As a new or growing wedding photography business, you have a lot of expenses to consider- camera equipment, computers, software, website hosting, packaging supplies, the list goes on. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of different ways you could spend your money, and each mew purchase you consider has the potential to overwhelm you just a little bit more, especially when the seller is passionately declaring how very, very important this one thing is for the life of your business.

[Don’tcha love the iPhone photos? We had some amazing conference photographers so I left my real camera at home!]

But if it came down it and I had to choose ONLY five areas to spend business funds, education will always be one of them! I’m entering my seventh wedding season and though I feel comfortable with what I offer, my shooting style, my business model, I know there’s still so much for me to learn. And that’s where conferences come in!

With how quickly the market changes these days, sitting in the “this has always worked, and I’m not going to change” boat just doesn’t work- in order to adapt as the industry moves forward, you have to proactively seek out opportunities to keep up with that sort of growth. And that’s why I love conferences like Creative At Heart SO much, because they bring together the TOP leaders in the respective industries to talk about all the business-y things that growing small business owners need! (I’m using Creative as the prime example here because I’ve been to four of them in the past)

Rather than spending weeks compiling some of the same information from a gaggle of blog posts, articles, and research, or rather than spending thousands of dollars to attend workshops with each individual speaker, you get to hear from a collection of leaders in the flesh- what’s working? what’s NOT working, and why is that?

And another thing I love about most conferences? You have the chance to speak face-to-face with the folks you spending so much time looking up to, whose work you’ve been studying for years. At Creative in Charleston, Matt & I sat at a table with Mary Marantz and talked launch strategy during Late Night Treat. Mary & I are friends, yes, but I wasn’t the only one who had the opportunity to talk to her- I loved seeing attendees chatting with speakers and panelists during breaks, lunches, etc.

Mary also introduced me to Shay Cochrane, who was kind enough to give me pointers for Sweet Wanderings! Shay Cochrane, the most successful commercial photographers in her niche market, gave me advice. WHAT! That never would have happened over Instagram or Periscope, and probably not over email either!

So to sum it up, here’s why conferences are an incredible resource for new or growing small businesses:

1. It’s a faster, more efficient way to learn and gather a TON of new information in a condensed timespan
2. You have access to a group of industry leaders that would otherwise be more difficult to learn from on an individual basis [read: the convenience of everyone together in one place!]
3. The networking with other attendees is INVALUABLE. We’re seen so many partnerships, vendor friendships, and collaborations rise from Creative attendees getting together to build one another up!

If you’re looking for a conference to attend this year, I’d LOVE to see you at the Denver Creative in July! I’ll be speaking on one of my favorite topics, The Gentle No :). There’s an incredible line-up for July, including the one and only Shay Cochrane, Natalie Franke, Graham & Ashley Scobey, Katelyn James, and more- see the whole list HERE, and grab your seat HERE!

Who knows? You, too may be able to score a sweet pic like this in the photo booth at Late Night Treat. BOOM. (photo by Annmarie Swift!)