The Midwest Craft Con is a three-day retreat for crafters, makers and creative business owners.

The conference will include inspirational keynote addresses, thought-provoking panel discussions, hands-on workshops and business-focused breakout sessions from experts from Ohio, the Midwest and beyond. But it won't be all work: You'll make new friends at our evening mixers, explore our trade show and network with makers — it'll be a weekend-long retreat with your best craft buddies. We hope you can join us!

Our keynote speakers for 2020 are crochet designer, Twinkie Chan and executive director of Social Justice Sewing Academy, Sara Trail.

Breakout sessions will include expert advice on everything you need to know about running your small business, from marketing and social media to legal and accounting advice to ideas for stoking your creativity. Stay tuned forthe full lineup of speakers and craft workshops.

When is it?

Midwest Craft Con will be from Friday morning to Sunday evening, Feb. 28-March 1, 2020, at the Embassy Suites Dublin, about 20 minutes north of downtown Columbus, Ohio. Don't forget to join us for our opening ceremonies on Thursday evening February 27th.

We have 100 Early Bird tickets at the rate of $199! Three day passes will then increase up to $249 after they've sold out or become available by October 1st, whichever should come first.Day passes will also be made available at that time.

What's included?

Three days of sessions, panels and keynote speakers, plus fun maker-centric activities and ample socialization time. Your ticket to Midwest Craft Con gets you 24-hour access to the Embassy Suites. The Embassy Suites offers free parking, breakfast and a happy hour every day for those staying overnight. Lodging is not included in the cost of your ticket.

We will provide lunch for all ticket holders.

When you register, we'll send you a confirmation email with a link to reserve your hotel room. We highly recommend staying on site, as events will go late into the evening, and our contract is contingent on our people booking rooms. We've negotiated a special price of $129 for attendees, and you must book through the hotel reservation link by March 8th to get this rate. We'll also invite you to join our private Facebook group for Midwest Craft Con attendees, where you can find someone to share a room with if you're coming on your own!

For people who are new to Columbus, Ohio, we're offering a number of bus tours of essential crafty stores in the city. Stay tuned for Caravan details.

Help out a fellow maker!

Consider giving a dollar or two to our scholarship fund to help out a crafter who can't afford this awesome experience on their own right now. Your donation is tax-deductible!

What else do I need to know?

We aim to make this conference inclusive and fun, so please read our Code of Conduct that we expect all attendees to adhere to.

Where can I contact the organizer with any questions?

Check out our website here for more details about us and our event, and you can email us at midwestcraftcon@gmail.com.

Is my ticket transferrable?

If you purchased a ticket but can no longer join us, tickets are transferable but not refundable. You can post your ticket for sale in the Facebook group, and you can transfer the ticket yourself to the new holder from within your Eventbrite account, but please notify us of the transfer for our records. There is one exception: If you are invited to speak at the conference but already bought a ticket, we will happily refund your ticket. (We provide conference admission, hotel accommodations and an honorarium for invited speakers.)