Members of the branding course who were still left standing at the end of our fourth day together.
People who’ve never attended a writers’ conference often ask, “What goes on at these conferences? Do you go to workshops and panel presentations all day? Do you have the opportunity to meet editors?”
My answer: Yes and yes.
Last week, at the Florida Christian Writers’ Conference (where I taught a 6-hour course on branding), we had daily large group sessions during which we listened to a keynote presentation.
Every conferee selected a 6-hour Continuing Class to attend daily, and there were dozens of break-out workshops from which to choose.
The emphasis at this conference is on networking, so editors, agents, and freelancers made themselves available for 15-minute, one-on-one appointments with conferees. I met a conferee who had appointments with eight different editors! Mealtimes are also set aside for networking, with each faculty member hosting a table during lunch and dinner.
While a lot of writers and writers-in-training attend writers’ conferences, you’ll meet people from every walk of life. In my branding course, for instance, we had:
- Child psychologist
- Fitness trainer
- Teacher
- Dentist
- Life coach
- Journalist
- Salesperson
- Ministry director
- Librarian
- Motivational speaker
- Marketing business owner
- … and more
Here are some notes my students handed me at the conclusion of the branding course:
Thank you, Laura, for your knowledge and presentations that have led me through the maze of branding and challenged me to market my skills. – Joyce, South Dakota
Laura builds community. Whether in a class of thirty or in an individual setting, she makes you feel special. She is informative, knowledgeable, a catalyst for change, and entertaining. Her content is spot-on. – Donna, Ontario, Canada
I loved your approach to branding. I felt that you were challenging us to think of it as our unique call from God in how He has created us and in how He has worked in our hearts and lives and not just about marketing. – Robbi, Florida
I want to extend a huge thank you to the 25 or so conferees who hung with me during the branding course. We had a terrific time fleshing out our brands, and I feel so honored to have made a couple dozen new friends!
