2011 Convention Cancelled

Hi everyone,

Well, it's been an interesting couple of months culminating in the decision to cancel this year's Bookmark Collectors Virtual Convention. It wasn't an easy decision, but I believe it was the right one.

There are a couple of reasons behind this decision. First and foremost has been my time and availability. Shortly after the new year, several new projects at work demanded more of my time and a new project at home tied up most of my free time. The convention was getting less and less of the time that it needed.

And the second reason is that we weren't getting the interest in supporting the convention we had in the past. I  don't think there was any less interest in a convention, it's just that there weren't as many offers to make presentations or take on some of the organizing tasks that are necessary. And after (happily!) performing many of the tasks last year, I knew that I wouldn't have the same time this year. I will quickly admit that I need to put a lot more effort into organizing and recruiting both presenters and workers, but once again my time constraints interfered with the effort I know this event requires.

So, going forward... I am not saying this event can't happen and be successful! Quite the contrary, I think we all saw how well it can work based on last years event. I am hopeful that delaying the event a year will give more people a chance to prepare a presentation or participate in planning the next convention. I think the delay can make it a stronger event.

Please feel free to write and let me know your thoughts or you can add a comment at the forums.

And let's look forward to an amazing 2012 Convention!

Call for Presentations!

We're only a couple of months away from the scheduled 2011 Bookmark Collectors Virtual Convention, and we're looking for papers and presenters. Last year we were fortunate to have a wide range of presentions, and I think we all discovered that everyone has something interesting to say. One of the best received papers was from Don Baldwin who simply talked about his own collection.

Take a look at last year's list of presentations (http://www.bmcvc.com/presentations/), and then review the list of suggested topics on our presenter's page (http://www.bmcvc.com/presenter-information/). Something on that list will inspire you.

As we discovered last year, the convention is a great place to exhange ideas and experiences. We all had a great time, and I think the presenters got more out of it than the attendees. I know I did!

Alan

P.S. If you're not feeling like clicking on a link, here's the suggestion list:

Photographing bookmarks
Using a scanner and Photoshop
Personal collection
Focus on particular types of bookmarks or manufacturers
The world of bookmarks: souvenirs of note
Bookmarks history
Cultural values/usages
What can bookmarks teach us?
Bookmarks and censorship: when bookmarks offend
Displaying your bookmarks without taking over the house
Categorizing bookmarks: Software and its possibilities
Exhibiting/showing
How to approach galleries. libraries, bookstores, and other locations for a showing
How to create a good presentation and find outlets interested in having you talk
Demonstrations on making bookmarks (pick any craft)
Die-cut bookmarks for today
The business of bookmarks: creating and selling bookmarks for profit
Using eBay and other auction sites
Online retail/craft sites
Writing about bookmarks: is there money to be had?
Bookmark swaps
Bookmark collecting groups/organizations
Creating an active bookmark forum for both discussion and trading
Building a bookmarks library: articles, books, and newsletters about bookmarks
Bookmark ephemera
Stories from collectors – how a collection came together
Unusual aspects of collecting
Bookmark contests used to promote reading/etc.
Expanding the field, educating the public, bringing in new collectors
On not boring people in conversation: how to talk bookmarks without losing your audience

Galleries

We're in the home stretch of getting ready for the event.  I want to encourage everyone to add your favorite bookmarks to the galleries.  If you don't see a category that fits, add yours anyway and send us a message with your description and a category suggestion.  It's great fun to see what is coming in but we want more.  It's easy to upload and then we'll place them for you.  --Laine

Bookmarks (er, the internet kind)

Deanna Dahlsad is one of our presenters at the convention and one of the most prolific blog posters I know. To help promote the Bookmark Collectors Virtual Convention, she's recently written a couple of posts about us including a special offer to entice people to sign up (thank you Deanna).

The second post discusses one of my favorite aspects of bookmark collecting: bookmarks as art.

Here are the links:

http://www.inherited-values.com/2010/02/collectible-event-news-collectors-virtual-convention/

http://www.ululating-undulating-ungulate.com/2010/02/celebrating-collecting-the-art-of-bookmarks/

Advertising is now up

As you've probably noticed, we've got the first Supporters and Vendors ads on-site. This isn't some keyword based, generic ad system. These are folks who have a product or service that's directly related to the convention. Some will be participating in the Trade Show.

If you are intersted in advertising at the site contact us and we'll send you the rate sheet and go over the Trade Show options.