Point Journal issue #56 - Association of Professional Piercers

The 16th annual Association of Professional
Piercers Conference and Exposition
Caitlin McDiarmid
APP Administrator
As one of the many planners
involved in Conference every
year, I am always elated,
surprised, and a bit exhausted
when we all finally gather in Las Vegas for
this event. Every year we seem to do a little
better than the one before—and this year
was no different. Bally’s was our new home
for this Conference—and will be in 2012—
and we were excited to be at the new spot
in the heart of the strip, with a wealth of
restaurants, entertainment, and relaxation
options right at our doorstep.
Our class lineup included our core
curriculum and a variety of elective options;
new this year were classes on Statim use,
freehand technique, and “Exploring the ‘O’
Needle.” We brought back classes on stone
and wood jewelry and business management,
and restructured some of our previous courses
to create a three-class series on aftercare. We
refined and expanded our workshops, which
premiered in 2010. We had favored teachers
Elayne Angel, Paul King, and David Vidra;
we had Ron Garza back; we welcomed new
instructors Mike French, Maria Pinto, Marea
and Alan Vedge, and Leo and Kate Ziebol.
Our other instructors were amazing—they
are too numerous to mention here—and
we thank them for the many hours spent
perfecting their presentations, lectures, and
materials. They passed along knowledge and
passion, answered questions, and supported
the attendees in their professional growth.
Although most were there to take classes,
we encouraged everyone to find time in
their busy schedule to visit the exposition
floor; the beauty and artistry found among
our jewelry vendors was amazing. We had
educators, aftercare products, insurance,
corsets, and books, The Piercing Bible and
Running the Gauntlet—where else you can
find all of that in one place? We re-vamped
APP merchandise and raffle booths with
information, T-shirts, and chances to win
thousands of dollars in prizes with our raffle!
We made time for attendees to mingle
and relax at our opening party by the pool,
and also at our banquet dinner. At the
annual banquet, we put on our glitzy best
and honored Gauntlet founder and author
Jim Ward on his 70th birthday!
We welcomed hundreds of attendees—
whether it was their sixteenth Conference
or their first—who found Conference is a
magical place: a place where everyone shares
your passion, where everyone has something
to contribute and something to learn. People
left with new friends, new inspirations, and
new energy for the coming year.
And we’ve already starting working on
the next one. P
For the sixth straight year, Sean
Hartgrove has been the APP’s
Conference photographer, taking
portraits of attendees in addition to
shots of classes, social events, and
the exposition floor. Sean’s photos
are used for the APP’s educational
and promotional materials, and many
of his more striking portraits have
graced the cover of The Point through
the years. More information on Sean
and his work can be found on his site,
seanhartgrove.com.
ISSUE 56 THE POINT 33