Teachers Pay Teachers Conference July 2014 Keynote Notes

I have spent the past few days in Vegas for the first Teachers Pay Teachers Conferences and let me tell you it was amazing! Keeping wit the spirit of the TpT way of working in collaboration and not competition, I wanted to share some of the things I learned with you this week.  The TpT presenters are also sellers and were amazing about sharing with us and I would like to pay that forward. Keep in mind that we were limited to the sessions we attended, so my posts will only be about what I learned.  

However, the good news is that I saw camera crews there and it was said that TpT will be sharing the videos of the sessions in some way or fashion in the near future.  I am really excited about that because I learned so much in the sessions I was able to attend, and I absolutely want to learn more from the ones I couldn't attend.  If you weren't able to make it, be sure to keep your eyes out for them because they are phenomenal!

My plan is to write a post a day about each session that I attended starting with the keynote today.  The next few days will be as follows:

July 13th will be Hello Buyers (Providing Top-Notch Customer Care for Your Buyers) with Jen Jones from Hello Literacy

July 14th will be The Data Advantage (Optimize Your Store) with Ryan VanMeter (Head of Data at Teachers Pay Teachers) & Kelley Dolling from Teacher Idea Factory

July 15th will be Build Your Magnet Marketing Plan with Rachel Lynette from Minds In Bloom

July 16th will be Accelerating Your Store's Success with Erin Cobb from Lovin' Lit

July 17th will be All About Me and my experiences at the conference.  Kind of the ins and outs of why I went, why I am thrilled that I went, my memories, etc.  Also, why you really should go next year if you can!

The keynote in a nutshell was everything about what makes Teachers Pay Teachers the amazing place that it is.

Amy Borrell Berner, the Head of Community and Editorial for Teachers for Teachers Pay Teachers opened up the conference.  She was warm, and bubbly and a great way to get us started and as an introduction to Teachers Pay Teachers.

We had our very own Oscars moment TpT style when the CEO of TpT, John Yoo, took a selfie to show his teens he was a cool Dad. He said it probably wouldn't work, and as a mom of teens, I think he is probably right.  Us sellers definitely thought he was cool though!


I stole this pic from TPT's Facebook because I was on the other side of the room!

Paul Edelman, the founder of TpT was amazing!  He is so down to earth (look at him rocking those blue jeans) and personable.  As he took the stage he got a standing ovation which was well deserved.  The reason I believe it was well deserved is because he has really empowered teachers through his website.  He has allowed us to profit from our intellectual property just like book authors, and songwriters.  It was humbling to hear him say that we deserve it!  I found this article on-line that has many of the things he said in his keynote if you want a more in depth look.

He told us we (teachers) were super heroes who help other teachers make magic moments in their classroom.

And he told us what Teachers Pay Teachers super power is.  I agree, don't you?

They shared a few TpT stats:

They reminded us of the history of TpT.  This is what it looked like in 2008 when I joined.  I was only one of a handful who stood up when they called that year out.  

Yes, I started in 2008, but you might have never known it.  I will share more when I share my TpT story later this week.

Deanna Jump's keynote was so inspiring! Again this is a swiped pic from TpT because I was sitting right there!  Can you see me? LOL!

 I had read her story on her blog and had heard about it in various interviews she has given, so I didn't expect to cry when I heard it live - I was wrong.  I cried!  There were very few dry eyes in the house. And although her story was sad in some places and told of struggle living on a teacher's salary, she is so bubbly and upbeat about everything!  

She shared this quote with us as she told us her story. She didn't just become the number one seller on TpT because she was bubbly - she WORKED at it.

* She sent out freebies to teachers around the country to get them to look at her products.

* She worked with other sellers to collaborate on giveaways, linky parties, etc.

* She learned about marketing her products and making them better.

* She sought out places to speak and teach.

She had a few missteps in the keynote but she handled it with grace.  A quote we will not soon forget from her is "It's about Quantity not Quality!"  She quickly caught herself and made the correction, but it is so true!  As sellers we really need to remember that the quality of our products should always come first! 

My favorite quote of hers happened when a cha-ching went off in the audience and she said, "For every cha-ching that's a teacher who believed in you and your products and used their money to buy it.  Money that they might have needed to purchase something else."

That was so inspiring to me.  I really do appreciate everyone who has purchased a product from me and placed that confidence in me.  It has helped my family in so many ways, and I hope that it has helped you as well.  

To my teacher followers who are not sellers (yet - you may catch the bug, and if you do I would love to help in any way I can), I appreciate you indulging me this week as I post about the conference.  I will be back next week with more teaching ideas.

To my followers who are sellers, I hope you enjoy hearing about what I learned.  If you have any questions, feel free to email me or leave a comment below!

I am linking up with Burst of First for her What happens in Vegas linky party.  Check out what the other bloggers have to say about the trip as well!