I’ve been to a lot of industry conferences and trade shows. They’re never amazing. NEVER. There may be a session that you can garner a few worthwhile tidbits, but mostly a lot of filler.
BOLD was nothing like that.
Firstly, the headliners were Michelle Obama and Billie Jean King. NBD.
Secondly, our founder, Andrea, was speaking on a Women in Leadership panel.
Let me just say I was blown away.
The conference was nothing short of incredible. Every session was worth attending. EVERY SESSION. At Barre & Soul, we are always looking to stay up to date on new technology, new trends, and best practices to give our clients the MOST amazing experience at our studios! And the breakout sessions delivered. The speakers themselves had so much to offer in addition to making themselves available for questions, pictures, whatever, they were up for it. There was so much valuable information that I took 3+ pages of notes! Seriously. Not only did I take notes, but I pored over them in the days and weeks following the conference and the presentation decks that accompanied them. Did I mention they had a conference app that was pretty awesome too?
When I asked Andrea to sum up the Women in Leadership Panel , she said, "It was such an honor to be included in the diverse panel of women entrepreneurs. My favorite part was hearing questions from the audience about what the attendees were wrestling with in their own businesses. I was so excited to get to know more about them, and the room was filled with energy as the women gathered were eager to roll up their sleeves and help each other problem-solve."
Then there were the headliners.
Michelle Obama was awe inspiring yet incredibly down to earth. It was a 90 minute fireside chat that felt like 20 minutes and I want to be BFFs with her.
Billie Jean King was a rip roaring good time, full of spunk and some big news (she and a collection of friends had just casually bought the LA Dodgers!) oh and it was the 45th anniversary of her win at the Battle of the Sexes match. She had a ton of wisdom to share with the attendees and it was another inspiring, engaging discussion that had me hoping the time would go slower.
Then there was the food.
That may seem trivial until I mention that I am gluten and dairy free finding food that fits into those specifications that isn’t just a head of romaine lettuce w/ some olive oil and vinegar can be challenging. Did I mention there were 2,000 people in attendance?
The meal options were well thought out and delicious. No hunk of plain lettuce for this girl! WINNING.
Then we won the MINDBODY Visionary Award!
This award was given to a select group of studios who embody community empowerment and who are in the top 30% of businesses using MINDBODY. Receiving this award was an unexpected surprise, but so exciting! I know we have curated pretty incredible communities in our studios, but to be recognized for it was pretty awesome.
We are always looking for opportunities to give back, to support members who fundraise for causes they are passionate about, to support women and girls and SO MANY other things. A couple of the biggies this year included EmpowerHer, Cole Haan + Planet Water Foundation fundraising partnerships, and the Africa Yoga Project fundraising and volunteer effort.
2018 has been a big year for Barre & Soul. Thanks MindBody Online for being an excellent partner! We look forward to an incredible 4th quarter and 2019!
