Teachers Pay Teachers FIRST EVER Sellers' Conference!

I am still recuperating from all the fun and excitement that was the FIRST EVER TPT Conference! I will admit that I was a little nervous going to Vegas by myself without meeting anyone in person before, but it was seriously no big deal. Everyone was nicer than the person before and we just had a blast. I had so much fun that I forgot to take many pictures, so we will just make do with what I've got!

I arrived at the Palazzo Hotel and Casino on Thursday, and my room was fantastic! I had a king suite on the 37th floor. I literally have never slept so far off the ground before! Just look at this room!

I mean, come on. It was ridiculously awesome. Confession time--I love my husband more than anything, but I had the best two nights of sleep ever. Or, at least in a really long time. Sharing a queen bed with a dog who takes up half of it just doesn't compare to being able to spread out in a king size by yourself! 

The next morning, bright and early at 7 AM, it was time for the conference. About 800 of us entered this humongous ballroom where were able to eat breakfast and meet other sellers. I sat with a great group of women, some even from TX! It was so fun. 

At 8 AM, it was time for the kickoff/keynote speakers. We first heard from Amy, who is just amazing! I got a picture later with her. She is just so down to earth and so super sweet.

Then, we heard from Paul, the founder of TpT. What a journey the site has had! I knew it started a few years before I joined, but I didn't know that it started back in 2006! I signed up as a buyer before signing up as a seller, and boy am I glad I signed up when I did. 

I can't thank this man enough for following his dream after being in the classroom himself, especially when everyone said, "It couldn't be done.." Well, who's laughing now!? What a humble guy. I absolutely LOVE that he wore jeans and a plaid button-down shirt. This is totally the type of guy that he is. Totally true to himself and I think that is just awesome. I was so honored to meet him in person and take a picture with him after the sessions yesterday. 

Now for the sessions themselves. I went to two sessions in the morning and two in the afternoon. 

First up was a TpT A to Z Session presented by Tammy and Christy from Fluttering through First Grade. They covered a lot of good information. A lot of it I knew, but definitely good to refresh my memory and get re-inspired. They had some awesome giveaways, and in true fashion I didn't win! But, I was so excited for everyone else because I am not a sore loser. No matter what you've heard. Nope. Not me.

My next session was the one I was most excited about: making clip art. It was presented by Nikki of Melonheadz! She was so nice and definitely opened my eyes to the fact that ANYONE can draw. Really. She said it. I actually drew an elephant in her session (following her step by step directions, of course!) 

We even got some swag for attending!

Don't worry, I'm not going to become a clip art artist any time soon...I'll stick to what I am good at--buying clip art! 

I ate lunch with a few other sellers who actually had heard of my store so that was exciting.

For the afternoon sessions, I attended a session about making sensational secondary products (4mulafun and Michele Luck) and accelerating your store's success (Lovin' Lit). Both were really good and got me thinking about some things that I should change in my store. I can't wait to have time at home to revise some of my older products!

I left the sessions having met several people that I "knew" already and some that I didn't. It was cool to be able to put faces with logos. This is a small pile of business cards that I left with:

I can't wait to start following these blogs and seeing the wonderful ideas and products these sellers come up with.

After the sessions, TPT hosted a happy hour so we could all relax and really interact with each other.

I had two glasses of wine while chatting with all of these fantastic secondary sellers!

And last, but certainly not least, the sellers presented Paul and all of team TPT with a few gifts. You can see what Paul's looks like. It is a giant canvas and a mosaic of many of our store logos as a collage. Then, the TPT apple logo is placed on top with a sweet message.

I am so glad that I started my TPT journey just over a year ago. I am blessed to not only share my resources with all of you, but to impact the lives of kids all over the world. It gives me chills just thinking about it! 

#TpTVegas14