ALT Summit Recap: Flamingle With JoAnn (Sponsored Night Out)
One of the greatest things about opening day of ALT Summit is the sponsored dinner parties. Every year, various sponsors put on these incredibly beautiful, creative and sometimes totally over the top dinner parties to connect with influencers, bloggers and business owners that are complimentary to their own brands.
I had heard many great things about these dinners, but since this was my very first ALT Summit, it was my first year getting to experience one myself.
Since I’m a lover of all things crafty and DIY (d’uh), I chose to hang out (#flamingle, if you will) with the team from JoAnn Fabric and Crafts for the evening. The JoAnn team thought it would be fun to treat us to a dessert night instead of a dinner, and we were treated to an evening of bright colours and fun socializing complete with an interactive rolled ice cream station, watermelon cocktails and cupcakes!
We met at the cozy Palmetto patio at The Saguaro Hotel, which was right up my ally since it meant we got to sit next to outdoor firepits and wrap up in cozy sweaters. Pair that with meeting some wonderful people, who, by the end of the conference, I am proud to call my friends. Shout out to Leonie from Maple & Oak and Amanda from Amanda Letters!
I loved how everyone really was free to dress as casual or as fancy as they wanted to. This was a common theme throughout the whole conference, and while at first it was suuuuuuuper intimidating (some women looked like they walked straight off the runway), it really was all about doing what felt right to you. So you could wear jeans and a t-shirt and still feel just as comfortable.
We also got to chat with JoAnn representatives who were at the dinner with us, and learn more about their plans and hopes for their brand in the upcoming year. I actually didn’t realize that Jo-Ann’s used to be primarily a fabric store and only recently began their rebrand as a fabric and craft store. In fact, before the conference even started, I popped into the store in Palm Desert to do some browsing and was surprised to realize how many fun home decor options they really had. We are so excited to be partnering up with JoAnn through their affiliate program, and we’re hoping to have a tutorial style posts coming up in the next few months!
As the evening came to a close, we were gifted amazing gift bags which included our very own Instax Cameras, along with a number of other amazing products (like this adorable camera case) that I can’t wait to open + use.
Whether it’s just your first ALT Summit, or your first conference ever, I highly recommend signing up for whatever opening night dinners are available. It may feel totally weird and out of your element at first, but when you look back on it, I’m confident you will feel thankful for those first few connections you made that night! It sure is a feeling of relief when you recognize a friendly face in the crowd on days 2 and 3, and will help make your whole experience that much more enjoyable!
This article is part of my ALT Summit Recap Series. Read all of the articles here!
