Point 84: The Banquet

By Kendra Jane B.

Photos by Shanna Hutchins

Banquet is always a bitter sweet evening for me. On one hand it is finally a chance to relax and enjoy the company of my friends and piercer family usually I have been too busy to get more than a passing hug from them until this point in the week. On the other hand it means in a mere 24 hours everything is over; the boxes packed, the booths gone, everything seemingly vanishes in a blink of an eye until the next year. So let’s relive the golden highlights just one more time as we take a look back at this year’s banquet dinner.

The few hours that we all spend gathered in one room each year changes lives, solidifies relationships, and acts as the culminating event of our Conference. Every year we take a moment in our evening to celebrate those who have joined our piercing family as well as to remember those that have passed on. This year that climax of our days together held special meaning for me. With the abundance of loss and grief for many of us, this year I chose to make a personal tribute to that loss by donating just over 26” of my hair. A special thank you to everyone that celebrated that with me.

We use our Banquet Dinner to honor some of the deserving souls in our industry. This made it an extra special place to honor a new me. We also take time to celebrate all of the new Members since the last Conference, and to thank all of our volunteers for their hard work throughout the year. We celebrate and acknowledge those vendors that are leading our industry with both technical and creative innovations. I would also like to take a moment to thank our Sponsors once again that make our grand prize raffle draws at Banquet a highlight for the entire week.

Anatometal
Sleeping Goddess Jewelry
Industrial Strength Body Jewelry
Piercers.com
Auris Jewelry
Gold Heart Woodworks
NeoMetal, Inc
Alchemy Adornment
LeRoi Inc.
Glasswear Studios

We would also like to thank our Banquet Sponsors; Alchemy Adornment, Industrial Strength Body Jewelry, LeRoi Inc., and Steri-Wash.

All of that plus the chance to take some great pictures in the photo booth or belt out a tune at karaoke! This year’s party was one that will not be quickly forgotten. It truly was a golden night.