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Yearbook Conferences – Go if you can!

In a previous post I mentioned how going to conferences means I made new yearbook friends and found out I am not exactly alone in this yearbook forest, but I didn’t mention the actual conference learning that happens.

This summer I attended the Entourage Yearbook conference in New Jersey. This wasn’t my first time, but I still found great content in the sessions, and I continue to learn about yearbooks, design, sales, management, organization, techniques and technology. I’ll be sharing more about what I learned in the sessions in the coming posts.

I will say I always enjoy the conference, but there are 3 things that are my favorite and there are so many things I really, really like.

Let’s start with things I really, really like.

I like meeting people from all over the country and sometimes out of the country and learning about how their yearbooks look and work. Seeing other yearbooks is such an amazing injection of creativity and possibilities. The ideas that come from seeing how someone else does their yearbook layouts, themes and covers, not to mention the innovation the yearbook company implemented to make unique and new ideas possible fires up my creative thinking! I have walked away from more than a few conferences with new ideas and plans for my next year!

I really like learning the techniques from some of the experts and peers and how to incorporate new technologies, or just learn a little bit about them. I remember learning about adding QR codes to incorporate videos, how to use, edit or improve photos from a cell phone. This one has been incredibly helpful over the years, and it continues to evolve as cameras get better.

I like hearing about how the industry has lasted throughout the evolution of social media and our digital world. As I looked over my notes from previous conferences, I see different social media platforms being the “new” thing and it changes, but yearbooks have continued as a great historical and social resource for students and communities for so many years!

I like learning about a new method or approach to the contents of the yearbook. I really, really liked learning about design guides, journalistic writing and photography. Before I attended my first conference, I was honestly just winging it. I learned I was on the right track for some of these things, but after I learned about them, my mindset changed at how I looked at these 3 components and my skills improved.

There are more, but I want to get to what I consider my favorite parts.

First, I really like seeing my friends and meeting new yearbook advisors. Being in a room where I am among people who can relate! I like being in a place where what we do as advisors is understood and respected. Many of us have experienced the “oh you do the yearbook” from our schools and community, but this group GETS IT! They know that it’s not just dropping some photos on a page, but about 10 roles behind that final project, whether you work alone, with a colleague or a group of students, being with other yearbook advisors who understand makes a huge difference to my attitude. (Not to mention it can be fun sharing crazy and shocking stories to a crowd who can relate!)

I also really like the fact that with Entourage our Reps are among us learning and teaching and that the CEO is part of our group. He’s right there with us listening to our ideas and experiences, even listening to the sessions. I enjoy his welcome message that includes what is new for the next year, sharing what upgrades, what changes in the industry are coming and the changes with the company. I love that I don’t feel like just an account, but rather someone whose opinion, ideas and creativity is appreciated. I have worked with 3 other companies, and I find this relationship much more connected and like a person who is creating – not just content with a deadline. I have found myself more connected to the process, supported creatively and supported as I learned or struggled, and I feel more connected not just to my main contact, my rep, but other staff of Entourage. For this reason, I really like being able to participate with in-person learning alongside and from the employees at Entourage. Having them at the conference and being able to learn from them is extremely helpful.

Now my absolute favorite thing about the conference that is always a highlight for me, no matter how many times I attend, is the tour of the Production Facility! Watching how yearbooks and yearbook covers are made and assembled is something I never tire of. I remember the first time I was able to see the process, I was mesmerized and so impressed. Seeing a book in production go from start to finish, it’s a real life “How It’s Made” but it’s special because you know your book was made there. Seeing the different bindings and assembling the different types of books is amazing! Not only that but I love being able to thank the workers who create my yearbooks with such attention and care. I’ve toured the facility each time I’ve gone to the conference and each time things change, a new type of printer, a new type of binding, top secret binding machines, new arrangement of the facility, more machines, more staff and I feel such a special connection and appreciation for it because I feel like I’m a part of it and I’ve been along for the journey!

I walk away from the conference inspired, excited, reenergized and ready to make a better book with all I’ve learned! If you can attend a conference like this, I highly recommend it. Not all yearbook conferences are the same, but I hope the other conferences provide the same learning opportunities as Entourage has for me!

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