Thank you to everyone who came and caught up with us this year. It was great to see all your faces. For us, this year’s SPOA was not just about celebrating our wonderful high volume community but also about embracing the future of the industry. From our new unified team to SPOA’s board and structure change to talks about AI and new industry-relevant data, this year, change was in the air.
Let’s dive into the exciting updates and share some key takeaways from this year’s conference.
Huh? What’s SPOA?
Before we jump into what our 2024 SPOA conference looked like, let’s first give you a quick overview of what SPOA is.
SPOA, short for School Photographers of America, is a group dedicated to educating, advocating, and keeping the traditions of school photography alive. While the conference itself is new, the organization has deep roots. Starting in the 1950s as the Professional School Photographers (AASP), they’ve been here supporting the industry ever since!
One Unified Team takes on SPOA
One of our standout themes this year was the power of unity. Over the past year, Fotomerchant, ImageQuix, PhotoLynx, and Skylab have merged into a powerhouse, creating an environment ripe for innovation and collaboration. This union is a testament to our shared vision of revolutionizing the high volume photography industry.
This year at SPOA, we were pumped to share our new platform direction with you all, and share the excitement together! So, what were we so excited to share? Well, the fruit of our unified efforts – Blueprint.
Our high volume platform is designed to streamline and enhance studio workflows. Blueprint isn’t just a product; it’s a solution crafted from years of industry experience and customer feedback. It’s designed to simplify processes, improve efficiency, and ultimately help studios thrive in a competitive market. Key new features for fall include facial recognition, open API, job stages, and organization grouping, all aimed at enhancing your studio’s productivity and success.
Gold medals all round
Enough product chat, let’s get into the party details! This year at SPOA, we hosted the welcome party. Doing it in style, this year’s theme was the Olympics. Set right after the grand opening of the Tradeshow, the night was full of chats, drinks, and laughs. We had a fantastic Vegas singer, but Miles Hayes from VIP Images stole the show with his time on the stage. A real showman indeed!
Education for a good cause
One of the best moments at SPOA 2024 was definitely the Tim Tebow interview. Tim, known for his awesome sports career and inspiring presence, brought so much energy and heart to the event. We’re very pleased about SPOA’s new partnership with the Tim Tebow Foundation to help kids in need.
Tim shared some amazing stories about his work, especially the Night to Shine events that give people with special needs an unforgettable prom experience. This was a major highlight of the conference, reminding us all about the power of compassion and community. Let’s not forget: Our industry is all about bringing smiles to people’s faces!
The Industry Report talks
Our industry is hungry for data, and the popularity of our talks demonstrated this. We held two talks this year, both focused on our School Photography Industry Report made in conjunction with SPOA. Packed with insights on current trends, challenges, and opportunities, let the data in this report set you free!
Let’s talk about parents! Lucy Richards, James Anderson
In this talk about parents, we explored how the report can complement your internal and third-party data, highlighting the new and improved format with dates and non-buyer data.
Success with your Schools. Lucy Richards, James Anderson
The school report session was all about bridging the communication gap between parents and schools. We also shared tips on how studios can use the report to build trust and get involved this year.
Now, we need your help.
This year’s report is set to be our best yet. We’ve listened to your feedback and gathered even more comprehensive data, including insights from non-buyers.
Sounds great, right? But we need your help to make it happen. Please share the survey link below with your parents and schools. The more responses we get, the better the data will be. It’s that simple!
Survey Link: https://form.typeform.com/to/tacLw0nV?utm_source=SPOA2023ATT
Not sure how to share it? You can send it in a direct email, add it to your promotional emails, or print a QR code for your order forms. Need help or some marketing support for the report? Contact Lucy at lucy.richards@fotomerchant.com.
So long for now
To wrap things up, it was great to see all your faces at SPOA 2024 this year! We’re super excited about the future and can’t wait to see even more growth and collaboration within our community.
A big thank you to everyone who attended and made this year’s conference unforgettable. Let’s keep the momentum going and make 2024/2025 our best year yet!
