Customer education has been one of our main focuses in the past several years. We’ve added more help within the program with the release of EQ7, we’ve created a website full of lessons and videos to teach different topics, we’ve added a new YouTube channel of help videos, and most recently, we’ve launched our own online class site, called EQ University. What we were missing is that hands-on experience that so many people need. While The Electric Quilt Company has sponsored EQ classes at Quilt Festival in Houston for many years, we really wanted to be able to offer classes on our own. And so we did.
We announced our first EQ Academy, to be held in Perrysburg, OH, back in late July 2014. The immediate response blew us away! We offered two EQ7 classes and one EQStitch class, and the EQ7 classes filled up almost immediately. We were amazed at how many people were willing to travel to Ohio to learn our software.
The Recap:
Over 60 students traveled from all around the country for 3 days of classes. Class sessions were from 9:00am-12:00pm, then again from 1:30pm-4:30pm. Three of our experienced EQ teachers, Barb Vlack, Yvonne Menear and Mary Ellen Kranz, filled those long hours with in depth EQ instruction. Since this was an EQ event, EQ staff was available the entire time to help with technical issues, and to keep students on track.
Friday evening included a dinner and lecture series for all students, teachers and EQ staff. This casual event was filled with great prizes, delicious food, the history of The Electric Quilt Company, and 3 amazing lectures from the teachers. Although a long day, everyone had a great time.
We truly thank all the students that attended our first EQ Academy! We loved meeting you and being part of your EQ journey!
Below are a few pictures from the weekend. Check #EQAcademy on social media for more photos and videos! If you’re interested in next year’s EQ Academy, sign up for our email list.
04-15-2015
1:11 pm
Attending the EQ Academy was a great experience!! Yvonne really helped me become more comfortable with EQ Stitch. I really hope you decide to hold it again next year!!
04-15-2015
4:48 pm
@Darlene Gerber: How wonderful you were able to attend! I did not
But I hope to be there next year.
You can stay informed about #EQAcademy2016 by signing up for the Special List, at the link:
http://electricquilt.com/education/eq-academy/
Enjoy!
Al
04-15-2015
4:50 pm
@Sara, Thank you for the wonderful summary, and the terrific group photos! Here’s to EQAcademy2016
Al
04-15-2015
10:55 pm
I wish I could have attended this event, but I will try to get in on a future one.
04-20-2015
7:55 am
EQ Academy was such a fantastic experience! Mary Ellen’s teaching style kept everyone on track and we learned way more aspects of the S/W than I expected. It was also really great to get a taste of the advanced class from Barb (that was a pleasant surprise!). A huge thank you to the EQ staff, the event was one of the best I’ve been to in quite a while. Praying you do more, I’ll be back. Thank you.
04-20-2015
10:22 am
Thank you for putting together EQ Academy. I knew the basics and have used the program for a while and thought I’d pick up a few pointers. What a wonderful surprise to find that there is so much more to EQ 7 that I had not known. The class was paced so well that I was learning something new, or a new way to use old knowledge, at all times during the 3 days. I left realizing there is still more that this program can do and I’m looking forward to another EQ Academy next year
04-21-2015
12:34 pm
Thank you so much for organizing this very first EQ Academy. It was so needed– at least by me! There’s nothing better than hands-on training by expert professionals. Our instructors were well-versed in EQ7 and EQStitch, and were able to answer just about any questions we could come up with. I have to say I was a beginner when I walked into class, but I left after three days feeling empowered! Thank you again. I will definitely sign up for more online classes and hope to come to back to EQ Academy next year for the EQ Stitch class.
04-21-2015
12:57 pm
I had such a great time at EQ Academy, from the knowledgeable
instructors to the ever present helpful EQ staff with all the great
ladies I met in class.
I was an intermediate user when I went and was a little worried
how it would work with beginners, but as usual EQ figured out how
to mix the different levels of users seamlessly.
I learned something new on each day along with remembering
Things I had forgotten.
Thanks again to ALL of the EQ staff and all three of the instructors
For a GREAT inaugural Academy.
04-22-2015
12:10 pm
An amazing experience. Had a great time and learned soooo much! Yvonne’s class was much more than I expected and the EQ staff went out of their way to ensure that we had everything we needed and more. Would do this again in a heartbeat!