Three Days, One Theme: Make Your Mark

Laser Maker Con 2026 wrapped up on June 27, and I'm still catching my breath. This year's theme was Make Your Mark, and if the last few weeks of messages, comments, and orders are any indication, that's exactly what this community did.

Over three days, we hosted more than twenty live sessions. Panels, watch parties, sponsor demos, a live creator challenge, and a design session where I built projects in real time with no script and no do-overs. We gave away more than $20,000 in prizes. We launched merch. And thousands of makers showed up from all over the world to learn, connect, and push their businesses forward.

If you were there, this is your recap. If you missed it, here's everything that happened.

We kicked things off on June 24 with a Kickoff Call to walk through the schedule, meet a few of this year's speakers, and explain how the Encore VIP Pass works for anyone who wanted lifetime access to the replays and bonus content after the event ended. From there, we ran straight through three full days of programming before wrapping with a Closing Call on June 27.

The Part That Actually Matters Most

Before I get into the schedule, I want to talk about the community, because that's what keeps people coming back to this event year after year.

"Let's do this AGAIN. I'm so happy to be able to enjoy this again. I always get the VIP because I like rewatching over and over again. Always something new to learn!" — @CardinalWingsLaser

"So excited for this. I've attended the last two years. I'm looking forward to new ideas with my laser." — @stephanieshurgalla6992

"I've been to all 3 of these and each one has been amazing!" — Kelly Capps

That's the thing about this community. People don't just show up to watch. They show up for each other, cheer on strangers in the comments, and come back year after year. Everything below only works because of that.

One of the things I'm proudest of about LMC is that it never feels like a webinar you half-watch with your camera off. This year we leaned even harder into live watch parties, where I hopped into the chat in real time while a speaker's session aired so we could react, ask questions, and dig deeper together as it happened. Scroll through any one of these chats and you'll see exactly what I mean.

Live reactions during the Robin Marsh watch party, one of several this year

"I've watched more lives during this years LMC than I have the last two. The Watch Parties are the reason!"

One of my personal favorite moments this year had nothing to do with the schedule at all. Samantha, better known as Gummy Thunk, surprised me with a custom painted hat, and I haven't been able to stop wearing it since. That's the kind of generosity that shows up over and over in this community, and it's a big part of why I keep doing this every year.

The custom painted hat from Samantha (Gummy Thunk), and yes, I've worn it nonstop since

The sponsors felt it too. Katie Mullinax from Monarch Pine wrote in afterward to say how much she loved connecting with the makers who joined her jewelry session, and Federico Tobon from Cuttle sent a note thanking the community for the questions and energy they brought to his live demo. One attendee, Anna Peabody, said she placed orders with three different sponsors during the event because she was so excited by how much they showed up to actually teach rather than just sell. That kind of engagement doesn't happen by accident. It happens when the people teaching genuinely care whether you succeed.

Day One — Building Confidence

We opened with the Charge With Confidence Panel, where Erik Crowell, Kimberly Shetron, Joshua Perry, and a lineup of experienced makers talked honestly about pricing, setbacks, and what it actually takes to keep going when a business doesn't follow the plan you had for it.

From there, Cuttle, our Presenting Sponsor, walked the community through how to generate personalized SVG files in seconds using their template library, a session that had one of the best turnouts of the whole event. Sonya Thomas shared teacher gift ideas that actually get used and appreciated, not just displayed on a shelf. Carissa Wiley of SprinkledWithGlitter.com broke down the most common mistakes makers make with custom rubber stamps, and Erik Crowell came back for a second session to demo his full tumbler engraving workflow using xTool equipment.

We closed Day One with the Inside the Top-Selling Products Panel and the Turning Foot Traffic into Sales Panel, both aimed at a question every maker eventually asks: how do you turn interest into actual sales, whether that's online or at a craft fair booth.

"These panels light a fire in me, let's go!!!" Comments like this were coming in the entire panel.

Day Two — Sponsors, Skills, and Mindset

Day Two leaned into hands-on technique and the sponsors who make this event possible. Monarch Pine Craft Supply walked through jewelry making, from findings and jump rings to pricing finished pieces. ACCELaser and MakerFlo both gave us a look at their latest products and how makers are using them to expand their offerings. Maker Studio showed off their design platform, built specifically to help makers go from idea to machine-ready file without needing to master traditional design software.

