Summing up The Maker City Summit
Why you need to attend this year
The third annual Maker City Summit is set for Sunday, September 23 at The Mill & Mine, and registration is now open here!
The summit offers an outstanding opportunity for Knoxville-area makers to pick up additional skills that will help you MAKE an independent living doing what you love.
You will LEARN from a variety of experts in numerous disciplines to, among other things, GROW your personal brand.
And you’ll CONNECT with other local makers and small business owners.
In the coming weeks this blog will introduce some of the speakers and discussions that will be part of this year’s program. But for now…
Here’s why you ought to be there
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Chase Reeves, co-founder and creative director of Fizzle.co, will give the keynote address about how to design a business that will stay afloat. Marianne Canada, executive producer for Discovery Inc.’s digital team and head of the HGTV Handmade YouTube channel, and Eric Meyerson, chief marketing officer of Sensai, will discuss how to reach your audience with online marketing and social media.
PANEL DISCUSSIONS
Throughout the day, you’ll have several panel discussions to choose from featuring subject experts from Knoxville and throughout the Southeast. Topics will include making the most of rejection; work-life balance; finding your target customer; branding; and growing your business strategically.
WORKSHOPS
Two workshops will focus on growing a wholesale business and the legal aspects of being your own biz. Emily Kerr, Wholesale in a Box, will share her expertise in the former, and Haseeb Qureshi, Morehous Legal Group, PLLC, will share his experience as both an attorney and an entrepreneur.
ASK THE EXPERTS
More than two dozen experts in fields ranging from accounting to branding to social media marketing will be available for 15-minute, one-on-one meetings with participants throughout the day.
PHOTOGRAPHY SESSIONS
Local photographers will work with makers to shoot a professional photo of one of their products and, more importantly, teach them how to do so themselves.
ETSY CONSULTATIONS
Experts from Etsy will be on hand to meet with Etsy sellers and offer their suggestions for optimizing their shops.
WEEBLY CONSULTATIONS
Dana Walsh, brand marketing manager with Weebly, will help makers with e-commerce tools and guidance.
MAKER MEETUP
To wrap up the summit, you won’t want to miss some welcome libations and the chance to visit with the folks you’ve met throughout the day.
AFTER PARTY
Didn’t get a chance to talk to everyone you wanted to? Pretentious Glass and Beer Company is offering another chance to gather at day’s end.
Need we say more?
We’ll let some of last year’s participants take it from here.
““Meeting with experts was the best part of the event for me - great opportunity to network, get advice, and make connections!”
“Fantastic perspectives on where technology fits in with the creative process. … Loved the opportunity to get their perspectives on what was the favorite use of technology.”
“All of my experts helped me so much. They made me feel like I was doing the right thing and that I should be confident! If it wasn’t for these ladies I truly would have given up!”
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