NAQG Quilling Conference (NAQGCON)
Oklahoma City, OK
May 31 – June 1, 2024
❖ Embassy Suites by Hilton, near the Will Rogers Airport ❖
I would like to invite you to Oklahoma City for NAQGCON 2024!
I’ve lived in Oklahoma for 21 years and all the changes that I’ve seen in this state have been fun to watch. Our city is growing, but it still retains its southwestern charm.
Theme: Vintage Oklahoma
Oklahoma has a lot of history, from the unique creation 
of the Boomer/Sooner state to Route 66, and due to this abundance of inspiration, we will be centering a lot of our preparations around these ideas. Your name tag will be provided by us!
Be sure to review the updated Competition Guidelines page on themes. We’d like to invite everyone to enter the competition. It’s fun, rewarding and helps you learn and grow with your quilling skills. Here is the link to fill out the Competition Registration form.
There is a growing interest in quilling and we hope that during our exhibition on Saturday we will be able to welcome many people coming to see all the submitted competition pieces and watch demonstrations of our art!
Events
On Friday night, I have a very special quilling activity planned, I hope you will plan to participate!
We are working on events for before and possibly after the conference. When we finalize these details, we will send out an email and include those details in the next newsletter.
I look forward to welcoming you to our city, where the “wind comes sweeping down the plains!” The Oklahoma “Quilling for Healing” group will be helping me host all of you for this conference.
Toni Swayze, your 2024 NAQGCON Host
Hotel Information
NOTE: I strongly suggest reserving a room ASAP due to seasonal events.
The 2024 NAQGCON will be held on May 31 & June 1, 2024 at the Embassy Suites by Hilton 1815 S. Meridian, Oklahoma City, OK, 73108.
In a rare event, the Embassy Suites, where we are having the conference, has sold out of hotel rooms. But, don’t worry! Because the location of the hotel is so near to the Oklahoma City airport, there are many hotels in the area that may still have rooms available! If you are wanting to come to the conference, get your room first so that you have a place to lay your head – May is softball season in Oklahoma.
The Clarion Pointe has some availability (as of 3/14), and it is on the same side of the street and within walking distance of the Embassy Suites: Clarion Hotel, OK
If you are a new member and would like to be connected with someone to share a room with, please let me know and I’ll see if I can connect you.
The following hotels are still relatively close, but you will want a ride so you don’t have to walk too far after dark. I’m just including a few, if you need any insight about the hotels in the area, just send questions to naqgconhost@naqg.org. If you have to book at another hotel, let me know so that we can try to figure out some transportation options!
Sonesta Simply Suites, OK
Ways to Arrive
– Planes
The Will Rogers World Airport (Airport code: OKC) is a short five-minute drive away and the hotel offers a free shuttle from 6AM to 10PM, daily. If you need to call for the shuttle, use this number to call the hotel directly: 405-682-6000
– Trains
There is an Amtrak station (Station code: OKC) in downtown Oklahoma City that receives trains from Dallas.
– Automobiles
Interstates 40 & 44 or Route 66 exploration will get you here and the hotel offers free parking! Just point your GPS to 1815 S. Meridian, Oklahoma City, OK, 73108
What to Expect
The NAQGCON is a very special event, it’s an opportunity to meet other quillers and learn new techniques. All conference events are held in the hotel (two (2) group meals [included in the Registration Fee or the Meals Only Fee], competition, classes/demos, and public viewing hours). For a general schedule, visit the NAGQCON page. Please remember to bring your own quilling tools, glue, scissors, etc. (packed inside your luggage) for the classes and extra paper to practice all the things you will see and learn. Your name tag will be provided by us!
Volunteers Needed
If you would like to volunteer to teach a class/workshop, give demos or “Make-it/Take-its,” please let me know as soon as possible, and return to me the Volunteer Registration Form (online). When teachers/classes are confirmed, I will post the class descriptions and notify attendees when to choose classes. We are extremely grateful for any teachers & demonstrators. On Saturday, we need several quilling demonstrators because we expect a lot of guests coming to see our work! If we have enough people helping, we can schedule different times so no one has to demonstrate for the whole three hours.
Vendors
If you would like to be a vendor, please fill out the Vendor Registration form (online) as soon as possible. Table space is limited and first come, first served.
Giveaways/Raffle
If you plan to donate any giveaways or items for the raffle table please let me know as soon as possible. If you plan to send them to me by mail include a note inside the parcel so I know for what purpose the items are intended. Please do not mail anything (packages/parcels) directly to the hotel.
This event takes a lot of work and planning. I’m relying on you to register as early as possible, so I know how many to plan for. You may contact me at 810-240-8016 or via email at NAQGCONHOST with any questions or if you need help with your hotel reservation.
Toni Swayze, your 2024 NAQGCON Host
Places of Interest
Some of the recommended activities in Oklahoma City include the Oklahoma City Memorial & Museum, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, Myriad Botanical Gardens with the Crystal Bridge Conservatory, First Americans Museum, and Bricktown’s Water Taxi. If you love art, the Oklahoma City Museum of Art has one of the most comprehensive collections of Dale Chihuly’s glass works. For more information about these recommendations and more, take a look at visitokc.com
South of the city, in Norman, is the Museum of Osteology – the only skeleton museum in America (I highly recommend adding this to your trip!).
The state itself boasts of having over 500 museums: okmuseums.org, a Boathouse district downtown that is the official U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Site for rowing and canoe/kayak, and numerous niche locations to attract anyone’s interest.