As we get ready for our next con in 2020, we’re going to be making some changes in how we run Midwest Craft Con. Specifically, I’m going to be stepping back from active organizing duties.
Those of you who know me as the emcee of the con or from my time organizing Crafty Supermarket might not know that by day I’m a freelance journalist. And since I moved from Cincinnati to Berlin back in 2017, my career has really taken off.
It’s been incredible building up Midwest Craft Con over the past four years with Megan and Brit, and I don’t want my lack of bandwidth to hold back the team. To pick up my slack as I step back, we’re looking for a few people to join Midwest Craft Con’s organizing committee!
The basics
Who you are: A crafty person who is interested in helping make Midwest Craft Con as awesome as it can be! You don’t have to be located in the Midwest, but you have to be willing and able to come to Columbus, Ohio, in February 2020!
What you need: A reliable home internet connection and computer access. (We use Google Drive for almost everything.) Relevant skills and experience for the specific position. A can-do attitude and a love for crafty people and crafty life. Respect for our code of conduct.
Your time commitment: We’ll need you to join occasional Google Hangout meetings starting in June, which we’ll schedule to best fit everyone’s availability. The individual positions have varying time commitments: Some require more work months before the conference, some require more time in the last weeks leading up to the con. You’ll need to be willing to work during the conference, including during setup or teardown. So you might not get to see every session you want to see, but we guarantee you’ll have a good time.
What you get: You’ll get free access to Midwest Craft Con, a shared hotel room for four nights and your meals covered. If we surpass our goal of selling 250 tickets, cash money compensation will kick in on a sliding scale, which can include travel expenses to and from the con. You’ll also be as a Midwest Craft Con Team Member on the website with a bio and links.
What to do now: If you’re interested, read the position descriptions below and then fill out this form by March 15! If you’re interested in more than one position, that’s totally fine! Just explain to us in the notes what skills you’d bring to the group. We’ll review the applications and reply to everyone in April, and set up our first team videochat after that to get started on planning for 2020!
The positions
Grants and Partnerships Partner
Time commitment: Most work happens months ahead of the conference, plus wrap up. reporting after the event, as well as manage data collection through DataArts. We’d also love for this person to be with us for the long haul, as the grant cycles may fall in our off years.
Job description: This position requires attention to detail and also collection of data to prove our effectiveness. We’d also love for this person to build partnerships with other nonprofits and craft shows to create in-kind deals.
Sponsorship Manager
Time commitment: Most work happens months ahead of the conference, plus on-site management of the Trade Show and wrap up.
Job description: Be the point person to connect with corporations and businesses who want to support crafters in the form of cash money! We’re looking for someone with a lot of initiative to reach out to existing and new potential sponsors. This person will also be in charge of coordination of the on-site trade show and the crafty caravans.
Workshop Coordinator
Time commitment: The bulk of this work happens 3 to 4 months ahead of the conference.
Job description: Develop the workshop track of the conference, which is free to all attendees. Identify and recruit workshop leaders and workshop themes. Work with instructors to get supply lists and purchase items while sticking to a budget. Collect and manage deliveries of supplies, assist with day of room shifts from 1 activity to another, take inventory at the end of the event.
Speaker Wrangler
Time commitment: Most of this work happens in the 4 to 8 months ahead of the conference.
Job description: The speaker wrangler is the main contact person for all our speakers, working closely with the founders to develop the content plan. Duties include reaching out to potential speakers, communicating with speakers and keynotes invited to the conference, collecting biographies, session descriptions and other content. Duties also include coordinating speakers’ travel and itineraries, collecting accounting forms and maintaining the speaker budget and schedule.
Content Manager
Time commitment: About 15 hours per month
Job description: This person is the voice of our blog and updates our website. We need someone with a lively writing style and solid editing skills to write original content and edit contributed content for our website. This person also writes the approximately monthly newsletter that we use to promote the event. We welcome someone who has ideas to bring to the table! This person will also be responsible for collecting and editing content for the con program and any auxiliary print materials.
Social Media Manager
Time commitment: Weekly check-ins, 5 hours per week for the 6 months leading up to the con.
Job description: We’ve got great followings on Facebook and Instagram, but we’ve so far lacked a cohesive social plan. Our social specialist will own our social channels and help promote Midwest Craft Con in an engaging, crafty way, tying together our blog content with ticket sales. This person will also be responsible for coordinating our speakers’ instagram takeovers and reaching out to crafty influencers.
Customer Service Manager
Time commitment: Weekly check-ins, then 5 hours per week in the 4 months leading up to the con.
Job description: This person would monitor our email account to reply to potential attendees, answer questions coming from Eventbrite and send confirmation details to attendees. This person will print the final attendee lists for the con as well as the side events, such as the Crafty Caravan and Craft Swap. This person needs to have a problem-solving attitude and be also available to help work on the first day of Midwest Craft Con to help check in attendees and oversee a loyal group of volunteers.
Design Manager
Time commitment: Periodic check-ins, then 5 hours per week in the 2 months leading up to the con.
Job description: This person assists the Social Media Manager and Content Manager with any image needs they have for our social media and website. This person’s main work will be leading up to the conference as we prepare the con program, auxiliary materials and signage. This position requires Adobe Creative Suite experience.
Midwest Craft Con 