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RAPAPORT... MJSA created a new event, The Jeweler’s Bench Conference and Trade Fair, for September 12 and 13 at the Sheraton Providence Airport in Rhode Island. The conference will focus on all aspects of bench work —from traditional techniques to technological advancements— as well as business strategies for success. The venue is a few minutes’ drive from Rhode Island’s T.F. Green Airport, according to MJSA, and the fair will feature two educational programs: “Better Business Strategies” and “Better Bench Work.” Both programs were created to help attendees not just make and repair jewelry with greater ease, but also reach new customers, fulfill orders and improve profit margins. “Jewelry companies of all types and sizes — artisans and designers, volume manufacturers, contractors, retailers with repair services — view their bench operation as a foundational part of their business,” said MJSA's president, David W. Cochran. “Our conference will ensure they have access to not only needed technical and business expertise, but also to world-class tools, technologies and other resources that can help take them to the next level of success.” Specifically, the Better Business Strategies program will focus on social media basics, website development, search engine optimization and managing growth, while the Better Bench Work program will cover the daily technical issues faced by bench jewelers, such as choosing the best tools, working with specific alloys and smoothing snarled production routes. The technical sessions will be developed and run by Metalwerx, a Waltham, Massachusetts–based school and community studio for jewelry makers and metal artists. In addition, an accompanying trade fair will feature dozens of suppliers. Attendee pre-registration is now open here.
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