IFVP 2019
180 participants, 25 countries, 5 continents, 18 languages – all on one campus. This makes the 24th IFVP the first conference to be held on university grounds, specifically at Montclair State University. Conveniently, the students were away for the summer, allowing participants to stay right there. Find out here whether the International Forum of Visual Practitioners was just as exciting as in previous years.
We could, of course, take the easy way out and simply write, "Yes, it was just as exciting as you'd expect, what else?", but we want to convey as many impressions as possible through pictures so you can get a better idea. We've already ticked the box for the location; it was fantastic. What else is essential at such an event? The people, exactly. We met some truly wonderful people at our booth. And we're always especially happy about that, because the more visitors, the more constructive exchange and good vibes. And then there were the speakers. In addition to three very informative presentations on facilitation, craftsmanship, and leadership, there was also the so-called Business Panel of Our Peers. Eight top-notch speakers took to the stage at once and exchanged ideas on business topics. So there really was something for everyone.
But the IFVP isn't so popular for nothing, and of course, it offered even more. This year, there were again numerous workshops led by well-known personalities on the four main topics mentioned above. And since a few of these personalities also happen to be Neuland Ambassadors® , we were even able to get them on board for our mini-workshops. These took place right at our "Neuland Store," so participants had all the materials they needed readily available. Naturally, we spent a lot of time before the event deciding what to bring across the pond. It had to be a good mix of new products and familiar favorites. The TwinOne , the Orbits and Hexits , as well as Estatics and various markers, were essential. And to make sure no one ran out of ink, we naturally packed plenty of refill ink . But there was one product that no one expected. We hadn't announced the new myWorkBoard , nor was it available in our online shop before the IFVP. So we succeeded in surprising everyone, and the workshop participants were able to test the product right away at Sam Bradd's.
Mini workshops, huge success!
Admittedly, we got off to a really great start when our twin ambassadors , Renatta Algalarrondo and Donatella Pastorino, presented our new twin marker on the second day of the IFVP… and they did it twice! Yes, you can see we're really creative when it comes to the new TwinOne®. But all joking aside, back to the topic: The "Marker SPA" workshop was practically in two parts. Oops, we let it slip again. But that's where the chain of coincidences ends, because while the first twin workshop focused on storage, refilling, and cleaning, the second workshop dealt with the topic of travel. Now, some of you might be wondering why we didn't divide that by the magic number of the second day, but you don't have to overdo it, do you?
To keep things balanced, we'll summarize the next two workshop days in one paragraph. Although, or perhaps precisely because, Renatta and Donatella set such a great precedent, our Filippo Buzzini really upped the ante, demonstrating four creative ways to spice up your headlines in just 20 minutes, including using AcrylicOne and Neuland ChalkOne® . He then immediately passed the latter on to Sam Bradd , who took it a step further on Friday, sharing some truly helpful hacks for boosting productivity. Of course, we understand that you're probably a little disappointed by now if you didn't make it to IFVP this year. But we haven't forgotten you! We filmed every workshop and will be uploading the videos soon. So, keep an eye on our social media channels, and you definitely won't miss a thing!
