It’s been almost a week since The Southern C Summit at Sea Island, GA and I can’t believe that another Summit has come and gone. I’ve been reviewing all of my notes, making short-term and long-term goals and brainstorming ideas 24/7.  This year’s Summit has been my favorite thus far because I left completely re-energized & motivated. It was the perfect way to start the year! Today I’m going to give you a recap of last week’s Summit, especially for those who didn’t have a chance to attend.

About the Southern C Summit

The Southern C Summit is an entrepreneurial based three-day conference. It brings professionals in the creative and business industries together for networking opportunities and educational sessions. Attendees range from artists to magazine editors and interior designers to bloggers. What I especially love about the Southern C Summit is that they cap the attendance at 250 which is the perfect size because you don’t get lost in the shuffle and you can interact heavily with everyone, including the presenters. To get a visual overview of the Summit, I’d recommend exploring the hashtag #tscsummit on Instagram.

If you want to attend next year’s Summit, I’d encourage you to follow The Southern C on Instagram and sign up for their newsletter so that you don’t miss the sign-up announcement. They sell out very quickly so keep an eye out when tickets go on sale. They’re also offering a small retreat this October at the WaterColor Inn off the Florida coast. It will be a much more intimate version of the annual Summit with a focus on bettering your business and your wellness. If you want to be the ‘first to know’ when tickets go on sale, you can email 30a@thesouthernc.com.

Summit Highlights

I was really impressed with all of the sessions this year. I left with actionable next steps that I’ll be implementing for Lavin Label. You can check out the list of presenters from last week’s summit on The Southern C’s website — but heavy hitters like Gray Malin, Rosie D’Argenzio with One Kings Lane, Steele Marcoux with Coastal Living, Darcy Miller with Martha Stewart, Lizzie and Kathryn from Lizzie Fortunato Jewels, Nikki Bazzani with Pinterest, Tori Mellot with Traditional Home, Jessica Romm with Domino, Mandy Rye with Waiting on Martha, Libbie Summers and more!

Here are some of my take-aways from the sessions:

• Gray Malin (very well-known fine art photographer) talked about his story and how he grew his brand. Gray was very humble, informative and honest about his journey. It was very inspirational. I’d recommend following him on Instagram if you don’t already. The key takeaway from his session — be AUTHENTIC. Only work with brands that are in alignment with your brand and values.
• Libbie Summers (book author and food stylist) talked about how to integrate your story into your brand. It was a great reminder that only you can tell your story and it’s what sets you apart. Think about how you can weave your story into your social channels, images, videos and blog posts. She also talked about how video is so important because it adds a personal connection with your audience.
• Social Media Panel with One Kings Lane, Gray Malin and Biscuit Home. It was moderated by Mandy Rye & the panelists were so knowledgable about social media and how to properly treat your social platforms as a business. Social media is a science and if you’re not analyzing your numbers and followers’ behaviors then you’re not utilizing it to the fullest potential.
• The Fortunato Sisters were brilliant. They shared such relevant and important information on how they built their brand. They have such a great pulse on the retail industry and have figured out how to navigate it successfully. The Southern C is going to publish a video of each of the presenters and I’ll be watching this presentation again for sure.
• Small group mentor sessions were a new addition to the Summit this year. Attendees were able to sign up for a mentor and meet with them for almost an hour. It was a great opportunity to personally meet the speakers and other professionals in the industry and ask specific questions that relate to your business. There was roughly 6-7 attendees per mentor and I hope that they do this again. I found it very valuable.

There were so many other fabulous sessions and I have a whole book of notes and action items for 2017. It was truly a joy to learn from the best in the creative industry!

Lastly, we especially enjoyed the Summit this year because I had the honor to present with Nikki Bazzani from Pinterest!! We shared our Pinterest best practices and how it relates to small business owners. I offered the talking points through a high-level infographic that you can check out on LL. It was such a treat and as a result I have the most grateful heart ever. Special thanks to Nikki (for saying yes to my email months ago), Whitney and Cheri for supporting Lavin Label and to all of the attendees! My heart is full. I’m looking forward to next year’s Summit & hope to see you there!

Kelli Boyd Photography for The Southern C and Lavin Label