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Brother Back To Business Conference

Last week I was in Nashville for the Brother Back to Business Conference.  

BrotherBanner-wm
First of all, I really want to say y'all to everyone I see, but it sounds weird coming out of my mouth.  Second of all, I love biscuits & gravy, but thank goodness they're not readily available in my neighborhood or my waistline would be in serious trouble!  Thirdly, I'm sorry to say that I hardly got to see Nashville because I was so busy at the conference.  But I did have a lovely view of the city from my hotel room:

Nashville-wm

I wonder what that tree filled courtyard is like from the inside, don't you?

Now, what is the Brother Back to Business Conference?  I was wondering the same thing myself when Brother invited me to be a part of it.  Essentially, it's three days of intense education and information for the Brother dealers.  Dealers come from across the country — and the world (I met folks from Mexico, Australia, and Canada) to learn about the new products Brother is selling.

The conference opened with a big splashy show where all the new products were shown off Vanna White-style.

Opening-wm
Opening-wmphoto via brothersews instagram feed

After that dealers all go to hour-and-a-half long classes.  These are hands-on classes where they get to try out many of the new machines, software, and upgrades.

Class1photo via pocono_sew_and_vac instagram feed

Class2

Class2last two photos via brothersews instagram feed

In between classes and during mealtimes, the dealers can visit the Test Drive area, which is where I was stationed.

JulieTestDrive

The Test Drive area was a large ballroom where all the new machines were set up for people to come and see and touch.

TestDrive1-wm
TestDrive1-wm
TestDrive1-wm

I was in the ScanNCut corner, of course.  There were times (especially during classes) that it was slow and I could give some one-on-one help to the dealers that stopped by.

One-on-one

Other times the crowd was several rows deep!

Severalrowsdeep

I had a lot of fun showing how to cut fabric…

Fabric1-wm
Fabric1-wm
…demoing the new sticker kit (I'm wearing one)…

Stickers1-wm
Stickers1-wm
…showing off the new heat applied materials (they're soooooo cool)…

Heatapplied-wm

…demoing the new rhinestone kit (which is so easy it blows my mind)…

Rhinestone-wm

…and cutting adhesive-backed vinyl so that people could label their water bottles.

Vinyl-wm

All in all it was a great experience!  I loved meeting the dealers and hearing how they were using the ScanNCut in their stores.  Their enthusiasm was contagious!  If you'd like to see more photos from the Brother Back to Business conference, check out the #wheresewingisgoing hashtag on instagram.

Thanks for stopping by!

Please note: I am a paid spokesperson for the Brother ScanNCut, but all of the ideas, commentary, and enthusiasm are my own!  

Julie Fei-Fan Balzer

Based outside of Boston, Julie Fei-Fan Balzer is a painter, printmaker, and collage artist who constructs vibrant compositions. Her artwork investigates the interplay of identity and perception, inviting viewers to take a longer look. Julie works in layers, both physically and metaphorically, exploring what is visible and what is concealed. Passionate about connecting with and inspiring other artists, she shares her expertise through in-person workshops and her online classroom at MyArtPractice.com. Julie's achievements include high-profile clients, multiple publications - including her book, “Carve Stamp Play” - and exhibits in New York City and throughout Massachusetts. She is a graduate of Brown University.

20 thoughts on “Brother Back To Business Conference

  • I especially like the name on the water bottles.

    Reply
  • I especially like the name on the water bottles.

    Reply
  • I especially like the name on the water bottles.

    Reply
  • I especially like the name on the water bottles.

    Reply
  • I especially like the name on the water bottles.

    Reply
  • Don’t think there could be a BETTER spokesperson form their product!!!! Julie, you are so enthusiastic, inspiring, and demonstrative.
    It is too bad you didn’t get to see some of the city whole you were there. Maybe another time.
    Thanks for sharing your experiences!

    Reply
  • Don’t think there could be a BETTER spokesperson form their product!!!! Julie, you are so enthusiastic, inspiring, and demonstrative.
    It is too bad you didn’t get to see some of the city whole you were there. Maybe another time.
    Thanks for sharing your experiences!

    Reply
  • Don’t think there could be a BETTER spokesperson form their product!!!! Julie, you are so enthusiastic, inspiring, and demonstrative.
    It is too bad you didn’t get to see some of the city whole you were there. Maybe another time.
    Thanks for sharing your experiences!

    Reply
  • Don’t think there could be a BETTER spokesperson form their product!!!! Julie, you are so enthusiastic, inspiring, and demonstrative.
    It is too bad you didn’t get to see some of the city whole you were there. Maybe another time.
    Thanks for sharing your experiences!

