First APTPI international educational congress APTPI
Milan 18-19-20 January 2009
Hadn’t we have clear in our minds the memories of each and every congress and most of all the memories of the great sense of accomplishment we felt each and every time, we would have given up long ago.
As we get close to the opening of every congress, our supply of enthusiasm slowly drains up leaving room to skin rashes and an assorted array of nervous breakdowns. But we can guarantee you that the final speech and the greetings are always saluted with tears in our eyes and in a soft voice.
This was the “quantum leap” year. The congress officially opened its doors to the international community and guests from several foreign countries responded with great enthusiasm. Holland, Greece, France, Spain, Germany, Norway, Slovenia, Croatia, Mexico, Japan, United States and of course Italy granted the congress an uncontainable echo that will allow it to obtain coverage in several magazines and foreign networks.
Like always, the program was rich both in topics and in hours of lesson, spent discussing subjects of interest for both tattoo artists and piercers. We held classes about piercing techniques and Japanese tattoo philosophy, anthropology, neurology, dermathology, biocompatible materials technology, tattoo-applied calligraphy, building and working of the rotary tattoo machines. The debate within each class has been enthralling as always. The exchange of informations between professionals still is the most proficuous and intense moment, a moment were everybody can discuss about the newly acquired notions and his own personal experience. There’s no such opportunity in any other convention on an international level.
Even the vast area dedicated to the expo, where the best suppliers of the world had the chance to introduce their items and novelties, revealed itself to be right on the spot and full of possibilities for every professional.
On top of that, in order to relieve the burden for the organizers and the promoters, we hosted an amazing photographic expo whose theme was “Eros and Thanatos”, the now traditional dinner with more than 200 guests, and an appreciated BURLESQUE SHOW in which three wonderful girls entertained the audience making us feel like a bunch of friends spending a pleasant night out together.
We had teachers from Italy and abroad, we had interpreters and wireless headphones for everybody, one of our guys translated Kohki Sato’s lesson from Japanese to Italian and back, we had Rob Admiral from Holland, Didier Suarez, Paul King and JD from the USA, Dr Andrea Locatelli MD (dermathologist), Dr Franco di Palma MD (neurologist), and Prof Alberto Cigada (chemist).
Our teaching team was definitely able to capture our attention and feed us with what we needed to satisfy our professionalism.
This has been just the the latest of the amazing experiences we have been enjoying since 2003, when this incredibly motivated group of friends decided to start APTPI.
Along the road we’ve met several people, some just stopped by for a while, some stayed with us a little longer, and some left forever without actually leaving us.
Every year, at the end, we are tired, you are tired, and despite this every year there are hugs and tears, thankyous and incentives to keep going. Every year, at the end, we are ready to start over again.
See you in 2010.