Friday 12:00 noon-12:45 pm
The Exhibitor Meeting will take place in the downstairs 1st Floor Banquet Room Friday, March 1st, 2024 at 12 noon. Take a "setup" break to gather with other wholesalers in our Industry. Fabric dyer Kristin Rodriguez of Fiber on a Whim, designer Holly Freeman from Stitchy Prose, and retailer Abby Johns from TopKnot Stitcher Shop will share their strategies for success, ensuring a profitable trade show for all. Questions and discussion welcomed. Free to attend.

Friday 1:00 pm-1:45 pm
The Retailer Meeting will take place at the downstairs 1st Floor Banquet Room Friday, March 1st, 2024 at 1pm. Store owners are encouraged to attend this FREE forum to gather and discuss questions with other Retailers in our Industry. Your questions and topics will help guide the meeting. Hosted by Amy and Memory Baker of Barefoot Needlart and Pamela Dumont of Stitch New England. Diane Randall, Silver Creek Samplers will be the guest Designer, on hand to answer any questions from a wholesaler's perspective. Free to attend.

Friday 2:00 pm-2:45 pm
Teacher's Meet & Greet will take place at the 2nd floor Williamson Classroom Friday, March 1st, 2024 at 2pm, directly after the Retailer's Meeting. No need to register. Just show up and connect with several teachers in one spot! This time is set aside for you to chat with Teachers about the classes they offer, see some example projects and book teaching engagements for your store! Free to attend.

Friday March 1, 2024 Classes

Look for Class Sign-ups this Fall!

Saturday March 2, 2024 Classes

Sunday March 3, 2024 Classes

Cost To Rent The Classrooms

Franklin Room or Williamson Room:  $50/hour (or Free)

We will advertise the classes to buyers, but stores will be asked to contact the instructor directly with questions about the class, and to sign up and pay for the class. The instructor will set the price for the class and can sell merchandise in the class. The only charge to the instructor will be the hourly rate for the classroom.

Free use of the classroom. We want to encourage classes that help store owners improve their business skills. For example, maybe you (or your spouse) could teach a short class on bookkeeping, computers, social media, taxes, radio advertising, etc. The room will be available for free for these types of classes. You would still be allowed to charge a fee to attend the class.

After show hours use of the class room. Some classes need extra time to finish up. We also have had requests from buyers that they would like a time and place to get together and visit with other business owners, to relax, and do some stitching. Again this year we are planning on having one of the classrooms (or both, if needed) open after show hours as an informal get-together location. If your class needs extra time to finish, you can use the classroom after show hours for free.

Classes during show hours should last no longer than 45 minutes. Please keep your class to 45 minutes to allow 15 minutes for clean up and move out before the next class starts.

Ideas For Classes

Besides the satisfaction of helping other business owners, teaching or sponsoring a class is a great way to gain exposure for your business.

• Finishing classes (advance homework ok)
• Social Media
• Business Classes (newsletter, teaching, time management, etc.)
• Technique Classes
• Previews of new designs and a start on a class model
• We would like to have classes of interest to exhibitors to attend on Thursday afternoon. This would be a great opportunity to share ideas on marketing, packaging, etc.

You do not need to be an exhibitor to teach a class. We would love to have more classes taught by store owners. Also, while we ask that the classes are sponsored by either an exhibitor or a retail store, the instructor can be with another company.

If you have any questions

Free free to contact us if you have any questions about the show.

Megan Chriswisser at Needlework Retailer at 800-561-5380 or info@needleworkretailer.com

Larry Johnson or Beth Johnson at Yarn Tree at 800-247-3952 or info@yarntree.com