commonsku, a promotional products business and sales software platform, hosted its third annual skucamp conference in Pittsburgh.
More than 120 supplier and distributor entrepreneurs arrived from as far away as Australia to attend the third annual skucamp, a bootcamp-style conference designed to help entrepreneurs reboot and re-imagine their business.
The conference sessions were kicked off with a morning of practical hands-on teaching from Johanna Gottlieb of Axis Promotions, followed by Craig Dunlap of Meyer Dunlap, Jamie Watson of Certified Marketing, Amanda Delaney of IMAGEN Brands, Steve McBee and Carson Roncketto of Creative, Jason Lucash of HUB Promotional Group,John Vo of Whoopla, Brian Stidham of EMT and a special presentation from Nate Cunningham and Claire Hosteny of East End Development Partners titled “Building a Boutique Experience in a Commodity-Driven World.” The first day’s sessions ended with Arcade Comedy leading an improv on collaboration and a night of dine-arounds with attendees.
Day two kicked off with a keynote and workshop delivered by celebrated author Jay Acunzo, the founder of Unthinkable Media and author of the book “Break the Wheel: Question Best Practices, Hone Your Intuition and Do Your Best Work.”
Acunzo is a former digital media strategist at Google, and has been published in Fast Company and Forbes. Salesforce called him a “creative savant.” Acunzo helped the audience focus on intrinsically motivated work that inspires conviction over consensus to deliver value that is truly unique. David Nicholson of PCNA then shared a glimpse into the future from a global perspective and the current challenges with the promo supply chain. Afternoon sessions featured Sara Webb of InTandem and Catherine Graham of commonsku on the subject of leadership, followed by an exclusive interview with Jamie Mair of BDA.
The day wrapped with an intimate interview with Mark and Catherine Graham on the challenges, opportunities and risks inherent in running a high-growth company, and the conference ended with a closing party at Lumberjaxes Axe Throwing.
“We were stunned by the responses from the community at skucamp this year,” said Mark Graham, commonsku’s co-founder and chief platform officer. Never has the energy been more electric and the enthusiasm higher for our profession. From the sponsors and their involvement—beyond dollars—to the distributors who gathered to learn and inspire one another, it was our privilege to host such an astounding group who challenged each other to re-imagine a world with no limits. We didn’t think it was possible, but based on the feedback from attendees, this year’s event exceeded our expectations, and that’s directly due to the caliber of professionals that opened their hearts and minds to a richer experience.”
Interested parties can register for skucon 2020 at www.skucon.com.
For more information on commonsku, visit www.commonsku.com.
