by Jef Saunders
To you readers of The Point, it has been a humbling experience being the President of the Association of Professional Piercers. What I’ve learned in the past three years is that there is an enormous team of committed piercers, jewelry manufacturers, Sponsors, employees, Volunteers, Officers, committee members and Board members who make the effort every day to make piercing safer and spread the word about this wonderful organization.
We are on the precipice of the 24th annual APP Conference & Exposition, and I couldn’t be more excited. I’ve spoken with instructors, vendors, volunteers and attendees, and we all share a renewed enthusiasm for the learning that takes place at our Conference. One of the most exciting parts of teaching and attending classes is the zeal with which our attendees participate. Make no mistake, even if you are not a volunteer, instructor, vendor, or conference worker, you are a crucial part of this Conference if you are attending classes, asking questions, and coming home a better educated piercer than you left.
So much is new about this 24th annual Conference: our venue is the spectacular Planet Hollywood Resort Casino! We have a revamped and exciting Golden Ticket raffle. We also have a completely new Silent Auction! We even completely overhauled the Banquet into a new Closing Party! Considering our new venue, this year was a great opportunity to innovate, and the Conference Committee and Board have done just that.
Perhaps the conference event dearest to my heart is the celebration of the life and work of Fakir Musafar. Fakir was a mentor, boss, spiritual guru, and friend of mine, and I am looking forward to sharing memories and hearing new stories in the classes devoted to Fakir. The Body Piercing Archive has been working for well over a year to present the largest exposition of Fakir’s work ever. This exhibit will be like nothing we’ve ever seen before, and I cannot wait for our conference attendees to experience it.
As I leave the office of President, I want to say thank you to everyone who has helped me throughout my term; there are not enough pages in The Point to list everyone. Thank you to our Members, Corporate Sponsors, Volunteers, Board Members past and present, and our conference attendees. Thank you Marina. Thank you Caitlin. Thank you to the staff of The Point, who do an exemplary job (and deal with my penchant for missing deadlines). Thanks to everyone who puts work into promoting safe piercing, and supports sharing and education in our community. You inspire us all. Excelsior!
