The first Bead Conference took place in San Francisco in 1980, and was a collaboration between the Northern California Bead Society and University of California (SF). While the attendees were mainly local, the scope of the event was international. This was where I first met Gabrielle Liese.

I bring this up because in 1985, aboard the Queen Mary, a news reporter wanted a pithy quote from me and said—"Jamey this is the first bead conference ever—what do you think about it?" Whereupon I told her about the conferences in 1980 and 1982. I did not get quoted.

The First Bead Expo in Santa Fe took place in 1992, commemorating the "Discovery of America" or "The New World" by Columbus in 1492, 500 years previously. Expo took place every two years, not always in Santa Fe.

Jamey