Attending Booth Conference in Huntsville, Alabama this past weekend was priceless. The owners Trish and Cindi of University Pickers also in Huntsville hosted this event. This was to my knowledge, the first of its kind for the booth industry. A big round of applause should be given to these gals because what once was just an idea for them, was quickly put into action. They strategically and tirelessly planned out every last little detail. They traveled all over the south-east promoting it and they finally saw it come to life at the Von Braun Center, November 10th and 11th. Two days were filled with guest speakers, vendors, panel discussions, food, fun and lots of laughter. Everyone learned a lot and had a great time. 
The opening keynote speaker, Jennifer Allwood, was incredibly inspiring. She created and runs a paint company, The Magic Brush. The story of how her company grew from the beginning to a multimillion-dollar business because of her hard work and dedication was nothing short of amazing.  Being a wife and mom her speech titled “8 Things I Wish I Had Done Sooner” was very informative. She gave us all tips on growing our business whether it is an antique booth or owning a store all while making sure to give the family the attention they need and deserve. Today she is a life coach and mentor of women in business.  If you have not heard of Jennifer, we urge you to look her up.

We ended the day with a fun dress up dinner party. We got to pick our favorite decade and dress the part. Each table had a fun centerpiece. 


 These two cuties are Carlie and Nikki. They own a store near Memphis, TN and they are going to be doing a shop interview with soon. 

Brittany Young opened the second day of the conference. Brittany considers herself a “Certified Celebrator”. She loves throwing parties, decorating, and encouraging others. She gave us her ideas on branding and partnerships. It is so important to brand yourself. When your business grows to the point that you need to brand, someone may already have your web domain. Brand now and buy your domain name while you are small to avoid problems down the road. Brittany is also a wife and mom. She balances her business life with her family life daily. She is a great example to those of us who feel overwhelmed every day. Running a business and a family is a huge undertaking but Brittany has done so successfully. 

The presenters had lots of valuable information and wisdom to share with everyone. Unfortunately, I didn't get photos of all the speakers and the ones I did get are not the best. In the vendor's area, they had great product demonstrations. I came away with so many great ideas on large and small projects. Many of the vendors gave away samples and had drawings for wonderful prizes. There were also materials you could purchase. I am so excited to get started on some of my projects. I am planning a special holiday season with my grandchildren this year. We are going to make many memories and fun things to keep for a lifetime. 

I am exhausted after the weekend but it was well worth it. I want to thank everyone that came to the Booth Crush session on Friday. I enjoyed meeting you all and hearing your stories. Thank you for all the kind words and encouragement you gave me. I think the biggest compliment of all was the lady that said she took 4 pages of notes. Scroll down the page to see some photos from the event.