Origami Owl Convention 2019: Savannah, GA

Origami Owl Convention: the annual gathering of designers to celebrate the past year, get invaluable business and personal training, and witness the reveal of the fall jewelry line. The three day event is always filled with fun as we meet fellow designers and hear O2 news from the founders themselves. I have been attending the Origami Owl Convention since I joined as a designer in 2014. Back then, I was too young to travel alone, so I took my mom on the trip. She has continued to come with me for the past six years.

On top of attending convention, we like to turn these trips into little vacations by extending our stay for a few days. We were delighted to find out this years convention was hosted in Savannah, Georgia, a city neither of us have ever visited.

Each year comes with its own theme. Last year’s theme was Fly, this year: Limitless. And as you can see, we were graced with the presence of the amazing Rachel Hollis as our keynote speaker!

The Convention Center in Savannah is located on an island which is easily accessible by a ferry.

• 

• 

Origami Owl wouldn’t throw a get together without decorations. The Convention Center is always decorated with O2 posters, cutouts, and photo ops. Though we were away from the home “nest” this year, they still brought it in terms of decor.

Take a look at this entrance:

And of course the entryway was decked out in lockets and O2 blue.

• 

• 

• 

Breakouts and General Sessions

Day one of Convention was a day of breakout sessions. We attended a breakout called “Lights, Camera, Action! Photography.” We learned how to better photograph lockets and how to effectively use images on social media.

Also on our first day we walked through the Swarovski Experience. Swarovski created a walk through exhibit specially for Origami Owl Convention that taught us about the history of Swarovski, the development process of crystals, and displayed pieces from the Swarovski archives (like a dress worn by Cher and the 2018 Victoria’s Secret Celestial Angel outfit). The exhibit ended with a Swarovski color wheel that you could spin to win a prize.

• 

• 

There were three general sessions this year spread across day two and three of Convention. For these sessions, all 2,000 attendees gather in one great big room to hear news from our founders, inspiration from keynote speakers and fellow designers, and witness jewelry reveals.

• 

• 

• 

• 

And of course, with jewelry reveals comes…

I received all of these goodies during the first two general sessions:

• 

• 

During one general session it was announced that this year’s incentive trip will be held June 11-15 in Costa Rica! I think I’m gonna try for the trip this year, but it is going to require some work. Take this image in, because even if I earn the trip, there is no way you will see an actual picture of me on a zip line.

Closing Party

“Ain’t no party like an O2 party!”

That’s what Chrissy always says at least.

Each year, Convention closes with a recognition ceremony and big themed party to wrap up the weekend. The recognition part of the evening always drags on far longer that it should. But once it’s dismissed, we head to a big ballroom to dance, eat, and party away.

Before Convention, it was announced that the theme for the year would be “whiteout,” but once the night came, Chrissy announced there was a “secret theme.” It turns out Origami Owl had planned an 80’s themed party for us complete with black lights and neon lights so all our white dresses would glow while we danced to a soundtrack of 80’s hits.

• 

• 

• 

• 

And to wrap up life’s little charm called Origami Owl Convention, here is a photo-roundup from the week:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Does this look like a ton of fun? Are you thinking you want to join me next year? Well you can! Shoot me a message and we can chat about how you can become and Origami Owl designer just like me!