BROOKLYN, N.Y., Aug. 24, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This September 17th and 18th, Etsy, the world's handmade marketplace, will hold a global small business summit. The event takes place in Berlin, Germany, and partner locations across the United States. "Hello Etsy: A Summit on Small Business and Sustainability" is a hands-on gathering for entrepreneurs who want to connect with their peers, learn new skills, and be part of the movement to build sustainable micro-economies.
Hello Etsy will reach members of our community worldwide through DIY summits taking place in living rooms and auditoriums across the country. Thousands of individual participants will be connected to each other via a live broadcast from the conference in Berlin, which will be hosted in Etsy's Online Labs http://www.etsy.com/community/online-labs. These local groups will explore how they can grow their own micro-enterprises and create community-based economies where they live. In addition, up to five small business start-ups will receive Hello Etsy grants to fund their initiatives.
Berlin is home to Etsy's new European headquarters, run by the marketplace's European Director, Matthew Stinchcomb. He and the other conference organizers have booked a diverse slate of talent. Environmentalist Bill McKibben (350.org) will deliver a talk on the transition from an economy of the big and few to one of the small and many. That speech will be webcast live, and will cap the Sunday talks in Berlin and introduce the conference to the U.S. locations.
We're thrilled to have an incredible group of partners and locations for this event: Etsy Labs in Brooklyn, NY; the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC; GOOD in Los Angeles, CA; the California College of the Arts in San Francisco, CA; and the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon. Each of these locations will feature their own live speakers, panels, and workshops.
Stinchcomb, Etsy's European Director, explains, "It is high time for an event like this to happen. The prevalent corporate mentality has left us ever more disconnected from nature, our communities, and the people and processes behind the objects in our lives. The rise of small businesses around the world gives me hope that there are more and more opportunities for us all to help create micro-economies, and most importantly, to contribute to a more permanent future."
Brooklyn, NY
When: September 18, 2011
Where: DUMBO, Brooklyn (location TBA)
Web: http://helloetsy.com/us/brooklyn/
Hello Etsy Brooklyn will take place on Sunday, September 18, 2011, from 9am to 6pm. This free event will be a mix of hands-on workshops, lectures, and learning new business skills. Hello Etsy Brooklyn is thrilled to host Matthew Crawford, a fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia and author of Shop Craft as Soulcraft as our morning keynote presentation. In the afternoon, Sara Horowitz, founder of Freelancers Union, will present her talk, New Mutualism Will Save Us, to wrap up this full day of sustainability and small business learning and discovery. More panels and workshops to be announced.
Los Angeles, CA
When: September 18, 2011
Where: Tree People , 12601 Mulholland drive Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Web: http://helloetsy.com/us/los-angeles
Hello Etsy LA will be hosted in partnership with GOOD. This free event will mix workshops and panels around the themes of small business and sustainability. The keynote discussion between Micki Krimmel, founder of NeighborGoods.net and Dana Mauriello, the Co-Founder & President of ProFounder, will touch on the themes of community in small business. The rest of the day's programming will be an exciting mix of learning workshops and guided hikes by Tree People as well as a full day of crafting provided by the Craft and Folk Art Museum.
Portland, OR
When: September 17, 2011
Where: Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA)
Web: http://helloetsy.com/us/portland/
Hello Etsy Portland will be hosted by the local I Heart Art Program. I Heart Art: Portland's http://iheartartpdx.com/ mission is to support, educate and advocate for Portland's vibrant community of makers by offering professional development workshops, networking opportunities, resources and community-building activities founded upon a dedication to accessible, open-source information and collaborative engagement. It will be held in partnership with Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) and Museum of Contemporary Craft. The day will feature workshops on small business financing, envisioning growth, and discussion on embracing the uglier side of your business. The Portland keynote will be a lively discussion between Duane Sorenson of Stumptown Coffee and Rebecca Pearcy of Queen Bee Creations to discuss their business growth, moderated by Diane Gilleland of Craftypod.com.
San Francisco, CA
When: September 18, 2011
Where: California College of the Arts
Web: http://helloetsy.com/us/san-francisco/
Hello Etsy San Francisco takes place at California College of the Arts' San Francisco campus on Sunday, September 18, 2011, from 11am to 5pm. This event is free and open to the public. It will be a hands-on gathering for people to connect with their peers, learn new business skills, and join the movement to build sustainable micro-economies.
CCA is pleased to welcome Allison Arieff, contributing columnist to the New York Times, who will lead the keynote panel discussion, "From Prototype to Product," in conversation with Miguel Nelson, CCA alumnus and founder of Woolly Pocket; Kate Sofis, founding executive director of SFMade; and Patrick Buckley, creator, cofounder, and CEO of DODOcase.
Other talks will be lead by: retail strategist for creative businesses, Rena Tom; CCA faculty member Sanjit Sethi; CCA alumna and founder of Little Paper Planes, Kelly Lynn Jones; CCA faculty member Lynda Grose. The local Etsy contingent—I Heart Art: San Francisco http://iheartartsf.blogspot.com —will host a live "making station" on-site, so participants can come away with a handmade piece inspired by small business and sustainability.
Washington, D.C.
When: September 18, 2011
Where: Smithsonian American Art Museum
Web: http://helloetsy.com/us/washington/
Hello Etsy D.C. will be hosted by the Smithsonian American Art Museum. John Maeda, President of Rhode Island School of Design, and renowned artist, graphic designer, computer scientist and educator will speak as well as Jenny Hart, founder and owner of the Texas-based embroidery design company, Sublime Sitching. The day will also contain workshops and discussion around local, living economies with Think Local First and business networking with Freelancer's Union.
Among the confirmed speakers throughout the Unites States are:
Allison Arieff, Contributing columnist for the New York Times
Patrick Buckley, Creator, co-founder, and CEO of DODOcase
Matthew Crawford, Philosopher and mechanic, and author of Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work
Diane Gilleland, Crafty Pod
Jenny Hart, Founder of Sublime Stitching
Sara Horowitz, Founder and Executive Director of Freelancers Union
Grace Kim, Partnership Manager & Strategist, GOOD/Corps
Micki Krimmel, Founder, Neighborgoods.net
Andy Lipkis, Founder and President, TreePeople
Bill McKibben, Author of a dozen books about the environment and founder of the grassroots climate campaign 350.org
John Maeda, President of Rhode Island School of Design
Dana Mauriello, ProFounder Co-Founder & President
Miguel Nelson, CCA alumnus and founder of Woolly Pocket
Rebecca Pearcy, Owner of Queen Bee Creations
Kate Sofis, Founding Executive Director, SFMade
Duane Sorenson, Founder of Stumptown Coffee
More speakers, including Douglas Rushkoff, Tony Greenham, Judy Wicks, Tom Hodgkinson, Doug Richard and
Natalie Chanin, from the Berlin event, will be broadcast in Etsy's Online Labs
http://www.etsy.com/community/online-labs.
Visit http://www.HelloEtsy.com for information.
Press contact: Adam Brown at adam@etsy.com
Adam Brown
adam@etsy.com
718-855-8874
Etsy is the world's handmade marketplace. Our mission is to empower people to change the way the global economy works. We see a world in which very-very small businesses have much-much more sway in shaping the economy, local living economies are thriving everywhere, and people value authorship and provenance as much as price and convenience. We are bringing heart to commerce and making the world more fair, more sustainable, and more fun.
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