Can I just say there is NO WAY I would miss this conference? After all, it’s being held in Raleigh this year, a mere two-hour drive from my home. In fact, I’ve been planning this trip for a whole year, ever since the Handcrafted Soap and Cosmetic Guild (HSCG) announced the 2013 location!
This event is the largest of its kind in the soapmaking industry, and this year’s conference promises a whirlwind of activity, learning, and outright fun right from the get-go. Although the conference officially begins Friday, several pre-conference seminars will be held on Thursday, and I’ll be attending one of those. Then for the next three days, soap and cosmetic makers will attend presentations galore about the art and science of soap- and cosmetic- making, marketing and promotion, even how to make your own silicone molds. My biggest problem will be deciding which presentations to attend.
Of course, social events are scheduled every evening, including a game night, an English Village Fete, and the Annual Awards Dinner. The Soapers Showcase gives us a chance to display our very best soap and win prizes in several categories, and the soaps in the showcase (along with other soapy donations) are given to a local non-profit women’s center. And there’s the vendors’ booths (goodies for all of us!) and a chance to meet many of the folks we do business with every day.
Best of all, “soapers” from all over the world will have a chance to meet each other. Many of us are friends already, either from other conferences, or from the many online discussion boards we frequent. I can tell you, if these gals and guys are as crazy in person as they are on the boards, we are in for a helluva fun weekend!
I’ll be blogging and tweeting throughout the conference to keep you up to date on all the goings-on, so stay tuned!
Blossom & Twig 