4th Annual BC Convention!

If you make candles, soap, toiletries, or any other scented craft... or you are just getting started in the craft,
come join us! We have crafters coming from all over the country!

BC Product Display! Learn New Techniques! Hands on Demos! Make Friends! Business Seminars! Share Tips! Win Prizes!

Update!
We have space for a max of 170 this year, and spaces usually fill up fast! So if you'd like to join us, hurry and get your registration & payment in as soon as possible! If spaces fill up, we will keep a waiting list and fill cancelled spots in order of registration date.

Come join us for a weekend of candle & soapmaking, learning, shopping and fun!

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS: (tentative, still in development)
We will have display tables of BC products set up in the convention room for you to browse and shop during the entire convention, including sample racks of ALL of our over 500 fragrances from BCN and BCS, including the WYW and BNL fragrances for you to sniff! The tables will be in the demo room, so please browse during breaks and lunch time so as to not disrupt the demos. Thanks! We will also be taking pre-orders and delivering them to convention, so if you're driving you can stock up and save tons with no shipping!

Whipped CP Soapmaking
The Scoop on Waxes
Wicking 101
Lava Lip Gloss
Stacked Pillars
Gel Seascape Candles
Packaging With Pizzazz
Cut & Curl Candles
Aroma Ornies
ASTM Candle Safety Standards
Product Photography in a Snap
The Science of Soy
Fizzy Bath Salts

Thursday May 28, 2009:
7:00pm to 10:30pm	Early birds meet in convention room for a pre-convention welcome cocktail mixer! Is this your first time at convention? Are you coming by yourself and don't really know anyone? Well then come join us after you get checked into your hotel room and introduce yourself! Mix & mingle, meet the other attendees, chat and have a cocktail. Cash bar will be available and snacks will be provided. See Doneen to check in early and get your name tag & goody bag to save time in the morning!
Friday May 29, 2009: TENTATIVE SCHEDULE! Times may change!
6:30am to 9:30am	Hotel provides free continental breakfast!
8:30am to 10:00am	Check in registrants & give out name tags & goody bags, serve coffee & morning snack. Once you check in, grab some coffee and a snack and meet & greet other attendees! Feel free to browse the BC display tables. But no rush, the tables will be set up for viewing the whole duration of convention, so you'll have plenty of time to browse & place orders during breaks, lunches, and on Sunday.
10:00am to 10:15am	Doneen - Welcome, Announcements & First Door Prize Drawings
10:15am to 11:00am	Lava Lip Gloss - Doneen St.John Hands-on Workshop! We will show you how to make these trendy lip glosses that look like lava lamps, and you will get to make one to take home!
11:00am to 12:00pm	Wicking 101 - Bruce Campbell (New York) We are thrilled to have one of the industry's top wicking experts with us! Bruce will give a multi-part presentation on proper candle wicking and will show live examples of improper and proper burns as well as tips on how to test burn, what to look for in a good burning candle using real life examples of problem candles submitted by customers. Bruce will also be around to answer questions all 3 days of convention. (part 2 will follow on Saturday after the candles have been burned)
12:00pm to 1:30pm	LUNCH - Catered lunch will be served at your table!
1:30pm to 2:15pm	Stacked Pillars - Jules Urbaniak (Michigan) Time to try something trendy and new! Jules will show you a new way to make pillar candles that are fun and unique!	Photo coming
2:15pm to 3:00pm	Gel Candle Seascapes - Flicker (Minnesota) Flicker will take you through the basics of safe gel candlemaking and demonstrate how to make seascape gel candles with embedded accessories.
3:00pm to 3:15pm	~ 15 minute break ~
3:15pm to 4:00pm	Aroma Ornies - Stephy Weaver (Colorado) Learn how to make the hottest portable air fresheners on the market! Stephy will show you how they are made, as well as creative & cute ways to decorate your ornies and give them personality! You'll also get tips on making & decorating aroma bead sachets!
4:00pm to 4:30pm	Fizzy Bath Salts - Doneen St.John Hands-on Workshop! Learn to make easy fizzy bath salts in this hands on workshop! This low labor, high profit product will go great in your bath & body line!
4:30pm to 5:30pm	Whipped CP Soapmaking - Flicker (Minnesota) Marianne will do a live demonstration on how to make HP soap! This method is very similar to CP soap, so if you're interested in learning either you will want to see this demo!
5:30pm to 6:15pm	Product Photography in a Snap - Sabrina Kreischer (Indiana) Sabrina will show us how to make our own light box for more professional looking product photos, as well as cover some of the basics of working with digital cameras and using natural lighting!
Evening free time!	Make plans to meet for dinner, go to the mall, or meet later in the Outback Hotel Bar! The Outback Steakhouse is attached to the hotel and the bar is open until 12:30am.

