The beauty of launching a new craft industry trade show is that we’re creating something from the ground up, which means we can curate the exact show we want. 

In its second year, h+h americas is applying all the knowledge and wisdom learned from last year’s show to h+h americas 2023. We expect that as we gather more years, the show will continue to expand, exploring new and varied areas of the crafting community and uplifting more entrepreneurs and creative craft businesses to infuse the show with fresh ideas.

The format of h+h americas’ conference program takes a different approach in 2023. Last year, the conference program included dozens of business courses and workshops and three keynote addresses, as well as multiple daily Sofa Talks sessions. We received a lot of feedback from exhibitors and attendees that the stacked schedule made it difficult to carve out time for everything. Aside from scheduling important touch base meetings with potential clients and visiting exhibitors booths, many felt like they were missing out on important, informative sessions.

We took your feedback and crafted this year’s conference program in response to your suggestions. We conferred with our Conference Committee, composed of more than 40 people hailing from all sectors, positions, and niches of the crafts industry, to discuss this year’s approach. We asked ourselves which questions arose again and again this year and last year. What do we need to teach in 2023? What issues require attention? From there, we worked backwards to try and find the best and brightest in our industry to address these topics and issues. 

Says Abby Glassenberg, Co-founder and President of Craft Industry Alliance:

When you come to a trade show you should have the opportunity to learn from industry experts and delve into topics that are highly relevant to your business right now. With that in mind, we are proud to present a best-in-class slate of classes and talks at h+h americas 2023. The Conference Committee, in collaboration with Craft Industry Alliance, has worked tirelessly to bring together an incredible faculty and inspiring keynotes. Invest in yourself and your business by taking part in these learning opportunities at the show!

We handpicked a list of top quality instructors to lead a curated program that will hopefully inspire the craft industry and speak to their needs.This year, h+h americas will have:

• 4 Master Classes – limited to 10 people per class, these will be longform, concentrated education courses running for 2.5 hours. Practical and hands on, Master Classes will be hosted by an expert consultant in the chosen field.
• 12 Business Classes – Business Classes will take the form of shorter educational lecture sessions conducted by a single instructor. Running for 1 hour, the Business Classes will also feature interactive Q&A sessions for attendees.
• 3 Keynote Sessions – Keynote Sessions will include a State of the Industry Panel Address, as well as 2 keynote speeches (one on each morning) from business leaders and entrepreneurs in the crafting industry.
• Main Stage Content – Main Stage Content picks up the format from last year’s Sofa Talks, inviting small and large businesses to host informative sessions to discuss current and emerging issues and points of interest within the industry.
• Side Events + Networking Opportunities – As with last year, this year’s show will feature several areas on the floor for networking opportunities and structured events, including demonstration zones.

We plan to announce the official lineup of speakers, teachers, and classes in the coming weeks. Sign up for the h+h americas newsletter to be the first to hear the conference program announcement.