GCA Events

GCA hosts several events each year for our members, the industry, and more. They range from exhibit opportunities, the annual awards, member meet-ups, and educational conferences. Any upcoming events can be found in our Event Calendar here. Check them out below:

Louie Awards

The annual Louie Awards program has been honoring the best cards in the industry for over 30 years. They recognize, reward, and celebrate that moment when art, editorial, and design perfectly coalesce to bring these emotions to life and memorialize the numerous milestones in our lives. Launched by the Greeting Card Association (GCA) in 1988, the prestigious Louie Awards recognize the most outstanding greeting cards, invitations, and announcements marketed in the U.S. during the previous calendar year. Read more here.

*Noted: The Greeting Card Expo

*Noted is GCA’s annual community event and tradeshow focused exclusively on greeting cards. *Noted represents the vitality, creativity and innovation of the greeting card industry and brings in hundreds of retailers and buyers to shop brands both big and small, and new and old. As the largest gathering of greeting card makers in the country, *Noted can’t be missed! Read more here.

*Noted Village @ Industry Events

To help spread the word about *Noted, and to assist members who might be new to tradeshows, GCA partners with various industry tradeshows and events to offer GCA members an exclusive opportunity to exhibit in a mico-booth space with fellow GCA members, called a Village. The size and cost of these spaces vary by show, but they allow for GCA members to work together and network in a dedicated section on the show floor and is great for those new to exhibiting. Read more about any upcoming villages on our event calendar here.

Workshop + Retreat

GCA’s Annual Workshop + Retreat (previously known as our Annual Convention) is our educational conference where card publishers, industry suppliers, retail partners, and more meet for 2-3 days filled with networking, education, events, and fun. Attendees leave with great new contacts, ideas for innovation, leadership, and executive-level insight, tools to grow your business, insight into industry trends, and a renewed excitement for all things stationery. Read more here.

Thinking of You Week

Thinking of You Week is an international movement to celebrate the joy of sending and receiving hand-written notes and greeting cards. With the events of the last couple of years, many people have discovered, or rediscovered, the pleasure and comfort that greeting cards and hand-written notes can bring as a way of keeping in touch with friends and family. Scientists have studied people’s brains as they open a piece of hand-written personal mail and observed how the pleasure waves just light up! Read more here.

Member Meet-Ups

During various industry events and tradeshows, GCA will often host member meet-ups. The dates and times vary, but they are a great way to meet fellow members and are always FREE to attend for members. Don’t forget to RSVP! Find out when our next meet-up is happening in our event calendar here.

When you join, register, attend, or participate in any GCA activity, you agree to abide by GCA’s Code of Conduct.