Image courtesy of h+h americas.
Are you interested in learning new skills to help you run your craft business? Join us in Chicago for h+h americas, the premier trade show for the crafts industry, where you’ll find an incredible lineup of business-focused classes.
Craft Industry Alliance and the h+h americas Conference Committee have an incredible lineup of business classes for this year’s show. You’ll learn from the best instructors in the industry. Purchase classes a la carte, or get a class pass and attend as many as you want. Craft Industry Alliance members get a discount on both!
Tickets go on sale February 1. Mark your calendar!
Wednesday, May 7
Social Media and Digital Marketing 101
10:30-11:30
Not sure where to start with social media or aren’t sure why your social media isn’t doing anything for you? This class will help you answer bigger questions like: Who is my target audience? When and where are they online? What can I give them to get engagement? Figure out where you need to be and how to create a successful campaign in this high impact class on all things social media and digital marketing.
Unlock Etsy’s Potential for Your Brand
1:00-2:00
Ready to unlock the secrets of Etsy success? Whether you’re just starting out or looking to elevate your shop, this session is your chance to learn from an Etsy expert. Explore proven strategies to boost visibility, attract your ideal customers, and make your shop stand out in Etsy’s bustling marketplace.
Nicole, an Etsy U instructor, Etsy Design Award Finalist, and top 1% seller, brings her wealth of experience to this business class. She’ll cover essential topics like crafting compelling listings, optimizing your shop for Etsy’s algorithm, and creating a brand that gets noticed by Etsy staff and media alike. Dive into real-world examples with listing and shop audits and get your questions answered by a pro.
For newcomers, discover why Etsy is the perfect platform to showcase your work and how it can transform your business. All experience levels are welcome—this is your opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive on Etsy!
Are Influencers Really Worth It?
2:30-3:30
Have you noticed the popularity of influencer marketing, but you thought it was too expensive for you? This class will teach you how to figure out if nano and micro influencers are right for your business and how to begin working with them. We will talk strategy, campaign, and how the right influencer can make a big impact on your business.
Stop Clicking that Boost Button: Learn Meta Ads Best Practices
4:00-5:00
Tired of wasting money on boosted posts that don’t deliver results? Facebook and Instagram ads can be powerful tools for driving traffic and customers, but you’ve got to know what you’re doing. This workshop will teach you the best practices for running Meta ad campaigns designed to drive real growth. Learn how to build strategic campaigns, target your ideal audience, and make the most of your ad spend. Say goodbye to guesswork and hello to smarter ads to help you convert!
Thursday, May 8
Attract, Retain, and Engage Your Retail Customers
10:30-11:30
As a seasoned retailer, I understand the challenge of attracting new customers while retaining the loyal ones. In this session, I’ll share tried-and-true strategies that have worked for me, focusing on how to identify key customer segments, personalize outreach, and foster ongoing engagement to keep your business top of mind. Let’s make customer loyalty your greatest asset!
You’ll come away with:
- Field-tested strategies to attract your ideal customers and build loyalty
- Tools to create a memorable experience that keeps customers coming back
- Practical ways to foster meaningful customer engagement, both online and in-store
Building a Value Rich Email Marketing Strategy that Converts to Sales
1:00-2:00
Effective email marketing is critical to the long-term health of any online business – learn how to build an engaging, fun, and creative newsletter strategy that converts to consistent sales! Own your own marketing channels and get direct access to your customers outside the whims of social media algorithms. Using Closet Core Patterns + Core Fabrics as case studies, I’ll teach you how to build and grow an engaged list, how to create campaign newsletters and recurring email flows that are a pleasure to read (and encourage people to buy!), along with sharing my insights on how we get open rates over 60% and earn more than 50% of our revenue a year from email alone.
1 Table, 4 Ways: Merchandising That Converts and Inspires
2:30-3:30
Keeping your product assortment fresh and exciting is key to driving sales and captivating customers. In this session, you’ll learn four innovative ways to merchandise the same table, each designed to spark creativity and encourage purchases. With step-by-step instructions, expert tips, and best practices from top retailers, you’ll walk away with actionable strategies to refresh your store and inspire shoppers.
How To Tackle Creative Retail Displays and Grow Your Brand
Every retailer aims to create a memorable shopping experience and become a destination. Drawing from nearly 20 years of experience with Anthropologie and independent retailers, Sheena Birt shares proven strategies for designing and installing custom displays that inspire customers. This talk will equip you with the tools to make creative displays that grow your business and build community.
Revenue You Can Rely On: Mastering Email and SMS Marketing
4:00-5:00
Email is almost always the most important marketing channel for ecommerce, and should account for 25-40% of your revenue. List growth is important because you control your email and SMS lists, unlike social media and search engines where you are subject to changing algorithms.
In this class, we will focus on the most essential advanced techniques such as using automated flows to target different stages of the customer journey, using segmentation to have more personalized conversations at scale, and the importance of getting started with SMS.
Aeolidia is certified as a Klaviyo Platinum Master Partner. We use Klaviyo as an example, but the concepts we teach can be used on other providers that have ecommerce integrations.
Friday, May 9
Alanna Wilcox
Integrating AI Into The Fabric of Your Business
10:00-11:00
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming how creative businesses operate—and it doesn’t have to be intimidating! In this workshop, you’ll see practical examples of manipulating text prompts to generate useful, unique material for marketing and e-commerce. Learn time-saving strategies to boost productivity and creativity using AI-generated imagery that can promote your business and spark new ideas.
Discover ethical and creative ways to incorporate AI into your workflows and leave with actionable ideas to implement right away. Whether you’re a solo entrepreneur or part of a team, this session will help you unlock AI’s potential as a powerful tool for growth.
Craft Industry Trends: 2025 and Beyond
11:15-12:15
Trends inform many of our decisions in making, buying, and living. This class will look at the key trends influencing our society right now, then specifically delve into fashion, living, and color trends for the upcoming seasons. We’ll examine maker trends–particularly relating to knitting, crochet, sewing, quilting, needlework, and embroidery–taking a closer look at what’s influencing each category. Finally, we see how these relate to current retail trends.
How To Tackle Creative Retail Displays and Grow Your Brand
12:30-1:30
Every retailer aims to create a memorable shopping experience and become a destination. Drawing from nearly 20 years of experience with Anthropologie and independent retailers, Sheena Birt shares proven strategies for designing and installing custom displays that inspire customers. This talk will equip you with the tools to make creative displays that grow your business and build community.
Bridging the Gap: Connecting the Dots Between Your Marketing & Sales Data
1:45-2:45
How can you tell if your marketing efforts are making a difference? In this session, you’ll learn specific techniques to track the return on investment of your marketing campaigns using your sales data. We’ll discuss the various metrics you can track and what to do with that data. You’ll leave this session with an analytics cheat sheet full of easy-to-understand definitions and insights into which metrics are most important to your business based on your goals.
Stay tuned!
We’ll be announcing our State of the Industry panelists as well as the Main Stage speakers in the coming weeks!