Imaging USA Roundup

Last month I had the opportunity to attend PPA's Imaging USA convention and expo. I'm so glad I went! This was the first large conference I had attended and compared to the small state conventions I've been to, wow, this was overwhelming! I will say that not all the classes I picked were what I had wished they would be, but I'm sure you'll have that with any convention. Overall, the classes and instructors were great and the expo was amazing. I picked a lot of different classes, business, portrait, spotlight and wedding and learned a little something if not a lot from each instructor. It's great to hear how others got started in this business and what they've done to grow their business. I also was able to meet a few photographers who I frequently correspond with that I have yet to meet in person. That was great as well!

The expo was so overwhelming! I finally got the chance to meet some of the vendors in person that I work with and find some great new products to offer this year. Right now I'm in the process of ordering sample canvas wraps from a few different companies. I've already received two and the difference in quality is a bit more than I expected! I'll follow-up in a few weeks with who the lab is that is going to win my canvas business. But back to the expo, I fell in LOVE with the VisionArt books. I'm slightly obsessed with paper and I'll blame that on the fact that I'm a graphic designer as well. These books are just stunning! I stopped at their booth on two different days to look at them. Previously I had stopped offering coffee table albums to my clients, but now that I'm smitten with VisionArt, they're back on my product list for 2011. I'm currently working on layouts for the samples I plan to order and can't wait to finish them up and get them back!

If you haven't been to a large convention like Imaging or WPPI, I highly suggest it. I came home motivated and really excited to try some new ideas, new products and change things around for this season. I also walked away with a lot of great promotions to try out new labs and products and believe me, I've been ordering away. Over the next few weeks I'll be posting any great finds that I've come across from these new vendors that I love, so be sure to check back!