This past weekend in Peachtree City, Georgia, Sublimation Summit welcomed attendees for three days of education and camaraderie.

Many of the event’s attendees belong to the growing Facebook group Sublimation for Beginners and Beyond – run by Sublimation Summit Event Coordinator and Founder Cheryl Kuchek. Despite the group having over 31,000 members, it’s a close-knit community where sublimators can connect, troubleshoot, and build each other up. This same friendly environment was present during this year’s Sublimation Summit, April 27-29.

Kuchek has been in the sublimation industry for nearly 20 years and hopes to bring “education, inspiration, and confidence” to sublimators through the curated summit format.

This year’s event marked the second in-person Sublimation Summit since its initial kick-off in 2019. The Summit went virtual for three years (2020-2022), which made this year’s return special. Hosted at the Crowne Plaza Atlanta SW – Peachtree City, attendees sat in on various classes, networked over meals, and made equipment investments with vendors. Those who couldn’t make the in-person event could tune in via live stream.

Speaking about the event’s turnout and general feedback from attendees, Kuchek says, “From everything I was hearing, everyone that was there had an amazing time of learning and networking. When I decided to live stream, I had no idea that attendees that had tickets already would want to convert their tickets to view versus in-person attendance.”

Sublimation Summit Sessions

Classes varied from business-focused topics like time management, legal fundamentals, and how to use Canva to decoration-specific sessions about sublimation, direct-to-garment (DTG) printing, heat transfers, and more.

Speakers included business expert Aaron Montgomery, legal guru Gordon Firemark, keynote speakers Jeremie Kubicek and Sean Kouplen, as well as representatives from ASI, Beaver Paper, Condé Systems, Corel, Geo Knight & Co., Great Dane Graphics, JDS, Johnson Plastics Plus, Neenah, Sawgrass, SewingMachine.com, Siser, Trotec, UniNet, Unisub, and Vapor Apparel.

Some standout sessions the Apparelist attended included:

Pricing for Profit with Aaron Montgomery

Montgomery’s class focused on rethinking pricing strategy and getting to a number that both the buyer and the seller are happy with. He brought up three big no-nos:

1. 1. 1. Using Facebook groups to price your products
      2. Touting “price match” and “lowest price guarantee”
      3. Defaulting to Total Cost x 3

With the first approach, Montgomery says it doesn’t take a business’s overhead and unique skills into account. The second makes price the lowest common denominator and ultimately creates a battle to the bottom. And the last approach doesn’t consider the time spent making the products.

He suggests a formula that considers a business’s unique circumstances:

Overhead Rate / Time
+ Direct Costs
+ Profit Margin
= Price Needed

Business and Legal Fundamentals for Makers, Creatives, and Entrepreneurs with Gordon Firemark

Firemark covered the different business structures from sole proprietor to LLC. He also dove into the key differences between patents, trademarks, and copyright. He stressed the importance of avoiding copyright infringement and the steps needed to obtain licensing, which include:

1. 1. Identifying the material(s) you want to use
   2. Identifying whether it’s a trademark or copyright
   3. Finding the owner of the intellectual property
   4. Writing a proposal for use – including the number of units you plan to make and a proposed fee or royalty for use
   5. Submitting items for approval
   6. Getting the agreement in writing

Build a Mindset that Matters with Jeremie Kubicek

Kubicek shared his near-death experience and how that impacted his life and mindset change. Through a series of leadership development tools like the Peace Index, Hope Meter, and Support Challenge Index, created by his company GiANT, he encouraged attendees to lead themselves by knowing themselves.

Check out Shift 2 Success to learn more.

Q&A Panel with Industry Leaders

The Q&A panel with industry leaders was a mix of fun, light-hearted conversation and open dialogue sharing business advice and inspirations with the crowd.

One attendee asked panelists the business advice they’d offer new leaders, and they shared simple yet powerful anecdotes:

• • “Calmness is a superpower.” — Charlie Myers, Neenah
  • “Being responsive, not resistant.” — Jeremie Kubicek, GiANT
  • “Have a passion for what you want to do.” — David Gross, Condé Systems
  • “Avoid the kneejerk.” — Aaron Knight, Geo Knight & Co.
  • “I would just care. I would just listen. … By virtue, you’ll be successful as a leader.” — Sean Kouplen, Regent Bank

Building Community

While Facebook groups and other online forums have been a huge part of the printing and customization industry for years, there’s something special about gathering and learning with your peers in person, especially post-COVID.

Kuchek says she had many favorite moments from this year’s Sublimation Summit, but the one that takes the cake was being able to meet group members for the first time – some of which joined her Facebook group over 10 years ago.

“Also, meeting my tribe members after seeing them on our Zoom meetings was priceless,” she adds. “I would be remiss if I didn’t mention our keynote speakers, they were amazing on every level.”

Asking if decorators can expect an event in 2024, she says, “I always think the best is yet to come, so absolutely!”

Continuing to build a community where sublimators can learn and connect, Kuchek alongside Condé’s Gross soft launched their newest venture: Sublimation University. For more on that, keep an eye on Apparelist.