SNPDC Monthly call February 2009

Liz (LV), Donna (DR), Eric (EM), Christine (CPG), Claudia (CR), Sue

Agenda

Fiber Seminars: budget approved by SN Board. Ideas for free advertising to get seminar announcement launched: Marsha can do e-mail blasts to membership. Next Purely Suri magazine might have a form for members to fill out. Take out ad in Herdsire Edition? SN Newsletter is going out in March, so we should be able to get something in there. LV will check with Marsha re SN newsletter and Purely Suri. LV will check budget again and get back with everyone re: ability to advertise locally.

All need to contact seminar hosts to secure dates. Each person confirm date with LV by Wed Feb 18th. Donna is working with SS in MN May 30th. DR with CPG for Portland OR May 9-10. Only CPG will have shearing demo which will make hers a two-day seminar, others will have 1 day seminar. 18 person max. If more than 18 people want to sign up, why not offer class a 2nd day. Each attendee pays $50 and that includes lunch.

Donna is now lead teacher for SNPDC fiber seminars. CR has in mind someone to teach in end of June; June 27th. Cheryl Gehly is a possibility, no firm contact yet. Other possible teachers?? LV has an idea for a teacher for CR. Will check and let CR know. LV will use Ann Mayes.

Fill in other geographic gaps? Gary Truitt in Colorado? Juanita Crake in GA?

Other advertising ideas: DR says mills showed lots of interest in hosting a seminar at the mill. LV: perhaps mills could use their email lists to send blast announcements of these seminars. LV: we can start creating calendar of events to send out “Save the Date” emails. Use regional affiliates like MOPACA, Camelid Quarterly, AN, show seminars.

DR: need a conference group package and group call to organize. Liz will get all teachers contact info, then DR will contact each one to send out package and arrange call.

LV: Overview of existing SNPDC activity 2009:

1) Fiber seminars

In regions as discussed above.

2) Patterns.

SS has knitted/adapted a total of ten patterns. SS will create list of her knitting creations and will send out her pattern ideas. SS’s friend has crocheted a hat, and Sue brushed it – thinks it turned out very well. CPG suggested sending the suri-silk lace scarf around so everyone in the group could feel it. LV had trouble sending a package to Donna; problems with cross-border transit, so we won’t send scarf to Donna.

SS is getting patterns & photos ready to create professional-looking patterns for SN membership to be able to purchase. SS’s pattern layout done using InDesign software. Patterns will be officially launched at SN Symposium. Yarn donators will be credited at seminars. With new SN website, farm stores will be able to use Paypal to purchase patterns online; final touches still in process.

Gini Barker has volunteered to be a pattern tester; has agreed to do 4. Kaye Collins will test 1. CPG friend Pat Mersman can do a test; will do lace scarf pattern test. No pay for being a tester, we will have the testers consider keeping their finished product as “pay”. Hopefully we could use the samples in the fiber festival displays.

CR: are patterns being marketed as Suri Network product? Can Sue use InDesign to add SN logo on pattern template? Brand development idea. Sue will work with Marsha for print production issues and brand development as CR has suggested. SN will sell to membership. Ten patterns by Sue S, plus two patterns by Deb Barnhill; beginner designs paid by SNPDC. Next step will be to ramp up production of patterns for wider distribution. More patterns are coming for intermediate and advanced knitters – these will be developed in 2010 and we will work with co-ops/private companies to develop yarns.

3) Festivals:

Marsha got us in at Estes Park Wool Market. CPG hopes to get us into Black Sheep Gathering. LV plans to get into SOAR and Rhinebeck again. Perhaps 5 fiber shows in our second year? Sue is going to have a booth at a smaller festival - Shephards Harvest in MN over Mother’s Day weekend; booth with tables, posters. LV plans on having two sets of festival displays – one for east coast, one for west. Cheaper to purchase two displays that can be used over and over rather ship on display around the country every year.

CPG will contact Kathleen Cullen for help with BSG, & she has a SAM poster. AFCNA decided last week about selling to us already skirted, graded and baled fiber for SNPDC; LV hasn’t heard yet what the cost will be on this. She has 20 lbs of roving now, but used around 30 lbs between SOAR & Rhinebeck. Sue will need some for MN festival. LV will send to her.

4) Processor outreach:

DR will invite the mills to be vendors at SN Symposium. She says the overwhelming response from the mills she has spoken to has been positive. They like that we are reaching out to them and want to include them in our progress with education of breeders and promotion of the fiber. Our hope in inviting processors to symposium will be to get dialogue going between attendees and processors.

5) Brochure:

DR hasn’t heard from Holli on the brochure. Is it for use with patterns or glossy to be given out at fiber festivals? CPG: don’t we need both? LV would choose the glossy, well-designed brochure for festivals and general promotion of suri. SS: is it educational or promotional? – different design approaches. CR: promotion is for something to sell. If we’re not ready for that, then educational informs the public; more photos, less text. DR: handout for pattern buyer may reach 300-500, but at festival handout could reach 3000-4000 people. CR: “Rack Card” idea can be useful - 1 page landscape, cut 3 times to lay out high level “selling points” on suri fiber. Marsha may do layout for free. We will move forward with CR’s rack idea and start with an educational brochure designed for newcomers to the fiber. DR will relay info to Holli to have her start work on it.

EM: may want brochure ready for SOAR & Rheinbeck with info on patterns. EM envisions a flyer to advertise the patterns with link to SN web site, for buyer to find a farm store near them. Good idea, but will take further discussion. Consistency of yarn is not there yet, so will need to work on this and come up with overall plan to cast wider net on selling patterns.

All signed off at 6:07pm PST.

Minutes by Christine Perala Gardiner, Suri Futures Oreg