Now that the dust has settled from the Toronto Yoga Show 2011, as promised, here’s the follow up:

• What Worked Well
• Lesson’s Learned
• What I wouldn’t do again!

What Worked Well

The top three reasons the show was a success for me are:

1. What Worked Well: Face Time with Real People

As a blogger I’m used to face to computer time, at the show I re-discovered the value of face to face time. Seeing what made someone’s eyes light up and hearing their questions and reactions was huge. Talking with teachers and parents gave me ideas to improve my products, this is feedback that I don’t get from blogging.  I’ll share more about this in the lessons learned below.

2. What Worked Well: Connecting With Others Who Love Yoga for Children

People came up to our booth dancing with excitement, I’m not exaggerating, a few did a little jig when they saw us.  We heard comments like, “I can’t tell you how happy I am to find this booth”  and “I’m so excited to see your resources.”  People knew exactly who we were (yea for good signage at our booth!).  We had over 250 people fill in our Get Acquainted Form. It was a great affirmation that Kids Yoga is HOT!  Since the Yoga Show one of my Kids Yoga Teacher Training courses has filled up.

People Knew What We Were About: This was the biggest sign at our booth – 2 1/2 x 4 ft (121 x 76 cm)

3. What Worked Well: Smart Networking

I connected with new studios interested in hosting my Kids Yoga Teacher Training weekend. The Yoga Show delivered a supremely targeted audience, exactly the kind of people I want to network with.

The weekend also strengthened my relationship with my Children’s Yoga Network friend Janet Williams of www.childrensyogabooks.com.  She’s the kind of person I dreamed of networking with because she inspires me with her business savy and her positive attitude. In fact she even taught me this “What worked well, lessons learned, and what we wouldn’t do again”  follow up technique.

Networks should Inspire! Janet and I will be brainstorming ideas to expand A Children’s Yoga Network so I recommend you leave a comment if you’re a kids yoga teacher who wants to be part of something bigger.  Let me know what you want in a network.

Lessons Learned:

1. Lesson Learned:  E-Books Are Not Convenient for Everyone Upon seeing reactions – I learned that many people were disappointed that I only had E-books and wanted the convenience of getting printed material.  Soon, I’m going to offer people a choice between an actual Manual and E-book  or just the E-book.  New printed Manuals for Yoga Man and the Frog Yoga Alphabet  are next on my agenda thanks to what I learned.
2. Lesson Learned: Lead with Your Best Stuff – Don’t Save it The first day of the show, I didn’t bring my manuals for my Kids Yoga Teacher Training. I was worried about overwhelming people with too much information.  The second day I brought in my manuals and it turned out to be one of my best decisions. People were amazed that they will be getting so much in a weekend training.Yesterday, I closed registration on one of my Kids Yoga Teacher Training courses because we filled up.
3. Lesson Learned: Recovery Time

I had a sore throat from talking so much that weekend!  After a weekend like that, I will plan to have a day or two to rest and recover, then another week to catch up on all the things that got piled up while I was getting ready before the show.

What I Wouldn’t do Again!

1. What I Wouldn’t Do Again:  Home Made T-shirts I tried to make t-shirts for Young Yoga Masters for me and my volunteers to wear at the booth and a couple for prizes.  I used a transfer from the local stationary store that are now all peeling and cracked. Let’s just say, whenever you can, get things done professionally, it may cost more but reflects better on your business. And you’ll probably be able to use them again.

   

2. What I Wouldn’t Do Again: Lump Everything Together We had everything on one table, and the table started feeling very crowded.  I’d arrange the booth differently to showcase what we have on smaller tables.  I’d move our raffle to its own table and ask a volunteer to be in charge of that.  We actually had the problem of being too busy at times, not a bad problem, but for next year I’ll think of ways to make it easier for people to visit the booth.

There is no Number 3 for What I wouldn’t do again, because nothing really comes to mind readily.

Recommendations

For those of you who are thinking of becoming Yoga Teachers for Children, I recommend getting a booth at a Yoga Show or Conference if you have a tangible product or specialized training that yoga teachers and yoga enthusiasts can’t get anywhere else.

I don’t recommend an expensive booth like this for promoting a kids yoga class or a local studio unless you’ve got something specialized that they can’t get somewhere else, something people will travel to get.  You’re better off promoting at a local event or advertising in a local paper.  UNLESS, you can significantly lower costs by becoming part of a network.

Finally, I suggest you leave a comment now if you’d like to part of a Network of children’s yoga specialists, with a common goal of promoting yoga for kids.  What would you like about a Network of this kind?

If you’re thinking of coming to Toronto for the Yoga Show 2012, there’s a very good chance you’ll see me at a booth there next year.

Upcoming Events:  Please Join Us!

People are registering for the Young Yoga Masters Kids Yoga Teacher Training from all over the world.  Summer is a great time to visit Toronto, Canada and upgrade your skills.

Or bring Yoga Yoga Masters to your area – This training is like no other!   Contact [email protected] to help bring the Young Yoga Masters training to you.