MJSA conference to focus on profits, selling

Attleboro Falls, Mass.--MJSA will present its annual ConFab conference at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York Nov. 3, offering jewelry makers and designers a day of lessons on how to be profitable.

During the course of the day, designers, marketers, contractors and consultants will give lectures that focus on what it takes to run a successful business.

Andrea Hill, president of consulting firm StrategyWerx and former CEO of Rio Grande, will present “Creating Your Own Niche,” demonstrating how to identify market opportunities and develop a unique brand that appeals to prospective customers. Designers Lisa Jenks, Alex Woo and Jessica Kagan Cushman also will discuss their own experiences with niche marketing.

Hill also will present “Sales Skills for the Selling-Challenged,” where attendees will take part in a series of games that demonstrate how to describe a product’s selling points powerfully, and match those points to prospects’ needs.

Designers Lisa Jenks and Scott and Minter Richter will cover “Maintaining Margins When Creating Designs in Low-Cost Metals.” MJSA Journal Editor-in-Chief Tina Wojtkielo Snyder will moderate the discussion.

Cindy Edelstein of the Jewelers’ Resource Bureau will focus on “Creating a Digital Marketing Plan,” featuring Eugene Brill, director of marketing for the Jewelry.com division of the Richline Group; Matthew Perosi, founder of the Jeweler Website Advisory Group; and Peggy Jo Donahue, who manages MJSA’s social networking.

The group will discuss how to integrate all aspects of a business’ online activities into a cohesive presence that sends a powerful message to current and prospective customers.

The day will end with ConFab Connect, where attendees can network and speak with the conference presenters and its sponsors, the MJSA Education Foundation, Richline Group, Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company, Riva Precision Manufacturing, Rio Grande and Edelstein.

ConFab is $125 to attend and the fee includes access to the ConFab online extras, a collection of articles, videos and other resources exclusive to conference attendees.

Additional information and registration for ConFab can be found on the MJSA website.