    Reply
  • Don’t think there could be a BETTER spokesperson form their product!!!! Julie, you are so enthusiastic, inspiring, and demonstrative.
    It is too bad you didn’t get to see some of the city whole you were there. Maybe another time.
    Thanks for sharing your experiences!

    Reply
  • Hi Julie,
    love seeing your pictures of this conference. Was that one of the new Brother duel Usb & wifi scan and cuts that you were using. Was that the new cm350?
    Will the “New” Rhinestone Kit and Sticker kit work with the older models of the scan n cut? How big are the mats for the new scan n cut CM350 and the Scan N cut2 are they 24×24? or are they 12×12 and 12×24?
    I am excited to hear all the news about the two new machines. I love now that Brother will have a vinyl pack.
    Where can I see the new Rhinestone kit and the New Sticker Kit. I have not seen them on the Brother site scan n cut accessories yet.
    I did see the vinyl on the brother site scan n cut accessories.
    Thanks for posting this up. I hope to see you on HSN on Sept8,2015 launching the new scan n cut cm350.
    Your scan n cut fan
    fawna

    Reply
  • Hi Julie,
    love seeing your pictures of this conference. Was that one of the new Brother duel Usb & wifi scan and cuts that you were using. Was that the new cm350?
    Will the “New” Rhinestone Kit and Sticker kit work with the older models of the scan n cut? How big are the mats for the new scan n cut CM350 and the Scan N cut2 are they 24×24? or are they 12×12 and 12×24?
    I am excited to hear all the news about the two new machines. I love now that Brother will have a vinyl pack.
    Where can I see the new Rhinestone kit and the New Sticker Kit. I have not seen them on the Brother site scan n cut accessories yet.
    I did see the vinyl on the brother site scan n cut accessories.
    Thanks for posting this up. I hope to see you on HSN on Sept8,2015 launching the new scan n cut cm350.
    Your scan n cut fan
    fawna

    Reply
  • Hi Julie,
    love seeing your pictures of this conference. Was that one of the new Brother duel Usb & wifi scan and cuts that you were using. Was that the new cm350?
    Will the “New” Rhinestone Kit and Sticker kit work with the older models of the scan n cut? How big are the mats for the new scan n cut CM350 and the Scan N cut2 are they 24×24? or are they 12×12 and 12×24?
    I am excited to hear all the news about the two new machines. I love now that Brother will have a vinyl pack.
    Where can I see the new Rhinestone kit and the New Sticker Kit. I have not seen them on the Brother site scan n cut accessories yet.
    I did see the vinyl on the brother site scan n cut accessories.
    Thanks for posting this up. I hope to see you on HSN on Sept8,2015 launching the new scan n cut cm350.
    Your scan n cut fan
    fawna

    Reply
  • Hi Julie,
    love seeing your pictures of this conference. Was that one of the new Brother duel Usb & wifi scan and cuts that you were using. Was that the new cm350?
    Will the “New” Rhinestone Kit and Sticker kit work with the older models of the scan n cut? How big are the mats for the new scan n cut CM350 and the Scan N cut2 are they 24×24? or are they 12×12 and 12×24?
    I am excited to hear all the news about the two new machines. I love now that Brother will have a vinyl pack.
    Where can I see the new Rhinestone kit and the New Sticker Kit. I have not seen them on the Brother site scan n cut accessories yet.
    I did see the vinyl on the brother site scan n cut accessories.
    Thanks for posting this up. I hope to see you on HSN on Sept8,2015 launching the new scan n cut cm350.
    Your scan n cut fan
    fawna

    Reply
  • Hi Julie,
    love seeing your pictures of this conference. Was that one of the new Brother duel Usb & wifi scan and cuts that you were using. Was that the new cm350?
    Will the “New” Rhinestone Kit and Sticker kit work with the older models of the scan n cut? How big are the mats for the new scan n cut CM350 and the Scan N cut2 are they 24×24? or are they 12×12 and 12×24?
    I am excited to hear all the news about the two new machines. I love now that Brother will have a vinyl pack.
    Where can I see the new Rhinestone kit and the New Sticker Kit. I have not seen them on the Brother site scan n cut accessories yet.
    I did see the vinyl on the brother site scan n cut accessories.
    Thanks for posting this up. I hope to see you on HSN on Sept8,2015 launching the new scan n cut cm350.
    Your scan n cut fan
    fawna

    Reply

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