UnConvention_Richmond-VA_Quirk-Hotel_LGBT_November-2016_TheGirlTyler-156.jpg

SAVE THE DATE

NOVEMBER 5, 2017 // RICHMOND, VIRGINIA at QUIRK HOTEL

Join Us on Sunday, November 5, 2017 in Richmond, Virginia

Hosted by Catalyst Wedding Co.

Join us for a day dedicated to building community and sharing knowledge between equality-minded wedding professionals. The schedule features conversations with leading progressive voices in the wedding industry, workshops to help you grow your business and reach a more diverse audience, and time to socialize and build your squad of woke wedding professionals.

{un}convention is a time to celebrate intersectionality, and we are dedicated to bringing equality and inclusion to the industry. We invite all creative professionals to join us as we immerse ourselves in education and community.

Register Now

{un}convention is for...

► Wedding professionals who crave more from our industry: more diversity, more inclusion, more dialogue, more meaningful media, and more real emotions.

► Entrepreneurs who are looking for ways to refresh their brand and grow their audiences through workshops and talks that focus on staying true to your values and connecting with the right clients.

► New business owners who don't know where to start but know that getting advice from seasoned pros who share their progressive sensibilities will absolutely help.

Our event is limited to 60 attendees to ensure a relaxed environment where we can all build real connections and collaborations.

Register Now

SPEAKERS & PANELISTS

Latoya Dixon Smith

Keynote Speaker

Cassandra Zetta

Workshop Leader

Chip Dizard

Workshop Leader

Caroline J. Fox

Workshop Leader

Amber Marlow

Panelist

Lucy Baber

Panelist

Brittney Taylor

Panelist

Nadiya Nacorda

Panelist

More Speakers To Be Announced!

Register Now

Timeline

Conference Schedule

9:30 AM - 10:00 AM

Check in with coffee & pastries.

10:00 AM - 10:15 AM

Opening Remarks with Jen Siomacco and Liz Susong of Catalyst Wedding Co.

10:15 AM - 11:00 AM

Panel: "Intersectionality in the Wedding Industry"

Join us for this panel moderated by Liz Susong, editor of Catalyst Wedding Co., as we discuss the importance of intersectionality in the wedding industry.

Panelists to be announced.

11:00 AM - 11:10 AM

Break

11:10 AM - 11:55 AM

Interactive Workshop with Chip Dizard: "Niches Bring Riches: How to Use Facebook Ads to Reach a Diverse Audience and Build your Client Base"

Chip Dizard is an expert on Facebook advertising for photographers and web site tactics that actually get results. His interactive workshop will help you refine your Facebook Ads to make sure you are reaching your ideal clients.

11:55 PM - 12:05 PM

Break

12:05 PM - 12:50 PM

Interactive Workshop with Caroline J. Fox: "Get Your (Legal) Self in Order"

Caroline J. Fox is an attorney and master of dealing with legal issues, and because of her love for the wedding industry, the majority of her clients are wedding vendors! Her workshop will give vendors a crash course in making sure your business is set up properly, how to make enforceable contracts, how to protect your intellectual property, and what to do in the event of a dispute.

Caroline also loves working with LGBTQ+ couples to handle legal name changes and legal gender changes. As an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, she will provide an overview of legal protections to be aware of when it comes to working with LGBTQ+ couples.

12:50 PM - 2:00 PM

Business Bestie Lunch

We know how hard it is to be at a conference where you don't know anyone! As you enjoy lunch provided by Quirk Hotel's restaurant, Maple and Pine, we'll provide each table with a set of questions to help you get to know other attendees and meet your new business besties.

2:oo PM - 3:00 PM

Interactive Workshop with Cassandra Zetta: "How to Actually Be a LGBTQ+ Friendly Wedding Vendor"

Cassandra Zetta is a queer wedding photographer specializing in LGBTQ+ weddings and elopements. With the belief that every love needs to be celebrated, her mission is to create an inclusive safe space for all couples to share their love openly and honestly.

This interactive workshop is applicable to all vendors, not just photographers, and will help shed light on some of the finer details of serving the LGBTQ+ community, including: understanding gender and pronouns, distinctions between gender and sexuality, thoughtful posing, writing and developing inclusive content for your website, and more.

3:00 PM - 3:10 PM

Break

3:10 PM - 4:10 PM

Panel: "Diversity is More Than a Checklist Item"

Join us as we discuss the growing use of "diversity" as a checklist item for wedding publications and businesses. While we all agree diversity is important, this panel will explore the tokenization, appropriation, and silencing that can happen when "diversity" is treated as a checklist item as opposed to a core business value.

Panelists include Amber Marlow, Lucy Baber, Brittney Taylor, and Nadiya Nacorda.

4:10 PM - 4:20 PM

Break

4:20 PM - 5:20 PM

Keynote Talk with Latoya Dixon Smith: "Building and Serving a Community of Underrepresented Voices"

Latoya Dixon Smith is a wedding and engagement photographer based in Greenville, SC. Along with photographing crazy-in-love couples who seek adventure in their journeys together, Latoya finds her passion in educating and leading The Queen Photographers, a national community of women of color photographers aiming to equip each other in business and foster a supportive Sisterhood.

5:20 PM - 5:30 PM

Where Do We Go From Here?

Closing Remarks from Jen and Liz

5:30 PM - 7:00 PM

Cocktail Hour!

The fun isn't over yet! After spending all day learning and chatting with awesome people, let's relax together and get to know each other better! Each attendee will receive 2 complimentary drink tickets that can be used for alcohol or non-alcoholic beverages.

Register Now