Saturday May 30, 2009: TENTATIVE SCHEDULE! Times may change!
7:00am to 10:00am	Hotel provides free continental breakfast!
9:00am to 10:00am	Swap participants check in your swap items! Products will be displayed on a table in the vendor area so everyone can view them and share creative new ideas!
10:00am to 11:00am	The Science of Soy - Dan Cap from EcoSoya (Tennessee) We are excited to have the creator of EcoSoya waxes join us this year! Dan will discuss the basics of soy wax and discuss the differences between the various EcoSoya blends, as well as some of the creative ways soy wax can be used to make unique, natural wax candles! If you've ever wanted to ask an expert questions about soy, this is your chance!
11:00am to 12:00pm	The Burning Question (part 2) - Bruce Campbell (New York) After the test candles have burned for a few hours, Bruce will review the burn results from the various stages of his testing.
12:00pm to 1:30pm	LUNCH - Catered lunch will be served at your table!
1:30 pm to 3:00pm	The Scoop on Waxes - Flicker (Minnesota) Flicker will give you an overview on each of the waxes BC carries, discuss how to use each one, and show you examples of finished candles in each wax. Steve from IGI will also be with us, and we will invite audience input to discuss your experiences with the waxes, so that we can try to get your questions answered!
3:00pm to 3:15pm	~ 15 minute break ~
3:15pm to 4:15pm	ASTM Candle Safety Standards - Jim Becker (Kentucky) Jim is on the ASTM candle safety standards committee, and we are grateful that he is coming to review these important standards with us. Candle safety testing is an essential part of the business that every candlemaker should know in order to make the safest products possible!
4:15pm to 5:00pm	Packaging With Pizzazz! - Doneen St.John It's all about the wrapper... well ok, the product matters too, but packaging & presentation is extremely important as it's the first thing that catches the customer's eye! Learn to "think outside the box" with some imaginative new ways to snaz up your products! This will include some visuals as well as discussion on product branding and labeling like a pro.
5:00pm to 5:15pm	Announcements & give away grand door prizes! Don't sneak out early or you'll miss your chance to win!
5:15pm	Product Swap! (optional) Swap participants gather and get your swap items! Pick up orders - For those of you who are leaving early and not staying til Sunday, we will deliver your orders during this time.
9:00 to Midnight	After you've had your dinner, come on back to the Cocktail Party! Cash bar will be available in the convention room and snacks will be provided. Many attendees usually end up meeting in the bar at night, but the Outback can be pretty packed on a Saturday night... so we thought this year we would try having our own private bar! This is the perfect opportunity to sit down and relax, chat with fellow candle & soapmakers, get to know your new friends and spend time with old ones! Talk over the demos you saw, share some ideas and brain storm together!

