I was supposed to be in New Orleans this past week at Stampin Up’s first annual Backstage event for leaders. Unfortunately, Covid changed all that months ago and Stampin Up converted the event to a Leaders Summit online. I was initially disappointed that I wasn’t going to see friends in person. However, as we got closer to the past weekend, it became abundantly clear that all things happen for a reason since we would have likely been cancelled anyway due to Hurricane Laura.
I really wondered how an online event would play out. Would it feel the same? Would I be able to see and talk to the people that I wanted to? Would we get any “prizes”? The “prize” answer came first…
For the past several weeks, people started posting pictures of a beautiful blue Tiffany box arriving. Then the question arose over who was getting the boxes and what were they for? These were sent to all attendees of Leaders Summit. We were asked to not share the contents of the box online prior to the event so everyone could enjoy the surprise of what was inside. These engraved Champagne flutes are so pretty.
The Leaders Summit took place over three days, Thursday evening through Saturday evening. Instead of a crowded hotel and giant meeting rooms, this is what our virtual room looked like.
Each of the cards is a virtual room. Just click on it and you’re in. Everything was laid out very well. And I always felt like I knew which room to be in at the set time. Plus at the end of each segment, they reminded you where to be.
All of the classes were LIVE if you can believe that. Plus the virtual platform had both a chat feature and a Q&A feature. This was an amazing experience because we could easily ask questions of the presenters and they would answer as many questions as they could during the allotted time. The chat feature was a lot of fun, because we could all chat with each other during the class… just like we would if we were in person.
One of the bonuses of having a virtual event is that I could bring my #1 Assistant Frannie with me. She doesn’t usually get to attend these events so this was kind of special for her.
I know she looks like she’s snoozing on the job here. But she tells me she does her best listening in bed, with her eyes closed. Hmmm… I guess I’ll give her a pass on this one. All day classes can be tiring.
And here is Stampin Up’s Corporate Team with one last “cheers” for a fabulous event.
Honestly, I wondered how this event would go. How could they do a live event on the internet with 1200 of us attending? How do Zoom classes work with that many people? Would technology work the way it’s supposed to?
Well, everything worked according to plan. Everything was done live and then recorded so we can listen to it again. Zoom classes with 100+ people can be done and turned out to be very well organized. Plus I felt like I was able to talk to people that I wouldn’t have necessarily spoken with at an in-person event.
It truly was an amazing event, plus I didn’t have any jet lag, didn’t have to pack a suitcase, and got to sleep in my own bed every night. Stampin Up was very generous in their gifts to us… the Tiffany flutes, a per diem for meals since we were feeding ourselves, a gift card for a business book of our choice, and a gift card for some Stampin Up logo swag to come soon. My bucket was filled and then some. I can’t wait to attend virtual OnStage later this year. I think that will be just as amazing!
If you’d like to attend an amazing event and make some great friends, then you need to join my team. We have a blast at our get togethers. And we love attending Stampin Up events. There’s nothing like spending time with crafty friends. Plus you get advance access to new products too. The discount on your purchases is the icing on the cake. Take advantage of our September Starter Kit promo Get & Go. Details are below. Contact me now and I’ll help you get set up as a happy shopper.
The $99 Starter Kit includes the usual $125 in products that YOU get to pick. Plus you will also receive for no additional charge: precut card stock, two FREE stamp sets, and a package of clear rhinestones (approximate value of $46). That’s $171 in products for $99!
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