing about the first convention she ever attended in 1993, when she was twelve years old. Growing up as she did--with Stampin' Up! being such a big part of her life--Stampin' Up! conventions just seemed "like a family reunion--a very LARGE family reunion," said Sara. "Who else can say they have 50,000 family members spread around the world?"
Stampin' Start achievers were honored in the Friday AM session, as were annual personal sales award achievers, recruiting and leadership achievers, and Getaway and Grand Vacation earners.
Shelli Gardner followed Sara with a stamping presentation featuring 25 projects (for 25 years)! She introduced two new products and demonstrated exciting, innovative ways to use these fun new products. (Details coming soon!!)
Shannon West also introduced two new products - one of them being the new Undefined Stamp Carving Kit and she showed us her fun stamps--which she carved herself using the new kit! (Again, more details later.)
The General Session ended around 11 a.m. and we had time for lunch, make and takes, mini classes, new product demos, etc. It was such fun! Marianne and I took over 500 pictures! So we had to make a run back to our hotel and charge our phones/cameras for about an hour before heading back for Awards Night. Due to changes in recognition, Friday evening's Awards Night was short and sweet but just as fabulous. This year's Awards Night achievers were also presented with gorgeous Hawaiian leis--and little did they know--those flowers were a hint of good things to come! Scott Nielsen announced that for North American and South Pacific markets, Grand Vacation 2015 will be held in Oahu, Hawaii.
Awards Night was followed by a truly exciting 25-Year Celebration which included aerial ballet, photo ops, live music, interactive activities, and delicious refreshments.
Day Two of Convention 2013 could not have been more exciting.
Here is one of the cards I took for swaps with Sketched Birthdays. I was in need of a new birthday stamp set and really like this one. I used all the new In Colors on the card. But this set has so many possibilities!!
OK - I am falling asleep at the keyboard! This gal is going to bed!! Night!
