Atlantic, GA—Being more profitable, improving digital workflow and finding a competitive niche are hot topics for most professional photographers, and those are just the things Professional Photographers of America (PPA) believes its PPA Tour 2011 will help them learn.
The eight-city slate of daylong workshops starts in Atlanta on August 15 with other events planned for Houston, Texas, August 22; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, September 12; Cincinnati, Ohio, September 19; Orlando, Florida, September 26; Kansas City, Missouri, October 3; San Francisco, California, October 10; and Raleigh, North Carolina, October 17. Each of the PPA Tour events will focus on helping photographers make more money, while finding new ways to stand out in a highly competitive industry.
“The market for educational products targeted to photographers has exploded in the last couple of years with all kinds of inspirational and artistic programming. However, there are few options for learning how to run a sound business from A to Z,” explained Dawn Robb, PPA’s director of education. “The PPA Tour is set up to walk photographers through a day in the life of a successful photography studio, from finding and targeting the right customers, to taking a great photo and managing the post-capture process for highest profitability. We’ll bring it all together at the end of the day with the thing all photographers want most: strategies to sell more products.”
The tour is designed to help photographers who are just getting into the business and those who could use the classes as a business booster. Workshops will be taught by industry leaders, and speakers vary from city to city. Instructors include Bry Cox, Tony Corbell, Kay Eskridge and Lori Nordstrom. “We’re highlighting photographers who have created profitable business models and are ready to lend their expertise to others,” added Robb.
Robb also pointed out that this is a great opportunity for photographers to network and learn from each other. “Others have gone through the same challenges you are going through, and now’s your chance to capitalize on their solutions.”
Whether attendees choose between a full day of education for $79 (9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.) or the evening program on sales and service for $39 (5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.), they will all have access to a mini trade show where they can browse for products and meet with key industry partners.
“Helping photographers grow their businesses and live their dreams is the point of this PPA Tour. In fact, it’s the focus of PPA itself,” said Robb.
Professional Photographers of America (PPA), an international nonprofit association for professional photographers since 1869, exists to assist its 22,000 members with protection, education and resources to ensure their continued success in the photographic industry. For details on the PPA Tour 2011, visit ppa.com/ppatour.
