I just attended the 2023 Haven Conference in Atlanta and it was fabulous. It is a conference for creators in the DIY, Home Decor and Lifestyle Industry. They are also committed to providing a safe space for a diverse and equitable community. It’s even in their Mission Statement.
As we started the conference and was listening to the welcome speech, I looked around and saw all of these fabulous women and knew this was going to be life changing for me.
Home Depot was the headline sponsor. As the world’s largest home improvement specialty retailer, this was the perfect sponsor for this conference. They also had a contest called the “Orange Tank Awards” where you could submit a video detailing a project based on the theme of this year; Staycation. The winner gets the chance to partner with Home Depot to bring their plans to life and a $1,500 gift card. Some of the finalists were spotlighted at the conference and the winner was announced on the last day.
To tell you the truth, when I was looking at the website in early 2023, I didn’t know if it was going to be worth it to attend. I was looking at a conference in Las Vegas and adding up the costs. It was a hard no for that. But as soon as I saw Dabito was going to be at the Haven Conference as a celebrity speaker and it was in Atlanta, I was sold.
Besides being one of the most fashionable people I’ve ever seen, he is so talented as a designer, photographer and artist. He has had a very interesting life and kind of came by decorating in a roundabout way, and I hung onto every word he said. He just wrote a book called “Old Brand New” and he’s taking preorders now. Old Brand New is the name of his blog and his design aesthetic is all about marrying the old with the new.
The Keynote speaker of the conference was Crystal Cartwright of LTK (Like to Know). She is the Sr. Director of Creator Success & Support. I love the LTK app and I follow many of my favorite content creators on there. If you’re not familiar with LTK, it’s the largest global influencer marketing platform. The app curates the fashion, home decor and lifestyle of your favorite creators all in one place. If you buy something from them, they receive a commission.
There were a lot of brands represented and we had a chance to meet with them and find out what they were looking for in a partnership. The thing I was most surprised at was the fact that you didn’t have to have a million followers. There were brands that actually wanted to work with smaller influencers. Along with the two brands below, there was Benjamin Moore, Mediavine, Southern Living Plants, Carpet One, Woodgrain and many more.
Amerock is a manufacturer of cabinet and bathroom hardware.
Felt Right is a brand of felt tiles that interlock and you can use on the walls, floors or even ceilings.
After the General Panels first thing in the morning after breakfast, the rest of the day consisted of Breakout Sessions. These are smaller and more personal classes on specific subjects you may be interested in. They were even separated into Beginner and Advanced.
My favorite was “Custom Content Packaging” with the CEO of Black Girl Digital. I knew of her, but after participating in her session, I was in love. She’s a force to be reckoned with and will fight for pay equality with brands.
Another of my favorite breakout sessions was “How to Get Published in a Magazine”. The Executive Editor of HGTV Magazine was there and taught us how to get featured in print and also on HGTV.com.
Speakers in the main ballroom covered many subjects including “The Power of the Influencer Industry”, “Building Powerful Brand Collaborations”, “Being a Creator in Today’s Landscape” and “Playing the Long Game in Entrepreneurship”.
After the last panel discussion, I left feeling a whole lot of inspiration and love.
I also had a wonderful mentor during the conference whose name is Jenasie from MsViciousDesign. I can’t tell you how wonderful and inspiring she was and I really could devote a whole blog post just to her. Just know that if you don’t follow this woman, please do it now. I think she and I are spirit animals and will stay in touch for a long, long time.
For all of you content creators out there, please consider going to the Haven Conference next year. It will be at the Loews Hotel Midtown, July 11-13, 2024. It was totally worth it.
See you in the comments.
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