The Five Purposes of Major Events
We talk a lot about the importance of major events and why you must attend them. Yet sometimes people still think they’re graduated to the point they don’t need them. Big mistake…
They look at the investment involved and try to justify why they don’t need to go. They say they’ll just skip this one because money is tight, or say they were at other ones so they know what’s going to be taught. This is foolish thinking and may prevent more people from reaching success than anything else.
There are five reasons we conduct major events. And everyone – and I do mean everyone – is always in need of one of those five things.
They are:
1) Gain knowledge
2) Improve attitude
3) Change behavior
4) Develop skills
5) Build belief
Every time there is a major event coming up, one of those five things is the most important outcome for you. So think about when your next major event is. Get registered. And check in below and tell us which of those five outcomes is the priority for you.
I’m leaving early Monday morning for an Asian tour. I’ll check in with you from there.
-RG
All of the above. Period.
1 & 4 always Randy.
They’re all important but for me the priorities are 1 & 4 , Randy.
1-5 for me 🙂
Greetings Randy,
Great post to show value.
Somewhere along the weekend event I get something of the first 4 listed added to my life.
As far as the 5th – it was my BELI EF that brought me to the event.
Be Blessed,
Robert
I attended a major event 1 month after starting in network marketing and it created a vision of what’s possible in this business model that set my life on a different path.
I would add Build Relationships and Create Stories as additional reason to attend major events.
It’s got to be 1,4,&5!
My attitude and belief’s are high as is and they do get better at events too.
Randy, I couldn’t agree more. Having just attended an event today, I can say that those people who not only attend events but also bring people to events are the people who rise to the highest levels within their organisations.
For sure 1 to 4, but every time I attend an event my belief in myself & the business gets a boost. Events for me are recharging sessions.
Especially 3 & 4 are important for me. But all of them can be important now and then, too.
Thanks for pointing this out, Randy. Till next event.
Regards
Stella
Hey Randy Gage,
All of themare important .There is one more thing.attending a major event
,for building relationships , and feel belong to the counterparts.
Have a nice Asian tour.
Hey Randy, Did your company pay you to write this post? You forgot a few “things” How about the amount of money the company rakes in holding the major events? The money they make on selling products? Tools? Let’s look at the distributor who is either just starting out or not doing all that well financially. That distributor is going to be spending at least $1000 or more (depending on logistics) they don’t have. Oh, I know just put it on your credit card and after the interest is adding in and you start paying it off, that $1000 dollar event charge can double before it’s paid off.
Look, I agree that events are valuable. I attend as many as I can and always invite my downline. However, I do not believe they are critical. I always have conference wrap-up meetings and/or conference calls when I get back. The company will post any new information or productson their web site afterwards as well. The excitement level may not be the same, but the educational aspect is there. My view is if you can’t afford to go, think twice before you overextend yourself financially. Otherwise it’s a good recipe to fail and leave the business.
Jack, Michaels story describes why we all need to go to these events. I have put things on my credit card that have long worn out before I got it paid off. The value i get from an event pays ME interest, year after year. Events are an investment not an expense.
Hello Cliff:
I respect your comment and beliefs but can not agree with you. Events ARE expenses even if one comes away learing something, making connections, etc. I can download my downline on what was presented for those that could not attend. My company also sells the CD’s of their conference. I never force people to go that can’t afford the expense. I tell them how important the event is for their success, but it is their decision. I don’t know why companies don’t reduce their cost to attend or offer a special one time price for new distributors — oh wait, I do know — They won’t make as much money.
Jack, You will find that companies that put on conventions are not done so with the intention to make money on the event but rather in the business and recruiting that follows after the event. Yes its expensive for many initially, especially when you have to travel but the actual events themselves are around $300 to $500. No profit there. I have been to 12 annual conventions. People come to conventions to connect with their peers who are all bravely building their own businesses. They have come for ideas, reassurance, celebration and to make friends. What happens to most is that the information that was in their head moves to their heart and when they return home they have a new attitude and stronger beliefs about their company and product which changes their behavior creating a thirst for more knowledge which developes their skills enabling them to more easily succeed in their new business.
Cliff, no profit on a conference? If a company holds a conference and charges $200.00 per person and draws in 10,000 people ( a conservative number) that conference will generate $2,000,000. NO Profit?? Are you kidding me?? Then, add in the money they make on literature, promotional products, etc and their own products (vitamins, etc) sold during the conference and that number grows significantly. Aside from what you personally receive from attending, conferences are money makers for a network marketing company.
