After an incredibly early morning flight to Denver, I arrived at the Inverness Hotel & Conference Center to the bubbly Christine Bach and Stephanie Phelps Craig who helped get me registered. I caught part of Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun's speech before a whirlwind meet and greet of so many people who I've spoken with online via Twitter, Facebook and the DIY Skincare Blog over the years, but had never met "in person".The best part of this conference is the familiarity members have with one another and the friendliness of the attendees and speakers. I was greeted with no less than a dozen hugs and I have been humbled by the number of people I've never met in person who have said they find me to be an inspiration through my dedication to running. The reality is, the online community (especially the indie community) is one of the driving forces behind my dedication because they really help me to be accountable! The best part about community is the ability to give and receive, and that is prevalent here in Colorado at the HSMG Conference.
Debbie May proctored an awesome speech about Creativity vs. Compliance. She discussed maintaining accountability for your company and product line through integrity. Debbie encouraged attendees to do their own research rather than to rely upon other sources for information regarding FDA and FTC regulations. She answered a bevy of questions regarding labeling and further encouraged everyone to attend Marie Gale's speech about labeling as it seems that many people have questions about this very important aspect of the beauty industry.
I got to meet and chat with one of my idols, Kayla Fioravanti, who graciously had her son snap a photo of us! Kayla is truly what I call a "lab rat" like myself and we've discussed in the past how we dream of the perfect lab to formulate in. I was honored to get to meet her in person!
I intended to listen Joshua Onysko from Pangea Organics, but the early morning flight and the altitude combined to force me into a catnap.
The night finished out with the Wholesale Supplies Plus reception, complete with desserts and lots of prizes and I finished out the night with friends and fellow colleagues over some amazing Pomegranate Martinis.
Excited to start Day 2 and bedtime is calling me...so look for further updates later! If you are on Twitter, you can follow the soap conference via the #soapconf10 hashtag!
Allison B. Kontur
www.BathBodySupply.com
6 comments:
Sounds like a very informative conference. I hope the next one is on the East coast because I'd really like to attend.
Love hearing about all the updates to the HSMG Conference .. thankyou for sharing your stories Allison!
It's been great to meet you in Denver - you are so fantastic and I can't wait to hang out more with you. =)
Hello & THANK YOU for the update on the conference! It was my dream to attend, but too expensive this year to travel from Spain. I am seriously hoping to attend next year and wishing they would have a similar conference in Europe!! Can't wait to hear your update of day 2. xo Jen
Wow! Spain IS really a long way from Denver! I've been to the inCosmetics shows in Europe, but they are definitely not the same camaraderie as the HSMG conference!
I'm so glad I got to meet you too Anne-Marie! Both you and your husband are so sweet and such a cute couple!
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