Wine, Friendship, and Photo Organizing: What You Can Expect at the 7th National Photo Organizing Conference

Nixplay is in New Mexico to join one of our long-term partners, the Association of Personal Photo Organizers (APPO), in celebrating their Seventh National Photo Organizing Conference. We talked to APPO founder Cathi Nelson to give us some insights on how this event can open up opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs who are passionate about helping people tell their stories through photos and videos.

Please tell us about APPO.

Cathi Nelson: APPO is a professional organization that provides community, education, access to quality products, and entrepreneurial business knowledge to support the growth and success of professional photo organizers.

What can people expect for this year’s annual conference?

Cathi Nelson: APPO’s National Conference is the only educational conference for photo organizers in the world. The conference features dozens of small group and interactive learning workshops, led by an impressive collection of passionate experts and certified photo organizers. We cover all aspects of the art and business of photo organizing, with topics focused on photo organizing techniques, skill development, client management, pricing and profitability, and marketing and sales.

We’re excited to offer an educational lineup that meets the needs of today’s astute photo organizer. We proudly partner with top-quality sponsors and vendors, eager to support the growing field of photo organizing with a marketplace designed to showcase leading-edge products and services.

What has happened over the course of 10 years?

Cathi Nelson: Ten years ago, being a photo organizer was not a profession. Today, we have over 700 members in eight countries. We have been featured in countless news articles, podcasts, and blogs, including The New York Times, Better Homes and Gardens, The Wall Street Journal, and Real Simple. Our members have helped thousands of clients preserve their memories, especially after fires and floods.

How has Nixplay helped you achieve your goals as an organization?

Cathi Nelson: Nixplay is an amazing partner to photo organizers. They provide quality products and support the work of independent business owners. Nixplay frames offer photo organizers the option to return a client’s digitized collection to them in a unique way, giving all family members the joy of seeing photos from the past and connecting them with memories happening at the moment. Part of our mission as an organization is to connect our members with quality products to help them in their work, and Nixplay has been the perfect partner.

What are your future plans for APPO?

Cathi Nelson: We envision APPO to grow to thousands of professional photo organizers as the need for our services increases. APPO is built around the values of mutual support, shared success, and giving back. Cooperation, not competition, will help us grow into the future.

What’s your advice for Nixplay Smart Frame owners who might still be struggling to digitize and organize their photos?

Cathi Nelson: We have two resources for those who want to Do It Themselves. The first is my book, Photo Organizing Made Easy, available on Amazon.

We also just launched two online courses with great reviews, Printed Photo Organizing Made Easy and Digital Photo Organizing Made Easy, which you can purchase separately or as a bundle. The courses take you through the step by step process, developed by professional photo organizers.

Interested in the business and art of photo organizing? You can learn more about APPO by visiting www.appo.org or their Online Academy.