I can tell you from holding my own events that it’s very easy to count someone else’s money. People do just as you do: “Wow, 1,200 people times $200 equals $240,000. Randy is making a fortune on events!”
In actuality, just my AV bill is $125,000. And tday you have room attrition clauses, food and beverage minimums, etc and I find that i’ve lost money on all my events. I agree that when you get to 10,000 people and up, the economy of scale makes them much more affordable. But as my events grow, I’ve always included more, whether it’s meals. tote bags, portfolios and other stuff.
But even when companies make money on events, I don’t begrudge them that and still feel the way I wrote originally. Events are the most important investment people make in growing their business. What they learn, the belief they develop and the skills they learn more than pay for themselves.
-RG
I am a smart rat that thinks he knows it all. One of the things I think I know is that some people are not good prospects because they don’t have the money, don’t have the initiative or what it takes to be successful.
I was participating in a program where some of us committed to attend all weekly guest events and promised to bring a ‘stretch’ number of prospects each week to the guest events scheduled around the metro area. The night of the last event of that week I was one short of keeping my promise for the week and on my way to the event crossed paths with a panhandler. It was early fall and I offered him a meal after the event if he would be my guest for an hour. He accepted and I kept my promise. The event included the opportunity and the enrollment offer to the next major event.
My promised guest saw something that night that shifted who he was being. He talked my ear off over our meal and declared he was going to do whatever it took to join and attend the next event. He asked if I could donate $10 to his cause or at least give him a loan. I contributed $20 to his quest after the meal, shook his hand and said good bye.
I did not expect to ever see him again.
Over the next week he borrowed and asked for donations to join and acquire the money for the major event. He broke it into $10 and $20 dollar requests and accepted $1’s and 5’s too. He made the event and afterward found me to thank me. The impressive part is when I touched base with him the next time, 3 years later, he was earning 10x the income I was, had a family and the biggest dreams you can imagine. He never stopped smiling and he thanked me again for keeping my promise.
Events do that.
Sometimes when I attend and choose to argue for how horrible they are, I get that result. DUH.
It is time to return to promising a ‘stretch’ number of guests each week.
Without belief and the right attitude…. the knowledge, skills, and behavior have less value.
Zdraveite mr Randy Gage, vajni sa vsichkite pet.Za men sa vajni 1&4 i vsichki zaedno zasilvat izgrajdaneto na viarata.Blagodaria s yvajenie… Priatno i yspeshno tyrne v Azia…
Any top income earner will tell you. You absolutely HAVE to go to the events. It’s not what the event costs you. It’s what it costs you if you don’t go!!!! I would say that anyone who doesn’t agree has never made any real money in our profession!!!
All five are important.
I also add:
Introducing your Distributors to the top money earners and other Distributors from around the world: builds their crossline support system beyond you
Bonding with your Team at an emotionally-charged event!
Yes- it was indeed this post that pushed my over the edge to KNOWING I had to book my tickets for the major annual event. Thank yuou Mr Gage.
Oh sorry – didn’t answer your question- all 5!!!
Hopefully everyone’s businesses are growing and not static. The saying “The only constant in life (and Business) is change.” is soooo true.) So doesn’t it make sense to stay on top of what is new? You just can’t build tomorrow’s business on yesterday’s information.
If you don’t go to your national event it means you will have not gotten the information you need to move forward. If you miss a year and go the next it could very well be up to 2 years you are out of the loop! By that time you will be out of the business if not before.
“You just can’t stay lit up unless you stay plugged in!”
All of the above are important as well as major events put together by the company that we are all a part of.
I do have a problem with the local hotel meetings that local leaders put on from time to time. I see this as a BIG waste of time especially when you can put out the same information over the internet. That is, of course, if your company has an online presentation that your prospect can watch and listen to right from the comfort of your own home.
I have been to many of them, many times by myself because my prospects did not show up, only to hear the same thing over and over again. And then it finally hit me, these meetings are put together for people who don’t have the skills to host their own meetings. Well, thanks to the internet that problem is solved.
If you are involved with a company who has an awesome online presentation you no longer have to worry about the home/hotel meetings. Learn to use the internet to leverage your time while saving money on gas and literature materials also.
Having said this, I do agree that national events are great to attend.
I’ve written more than my share on this question but I can’t resist, its so important. It all begins with belief, and belief fuels passion. Put the two together and we are off to the races. Belief, that is, in all aspects of your networking experience, company, leaders, industry, peers, products, and yes even conventions.