Thank you, North Carolina!

The second Maker Faire North Carolina was a tremendous success!  Thank you, North Carolina!

The North Carolina community of Makers, Crafters, and innovators played host at the NC State Fairgrounds to over 80 exhibitors and musicians for another inspirational day of do-it-yourself Maker spirit and innovation at Maker Faire North Carolina 2011.

This event is all about community so I would love it if you would share your photos and videos with the world by posting in our Flickr Group and/or our Facebook Page.  If you missed out this year then make sure you get on our mailing list for future updates.

I sincerely hope that all attendees, volunteers, musicians, sponsors, and exhibiting Makers had a rewarding and worthwhile experience that will serve as your muse until we all meet again in 2012.

Thanks to Cox & Forkum!

I want to take a moment to thank the artists at Cox & Forkum for their generosity in donating the rights to use one of their excellent cartoons for the Maker Faire:NC 2011 T-shirt!  And no, I'm not going to spoil the surprise by telling you which cartoon was chosen by our shirt designer!  We will be offering the 2011 shirt for pre-order before the event.

Thanks so much, John and Allen!

Thanks for Making Maker Faire:NC a Success!

Wow, what a fun day!  The first year of Maker Faire:NC saw attendance at over 2000 people, almost 50 makers, and a world of inspiration.  I hope that your experience at the Faire was positive, fun, and though-provoking.  Lots of media was there and they covered the event better than I.  Have a look at what the Durham Herald-Sun had to say.

The photographs are still rolling in.  The Flickr Group is already chock full of pictures and more are on the way.  I hope you'll add yours as well.

I had a chance to chat with some of the Makers after things wound down last night and heard nothing but glowing comments about the attendees.  The Makers were thrilled that everyone who came by their booths had insightful, probing questions for them.

How about that music?!? Our music director, Lisa, did a fantastic job of hosting some very talented musicians.  I think that their performances were top-notch.  Big thanks to all of you!

Our sponsors who exhibited, ShopBot, Spoonflower, TechShop RDU, Yelp, Cyberbiota, ioBridge, and Hines Design Labs all told me that the response to their product/service was astounding.  Again, I extend a huge thanks to you and our non-exhibiting sponsor, Through This Lens, for your support.

The secret to the success of Maker Faire:NC is our volunteers.  Volunteer Coordinator, Drew Nelson, did a magnificent job of directing an amazing team of smart, friendly, and highly capable of volunteers this weekend.  Thank you for all of your hard work, volunteers!

We can't forget the Makers who made it all exciting and fun.  I especially enjoyed hearing all of the cross-training going on between makers of wildly different genres.  Thanks to you, Makers!

The donations that you made were very generous and will make it possible to do this again next year: bigger and better.  I have been reviewing your suggestions and they're great ideas.  Please feel free to contact us with more suggestions.  See you next year!