Category Issue 79

Point 79: The President’s Corner – Jef Saunders

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Jef Saunders
APP President

I vividly remember my first APP Conference experience. I had about $300 to my name, and I was waiting on a check to clear when I landed in Las Vegas. When I arrived I had no money at all to get to the Conference hotel; this was in the Riviera days. I actually looked through my junk mail, activated a credit card, and took a $20 cash advance to catch a cab to the hotel. When I arrived I was intimidated and excited, but before long I wasn’t amongst strangers, I was with friends.

I image that many attendees have similar experiences their first year. I know that many arrive at our Conference for the first time, low on money, but with an abundance of nerves. I think it’s safe to say we’ve all been there. Everyone has had a first  Conference.  I say it like that, because very few attendees have just one Conference. There is a special kind of magic that surrounds the entire event. We all end up making relationships that last a lifetime. We are learning together. We are buying jewelry and supplies from our hardworking vendors. A lucky few of us will even win raffle prizes that will alter the course of our careers. It is hard to put into words how special our Conference really is.

Until my involvement with the Board, I didn’t have an understanding of all the work that goes into the magic that is our collective learning, sharing, and growing experience. Since Conference continues to grow, more and more thought is required in addition to a tremendous amount of work and cooperation. Our volunteers, instructors, vendors, sponsors, mentors, board, officers and employees put in so much all year for this one week. They have my thanks for all the good times I have had over the years.

I’d love to be able to point to one moment in particular that cemented my love of Conference, but how could I? I was there when Rob Hill proposed to Stephanie Hill during the banquet (I mean right there, sitting next to them!) I was in the 20 years of APP roundtable listening to my heroes talk about the behind the scenes history of the APP. I got to teach a class about nostril piercing with Alicia Cardenas to a room about twice as full as I was counting on. I saw one of my closest friends, Cody Vaughn, win a huge raffle prize within months of opening his new shop. The list goes on and on.

If you’ve attended before, I’m sure you have your own moments like these. If this is your first Conference, I’m sure you’ll make your own memories that will stay with you a lifetime. If you ask me what my absolute favorite experience at Conference is, my answer is: the next one. The next time I get goosebumps. The next time I learn something that changes the way I pierce forever. The next time I cry because Caitlin is crying. That’s my favorite.

Point 79: From the Editor – Kendra Jane

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Kendra Jane B.
Managing Editor of Content & Archives

What can I say about the nineties? They shaped and influenced the rest of my life, more than any other decade I have  experienced thus far.

During those ten years, I graduated high school, had my first serious boyfriend, went to university, lost my virginity, found my feminist voice, became a registered voter, lived on my own for the first time, and got my first body piercings (other than my lobes as a baby).

My first piercing of choice came merely weeks after I turned 16 and could sign for myself. I had decided on something I thought I could easily hide from my parents, my tongue. Because although I was rebelling and going against the grain, I knew they would not understand or approve. I took the bus downtown to a local tattoo and piercing shop and signed myself up for a tongue piercing. A few hours later I had a very long externally threaded, acrylic beaded barbell in my mouth. That was my entry into the world of body modification, and although the bulk of my journey would not happen for two more decades, it all started in the nineties.

So flip the page and take a look back to where our Board of Directors may have been in the nineties. Read about celebrated photographer Charles Gatewood in a preview of this year’s Body Piercing Archive Exhibit. Matte Erickson’s teaser article on his jewelry exhibit will have us all yearning for the collector’s items of years gone by. So whether this is your first Conference or you have been to all twenty-one, get ready to strap on those Doc Martens and cut Footloose. This pre-Conference issue highlights the best of Conference and gives you a sweet taste of the nineties goodness that awaits us all June 11-16 in Las Vegas.

Point 79: From the Editor – Marina Pecorino

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Marina Pecorino
Managing Editor of Content & Statistics

Conference is coming!

It happened last year and it’ll happen next, but each year is a unique opportunity to meet new colleagues, share information, and purchase some of the best body jewelry available. Personally, this year, I’m most looking forward to the in-person support I get from my industry tribe and the volunteer family.

As we prepare for that life changing week, here are a few updates and things to you may want to consider:

  • Register for your preferred schedule— Classes are already filling up and the wait list system has been activated. The sooner you register the better your chance of getting all the classes you want.
  • Book your hotel room—We strongly encourage you to book in the APP Room Block. You’ll be closer to the excitement. Resort fees will be optional (covering in-room wifi and fitness center access), so you can choose to have more moola to spend on pretties in the Expo. And to top it off, you’ll be helping the APP maintain our privileges and position at Bally’s.
  • Alternatives to the Bar (A.T.T.B) are new this year!—For many of us, the Splash Bar can become tiresome, but we still want the opportunity to network and hang out, sans cigarette smoke and drunk shenanigans, please. Now you have more options; games in the lounge, Statim discussions with Brian Skellie, an after-hours Talk APP session, and a Body Piercing Archives pajama movie night! Check the Conference mobile app for more information.
  • Opening Pool Party Upgrade—This year, head over to the beautifully updated Go  Pool at the Flamingo Hotel across the street. Also new for this year, there will be a strictly enforced wristband policy for the pool party. You’ll find your wristband in your registration packet, so please remember to grab   it when you don that Speedo.
  • Conference mobile app—This year, along with the handy maps, schedules, and speaker information in our Conference mobile app, you’ll also find a fun new game. Play “Click” to win prizes through a photo scavenger hunt designed to get you to network and socialize. This is an especially handy addition for new attendees and those of us who favor the shy side.

Still feeling unprepared or have questions? Our ever-evolving checklist of don’t forgets and survival tips has become a staple reference guide for Conference goers. If you’re ready for a reminder, check out this checklist/ survival guide from Issue 71.

Shifting gears to non-Conference news,

Kendra, Jim, and I are very happy to announce two new additions to The Point team. We would like to welcome Ryan Clark and Badur Ramji to The Point committee. Ryan’s experience with editing and InDesign are already proving useful in the final stages of our publication processes. We will be utilizing Badur’s expertise in social media and web management to further engage our readership and develop the publication’s online presence. If you have ideas for any of us or just want to welcome our new committee members, please send an email to editor@safepiercing.org.

All of that said, start drinking your water and taking your vitamins now; I can’t wait to see you all in Las Vegas in a few short weeks!