Sunday, May 29, 2005

Chair Massage Conference....

It's coming up really soon. If you haven't registered, do so right away.

Full conference info is here:
http://www.bodyworkbiz.com/conference.php

FAQs are here:
http://www.bodyworkbiz.com/conf_faq.php

Who's speaking at the conference? Here is a partial list of speakers...

Unleashing the Power of the Relaxation Response
Eli Bay, Relaxation Response Institute

Eli Bay is one of Canada's foremost authorities on stress. With over 25 years dedicated to speaking about stress and relaxation worldwide, he's a true pioneer, preaching stress management before the term even existed. With two TV series under his belt, countless media appearances, and a non-stop speaking schedule with North America's corporate elite, he's become a celebrity in the field of corporate stress management.

We were very lucky to get Eli Bay to kick off the conference with us. You'll have a deep understanding of the way stress impacts individuals, companies and even society as a whole. And you'll leave with a whole new appreciation for the valuable contribution you make each day through your massage and your ability to initiate a powerful relaxation response in your clients.

Trend Watch: The Seated Stone Experience - Combining chair massage with hot stones
Raymond Blaylock, My Touch Resources

There are very few people who can be considered true pioneers in the field of chair massage, but Raymond is one of them. He recognized the power of chair massage very early in its development and was a key player in popularizing its use in North America. He took chair massage with its Eastern foundation and created a whole new vocabulary of techniques for chair practitioners. He continues to innovate and his latest explorations are in combining chair massage with hot stone massage. Together with Kaite Hurley, he has developed the Seated Stone Experience that combines seated massage with the principles of thermalism using hot and cold stones to create "vascular gymnastics" to promote various therapeutic effects. He'll share his thoughts and insights on this up-and-coming industry trend.

The Fainting Phenomenon: Why people faint in your chair and what to do to make sure it never happens to you
Eric Brown, Director, BodyworkBiz

You may not know this, but the founder of BodyworkBiz, Eric Brown, has been a key player in popularizing chair massage in Canada and has been training practitioners in his unique style across the country since 1994. Eric will explore one of the most mysterious aspects of chair massage: The Fainting Phenomenon.

Fainting is a widely known side effect of chair massage. But why does it happen? And how can you prevent it from happening to your clients? He'll clear up the mystery and outline the physiology behind the phenomenon. You'll learn simple and effective ways to avoid this distressing event and ensure it never happens in your chair.

Corporate Wellness Programs: A corporate insider reveals the inner workings
Pierre Chartier, Wellness Director, Bank of Canada

One of the problems with selling chair massage to corporations is wrapping our mind around the way they think. You need to understand wellness from their perspective in order to communicate the benefits of chair massage in a compelling way. Who better to give us insights into the corporate mind than the man who directs wellness programs in one of Canada's most prestigious (and "corporate") institutions, the Bank of Canada.

Pierre will give you an overview of the wellness industry and help you understand how corporations make decisions to implement programs. He'll give concrete examples from his personal experiences in the field and will share his thoughts on approaching corporations and effectively selling your massage services.

Effortless Chair Massage: Making sure your hands never hurt
Monica Burr, Senior Trainer, Relax to the Max

Monica is a senior trainer at Relax to the Max, North America's only school with dedicated entry-level training in chair massage. This former leading dancer with the renowned Toronto Dance Theatre has spent the past 15 years in the field of postural retraining - teaching people to use their bodies in the most efficient and effortless way possible.

We often hear practitioners say that chair massage is hard on their bodies. "Rubbish", we say. You simply need to learn to use your body in an efficient way, maximizing leverage and your body weight, while minimizing stress to the small joints in your hands and thumbs. Monica will detail seven key body use principles that will help make your chair massage effortless.

Become a Media Darling: How to be almost famous
Kathi Neil, Owner, Butterfly Massage

Do you want to become a local celebrity? Then don't miss this segment. As the owner of a successful chair massage business, Butterfly Chair Massage, Kathi has created her own butterfly effect which has rippled through the local media. Within a year, she has appeared in print media eight times and on television three times. In the process, she's become almost famous. Kathi will share with you exactly how she did it so you can do the same.

Beyond Hands-On: How to increase your income with product sales
Jocelyn Lowe, Owner, All About You Massage

In the world of massage, you are trading your time for money. Unfortunately, there is only so much time you can spend massaging, so you need to maximize the money you make. Jocelyn will show you how easily you can do that by selling interactive products that complement your work. She'll give you lots of great ideas as she shares her personal experiences with products.

Creating a Retail Massage Empire: On the Spot Massage
Shoshanna Frumpkin, Owner, On the Spot Massage

In the world of massage, we've seen very few massage businesses with unique concepts and personalities. On the Spot Massage is one of those rare jewels. As a longtime player in the field of chair massage, Shoshanna will share her story and experiences that have shaped her business thinking over the years.

In particular, she'll give you the scoop on her On the Spot Massage concept and outline how she piggybacks on well established businesses to set up multiple retail locations quickly and efficiently.

Think Global, Massage Local: A guide to getting local customers on the Internet
Paul Rochford, Webmaster, BodyworkBiz

The web is one of the most effective as well as the most underutilized and misunderstood marketing tools available to massage professionals. As webmaster of one of the most highly visited massage sites on the Internet, Paul has some insights on how to create a highly effective website that will sell your services. You'll discover how ridiculously easy it is to create a website and learn about the five pages that your website absolutely must have. More importantly, he'll show you how to drive customers from your local community to your website quickly and inexpensively.

The Sounds of Music: Current research into the relaxation effects of music
Pierre Chartier, Exercise Physiologist

Besides being the Wellness Director at the Bank of Canada, Pierre is also an exercise physiologist. He's very comfortable in the world of science and one area that has grabbed his attention in recent years is the role of music in relaxation.

In this presentation, you'll get an overview of current research in this area. Pierre will highlight the elements that make music relaxing and will demonstrate this through a variety of sound recordings. Of course, you'll learn the implications for yourself as a practitioner and will be better able to decide whether to use music and specifically what kinds of music to use.

Success Story: How to double your sales year after year with no marketing expense
Dianna and Curtis Young

This Texas couple was recently profiled in the AMTA's Massage Therapy Journal. They recognized a need for chair massage in their community and started doing corporate on-site massage. With almost no money they used their brains rather than their wallet to kick start their business. Without spending a dime on advertising, they doubled their sales in their second year in operation. But they didn't stop there. Using guerilla marketing and the power of networking, they doubled their sales again the year after. This dynamic duo will share their business experiences with you and show you how even the most cash strapped, starving massage professional can be highly successful doing on-site massage.

Friday, May 13, 2005

Chair Massage Conference 2005 early bird registration...

The early bird registration deadline for the first International Chair Massage Conference to be held in Toronto, Canada (June 18/19, 2005) is almost upon us. If you haven't done so already, check out the conference details here:

http://www.bodyworkbiz.com/conference.php