Sunday May 31, 2009: TENTATIVE SCHEDULE!
7:00am to 10:00am	Hotel provides free continental breakfast!
9:00am - 12:00pm	Coffee, Order Pick-Up, Sniffing Tables, Networking! * Coffee & refreshments will be available in the convention room. Come on in and mingle with fellow soap & candlemakers, chat and share ideas! * Our sniffie tables will be here for you to take your time and sniff all the fragrances you want. * We will have our scent blending table set up so you can experiment with new recipes! * If you placed a pre-order for delivery, our BC crew will be ready at our trailer in the back parking lot with your orders (you can pull your vehicle up to the trailer and they will help you load). * Doneen, Flicker, Bruce & Steve will be available to answer questions during this time, so take advantage of the one-on-one time and pick our brains! * Business Card & Brochure Exchange... swap info with other crafters and see what they have to offer!
9:00am - 12:00pm	Wicking Table Bruce will have the test candles burning on a table so you can see the final burn results up close and learn how he determined which wicks to select after several cycles of test burning and troubleshooting. You'll learn what stages the candles went through, and see how he solved the burn problems. While the candles are burning you are welcome to visit with Bruce and ask him your wicking questions. Take advantage of this chance to ask the expert!
Open 9:00am - 12:00pm or longer if needed	Shop the BC Showroom! Browse our display tables, sniff over 500 fragrances, place orders for sale items. Order forms will be available and can be handed in to Doneen, or you can place your order online for up to 2 weeks after convention. (Sorry, no inventory will be on hand for cash & carry). You will also be able to place pre-orders for regular non-sale items ahead of time, and we will bring those to convention for you to pick up and take home for those of you who are driving. So you can stock up and take home as much as your car can fit, and save the shipping! *Pre-orders will be loaded from our truck & trailer in the parking lot during this time.
Open 9:00am - 12:00pm	Scent Blending Fun – Get creative at the BC Blending Station! We will have various fragrance samples from BCN and BCS available for you to experiment with and learn the art of scent blending first hand! We will have a table set up with various fragrance samples, Qtips, ziplock bags, blank labels and pens so you can experiment with different scent blends and write down your recipes to take home! This is a great opportunity to just play around and get creative and have fun with scents you may not have at home!
Schedule of private lesson time slots for all 3 days will be posted soon!	Cut & Curl Candlemaking - John Strelnieks (Indiana) John will be taking private appointments throughout convention for one on one, hands on cut & curl lessons! A schedule will be posted soon so you can sign up for a private lesson. Lessons are only $35 for a 1 hour private session, which is an excellent deal to learn from this experienced carver! You will come out of this lesson with a beautiful hand carved candle that you make yourself! Don't pass up this rare opportunity to learn the art of candle carving!
12:00pm	Free Time... take the rest of the day and shop at the Mall of America, enjoy the Waterpark of America, or one of the other many nearby attractions, shopping and dining places!

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	Where: Comfort Inn Hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota - Only 1 mile from Mall of America! Mall of America is the nation's largest retail & entertainment facility, with over 520 stores, 14 movie theatres, over 50 restaurants, bar/grills, cafes & more! Enjoy live entertainment, adventure golf, or even ride an indoor roller coaster... all under one roof! Click here for more mall info!

	When: May 29th (Fri), 30th (Sat) and 31st (Sun) 2009 (Arrive Thursday evening & meet for cocktails! Stay longer and shop at the Mall!)

	Registration Fee: Early Registration $99.00 per person by April 29, 2009 After April 29th, registration fee is $115.00 per person. *All registrations must* be received by May 15th at the latest. No walk-ins! Paypal & Credit Cards accepted, register online here. No partial registrations, no splitting registrations. Space is limited, so get your registration in quick! Registration fees are non refundable, unless we are able to fill the cancelled spot before April 15th. After that date no refunds will be given.**

	Includes: Morning Coffee & Snacks and Catered Lunches, Demos & Classes, Samples, Door Prizes & More! Use the time at lunch and during breaks to network with other candle & soapmakers! Feel free to bring your products to show* and swap ideas with others, get advice or opinions on, etc! *This is not a craft show venue, so bringing products with the intent of selling is not allowed. Thank You!

Register:	You must register online here. You will be contacted for your payment information. Once payment is processed, you are registered! If convention space is full, you will be notified and added to a waiting list in case of any cancellations. You will be given a name tag when you sign in at the registration table, and that must be worn to be admitted into the convention room and to receive lunch.
Directions:	Directions & Map - Take a road trip and join us!
Travel Info:	Minneapolis St.Paul International Airport (MSP) Fly in, take the free shuttle to hotel! No rental car needed! Yahoo Fare Tracker - get the best rates on flights!
Hotel info:	Comfort Inn - Bloomington, MN. Phone: (952) 854-3400 for reservations. BC group discount rate only $79.99 per night! All rooms include free continental breakfast, free hi-speed internet access, free shuttle to airport & mall, use of indoor pool, workout facilities, room service available & more! Comfort Inn is now a non-smoking hotel, so no smoking rooms are available, but smoking is allowed in the courtyard. Click here to print hotel brochure & map. A limited number of rooms have been held aside for us. These rooms will only be held until May 8th, so make your reservations soon! After May 8th the room rate will go up to the regular rate of $104.99 and availability is not guaranteed. You will need to mention the Bitter Creek Convention to get the group rates. If you are not able to get a room in time, click here for a list of other nearby hotels. Looking for a roommate? Post on our message board here!