INDIANAPOLIS — The 2022 Indianapolis Pinners Conference is set for Friday, October 7, and Saturday, October 8, at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
The annual Pinners Conference brings the virtual world of Pinterest to life with Do It Yourself (DIY) workshops and shopping opportunities. The hands-on classes range from home improvement, home decor, hobbies, cooking trends, and other skill sets that you've probably saved on a Pinterest board.
Pinnners President Roxanne Bennett says the Pinners Conference is not only fun, but it offers a deeper experience.
"It is just incredible how empowered you feel," Bennett told WRTV. "You walk away with this whole other level of, 'Do you know what? I'm now going to go home, and I think I can shiplap that wall that I've always wanted to do. I don't think it's going to be as hard as I think it is.'"
Pinterest was founded in 2010, and for the last 12 years has remained one of the most used photo-sharing and social media platforms. According to a recent report by Adobe, Pinterest has over 433 million monthly users. Nearly 80% of Pinterest's users are women across a wide margin of age groups, from 18 to 69 years old, using the app regularly.
"I think one of the things that make (Pinterest) so amazing is it really is a saving spot, a holding spot," Bennett said. "This is something where you can create your own board, your own inspirations, your own places that you keep and save your ideas so that you can go back back to it later."
The Pinners Conference started in Salt Lake City 2 years after Pinterest's launch. Now, a Pinners Conference happens annually in eight cities across the country, including Scottsdale, Ariz., Pomona, Calif., and Boise, Idaho.
"We wanted something where those concepts could actually come to life where you could come, you could learn, you could try it," Bennett said. "This gives you the chance to actually go into a room, have the experience, and walk away with a finished product."
Last year was the first Indianapolis Pinners Conference, where thousands of Hoosier Pinterest fans attended. Bennett says they're hoping for the same turnout this year.
"We really love to find creative hubs with really fun shop owners who maybe have created their own business from the crafts that they've created or from their ideas. And, and we just thought Indiana (and) Indianapolis was a perfect fit," Bennett said.
There will be 50 Indiana businesses with booths at this year's Pinners Conference and 12 DIY classes by Indiana experts. Altogether, there will be 200 businesses and experiences with 100 interactive classes in home decor, food, arts, fashion, beauty, self-improvement, sewing, party planning, and photography.
New to Pinners Conferences this year is the use of power tools to show attendees how to create several things, such as turntables, charcuterie boards, and other home decor and lifestyle items.
Other new classes at the Pinners Conference are workshops involving resin, sublimation, jam making, and crafted cakes.
"This gives you that whole opportunity to come and see, [and ask] 'Am I going to be good at this? Is this going to be something that really inspires me and lifts me and that I take home and start doing on my own?' Whether it be macrame, hand lettering, painting," Bennett said. "It's just incredible to me how many creators are out there who have so many great ideas and who are so willing to share what they know."
The Pinners Conference runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, October 7, and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 8, at the Blue Ribbon and Champion Pavilions at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. General admission is $10, a "Girls Night Out" event is being hosted on Friday evening for $15, a One-Day Expo and 2 Classes pass is $19, a One Day Expo and All Classes pass is $29, a Two Day Expo and All Classes pass in $49, and a VIP pass is $139.
WRTV Digital Reporter Shakkira Harris can be reached at shakkira.harris@wrtv.com. You can follow her on Twitter, @shakkirasays.
