Leaving the office is never easy – the build up the week before is like trying to squeeze a pullout hamper into an overloaded closet…

But boy is it worth it!!

Can you think of a better way to recharge and get ready for the busy time of year?

People were catching up all night long.  New friends and old.

The Closet Conference and Expo is my favorite show – it’s the only show that has two days of educational sessions geared specifically for our industry.  

The Conference kicked off with John McDonald from Semihandmade.  He told his story of how he came up with the idea for building doors for IKEA cabinetry, the hurdles that he had to overcome and what his plan is for future growth.  It was a very interesting business model.  

Lisa Adams presented on Tuesday and Wednesday – her first session was Designing High End Closets, her second session was the concept of the Million Dollar Closet. The way that she markets her company is unbelievable. She has created a personal brand that allows her to charge $30,000 for a 10 x 10 walk-in closet! Most of the audience fell off their chairs when they heard that. She cut the ribbon to the Expo and posed for plenty of selfies…☺

Denise Butchko and Wendy Scott presented ideas to create High End Closets on a Budget. This session was so good that the Q&A ran for an extra 30 minutes. Attendees learned tricks like applying painted wood mouldings to MDF panels or how to create a jewelry cabinet.  Everyone left with new design ideas.

Richelieu and Hafele showed off their new hardware, Erik Huberman discussed "Marketing Your Closet Business" and The Osborne Ideation Breakfast is always a great time to share ideas and learn about each other’s business.  

The show floor opened up Wednesday morning and attendees rushed in to see the newest hardware, look under the hood of the latest machinery (literally), and demo the different design software on the market.

Everyone that attended seemed happy to be there and more importantly everyone got something out of it.  If you couldn’t attend this year, be sure to mark your calendar for next year April 11th–13th in Schaumburg, Illinois.  

The ACSP has plans next year to test designers on Thursday so that your sales team could leave as Certified Designers. Wouldn’t that be a great way to standout in your market?

Your turn, what did you think of Pasadena? What was your favorite part of the show?