Michael Mullins of Laser Engraving 911 tackled one of the hardest parts of this business: pricing. He walked through real case studies, what he charged, and why, which is exactly the kind of transparency this industry needs more of. Robin Marsh taught a full Illustrator workflow for designing inlay earrings, and we wrapped the day with The Maker Mindset Panel, where makers from very different backgrounds talked about the mindset shifts that actually moved the needle in their businesses.

The Maker Mindset Panel, still going strong over an hour in

We also launched Laser Maker Con merch this day, designed with BrimCo Apparel. If you grabbed a shirt, thank you. Chantz and his team always bring it to life exactly the way we picture it.

Day Three — From Hobby to Business

The final day was all about turning skill into a sustainable business. FiltraBox talked shop safety and fume extraction, a topic that doesn't get nearly enough attention until something goes wrong. Olie Moss introduced leather crafting to makers who'd never touched it before, and Josh Evans, CEO of LoneStar Adhesive, shared the kind of practical advice that saves you from redoing a project because the wrong glue let go.

Dylan Jahraus shared three Etsy products that are actually selling right now, along with the strategy behind why. Then came two of my favorite parts of the entire event: the Live Creator Challenge, where makers designed and problem-solved in real time with zero safety net, and Learn with Emily, where I built a project from scratch on camera so you could see exactly how I think through a design, mistakes included.

The Live Creator Challenge is always a little bit chaos and a lot of fun. This year's lineup turned out a Wisconsin-shaped leather clock, a set of engraved decanters, personalized donut keychains, and a lazy susan the chat immediately decided was worth at least $100. The comments were coming in just as fast as the projects: "This is my first year watching this, I really enjoyed it, it's also my first year in the business," one viewer wrote, and another added, "LMC has let me meet the people behind the products, and that makes such a difference."

Live Creator Challenge builds underway, mid-project and full speed ahead

"Emily, this is my first year and It's been amazing." The finished lineup, ready for the vote.

The Live Creator Challenge ended with Olie Moss of Copper Cactus Collective taking the win for his Wisconsin-shaped leather clock. Along with the bragging rights, Olie got to direct a $1,000 donation to his charity of choice, Highland Park Improvements, and I had the honor of making that gift on his behalf. It's one of my favorite parts of the challenge every year: watching someone's creativity turn into something bigger than a prize.

Olie Moss and his winning Wisconsin clock

The $1,000 gift to Highland Park Improvements, made on Olie's behalf

We closed it all out with the Closing Call and Giveaway Winners, announcing prizes from Cuttle, Aeon Laser USA, ACCELaser, Mom's File Club, Laser Launch Academy, LoneStar Adhesive, Monarch Pine Craft Supply, MakerFlo, PAT Technology Systems, eufyMake, Maker Studio, and more.

All the giveaway prizes, packed up and ready to ship out to winners

What This Event Is Really For

Every year, someone tells me something that reminds me why we do this. This year, two messages stopped me in my tracks.

"Purchasing the VIP experience was one of the best investments I've made this year, second only to buying my laser... This weekend reminded me of who I am. You reminded me that I still have something to offer, that my voice matters, and that the work I've been called to do isn't finished." — Teras Antoinette Smith

"I've had quite a few technical difficulties getting my laser to connect on my computer. I also had my second brain surgery and unfortunately was diagnosed with aphasia which makes everything 10x harder to understand. So the fact that I can replay this course over and over again, makes it ideal for me! Thank you so much for creating this course, Emily!" — Stephanie Myers

That's the whole point. Not just the files or the techniques, but giving people a reason to believe they can actually build something. Kelly Capps put it well when she said she wants to see an interview next year with a maker who took everything they learned at LMC and used it to genuinely grow their business. That's a good idea, and it's exactly the kind of feedback that shapes what we build next.

We heard from brand new makers too, people who came in with more questions than confidence and left with a plan. That's the range this event is built for. Whether you've been running a laser business for ten years or you unboxed your machine last month, there was something on the schedule built with you in mind. That's not an accident either. Every speaker and every sponsor was chosen because they teach the way I try to teach: foundations first, so you can move fast later.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

None of this happens without the brands who show up for this community in a real way. Thank you to Cuttle, our Presenting Sponsor, along with Aeon Laser USA, ACCELaser, Monarch Pine Craft Supply, MakerFlo, Maker Studio, LoneStar Adhesive, FiltraBox, PAT Technology Systems, eufyMake, PDS Equipment, Laser Launch Academy, and Mom's File Club. Every one of them came to teach, not just to sell, and that's the only reason an event like this works.

Thank you for making your mark with us this year. I can't wait to see what you build next.
— Emily 🧡