Trivantage^®, a supplier for workroom and upholstery professionals, held The Makers Meet Aug. 14–15. This new educational event was designed to celebrate the skill, creativity and community of workrooms and upholstery shops.

“Trivantage strives to be a resource that supports and strengthens our industry,” says Katelyn Bell, associate marketing manager at Trivantage. “Hosting similar events in other markets has shown us how valuable it is for makers to collaborate, learn and network, so we wanted to provide a platform for workrooms and upholstery shops to do just that.

Attendees ranged from trade-focused makers who work with client-facing interior designers and direct-to-consumer custom makers, with varying levels of experience and from several states.

Demonstrations and education

The event began Thursday afternoon with a Sunbrella^® design preview, walking through the process of developing a fabric line and offering a sneak peak of a new line in development. Next was a Sunbrella spinning yarn plant tour, followed by a cocktail hour and dinner reception.

“The design preview gave makers a sneak peak of an upcoming collection and inspired creativity, allowing them to envision using the new styles and textures in both upholstery and drapery projects” says Bell.

Friday morning kicked off with “How to build a resilient business,” led by Charlene Clark, CEO of Signature CanvasMakers LLC and chair of the Marine Fabricators Association board of advisors. The next session on “Why Sunbrella” outlined the brand’s warranty, performance aspects of Sunbrella fabrics and other details to equip creators with selling the fabric to customers.

Before breaking for lunch, the seven vendors on site introduced themselves as a preview for the vendor marketplace later that day. The afternoon was spent in two simultaneous hands-on workshops: “Luxury Drapery Construction” with Susan Woodcock, co-owner of Home Dec Gal and co-producer of Custom Workroom Conference; and “Precision and Process” with Grant Trick of Trickey Studio. The agenda closed with the vendor marketplace, door prizes and networking.

“It was a wonderful day and a half celebrating the skill and creativity of makers. This industry,” says Bell, “is supportive and collaborative—they’re tight knit and they’re open to learning from each other.”

Positive feedback

Trivantage considers the event a success and a great learning experience. Attendees expressed appreciation for networking opportunities with peers, hands-on demonstrations and witnessing fabric construction.

Most attendees were not existing Trivantage customers, and the supplier hoped the product demonstrations and education would be a strong introduction to their brand.

Trivantage will be debriefing to determine what future Makers Meet events might look like going forward, focusing on fresh content, education and on-trend topics.

“As long as they continue to add value for our customers, we will support the industry through educational events and seminars. We’re inspired by our customers and their work every day and are committed to being a partner they can count on to help their businesses grow,” says Bell.