This week we went behind the
scenes with Kimberly Moon of Bella Luna Yoga to chat about
her newest undertaking: creating the Caribbean Yoga Conference.
Kimberly Moon: I was visiting Jamaica for Bella Luna Yoga and got to know the yoga community there. There are some amazing teachers and students, but the industry is in such infancy right now I wanted to do something to help it grow. I am hoping this conference will help spread the word about yoga further into the community.
TO: How did you go about deciding on the faculty and presenters?
KM: We began planning about 18 months ago. With this being a new
conference, I really wanted to start off strong. I sat down with the CYC
Director of Programming, who formerly worked in Kripalu’s programming
department, and we put together a “Dream Team.” We wanted to bring in some
presenters that already had a proven following to ensure people would make the
trip to see them.
TO: So a big part of your decision to bring someone on is his or her
established following?
KM: Yes. For a large conference such as this, we need to know ahead of time
that the cost of bringing someone down here will be offset by the audience they
will draw in.
TO: What do you look at to establish if someone has enough of a following?
KM: One great indicator is their social media reach – number of facebook
friends and/or Twitter followers. Another would be the size of their marketing
database. Someone who has hundreds of people they connect with consistently
(for example, with a monthly newsletter) will be able to help us promote the
conference to their fans. Also, we look at previous events they have been at or
workshops they have taught to gauge public interest.
TO: Is there anything else you look for, besides following?
KN: The established following is for our heavy hitters. But we don’t want
to go into an emerging market such as Jamaica and fly in the entire conference
faculty. We want to choose some presenters locally as well since they will be
the ones staying behind to cultivate the yoga community after the conference is
over. We want to establish relationships between local teachers and local
students. So location can be one criterion in our decisions.
In addition to location, we want
to have presenters that fit with our theme. This year our theme is Seva
(community service). Therefore, the amount of community service our presenters
do factored into our decision – many of them have started non-profits or
contribute to charities regularly.
TO: Are you are open to presenters reaching out to you, even though when
you start planning for next year you may already have an idea of whom you want?
KM: Absolutely! We have a Presenter Proposal link on our website that stays
up year round. Each and every Presenter Proposal we receive through the website
we read through and consider.
TO: What is your best advice to presenters looking to break into the larger
conferences?
KM: Most importantly, grow your following. Use social media to connect with
people who may have never experienced you in person. Begin a marketing database
of relationships, so if asked, you know exactly what you can bring to the
table. Start looking for smaller local events to establish yourself as a
presenter. Usually smaller events don’t have the budget to bring in people from
out of town, so being local is a huge benefit. Go to the bigger conferences and
network, network, network. Get your name out there. Come on down to Jamaica and
say hi to us in person, so we know who you are when your Presenter Proposal
comes across our desk.
TO: Great advice! Thank you Kim!
AT A GLANCE
- Name: Caribbean Yoga Conference
- Location: Rase Hall Resort and Spa, Montego Bay. Jamaica
- Dates: Feb 2-5, 2012
- 2012 Theme: Seva (community service)
- Number of Years: First Year!
- Number of Presenters: 21
- Types of Presenters: Yoga, Meditation, Dance, Music
- Website: http://caribbeanyogaconference.com
- To Submit a Presenter Proposal: http://caribbeanyogaconference.com/?page_id=383
The 1st Annual
Caribbean Yoga Conference | February 2nd – 5th - Montego Bay, Jamaica
For it's inaugural
event, the Caribbean Yoga Conference is landing in beautiful Montego Bay,
Jamaica for 4 days of sun, sand, seva and sangha. The conference lineup
includes workshops for all abilities with world-renowned instructors including
Seane Corn, Simon Park, Paige Elenson, Sadie Nardini, Kathryn Budig, Jenny
Sauer-Klein, Jason Nemer and Toni Bergins. The conference will also offer a
rockin’ beach concert with MC Yogi and opportunities for morning meditation and
noon yoga on the beach. There will also be plenty of time to just sit back,
relax and connect with community. A unique element of this conference is its
scholarship and sustainability program, which is geared towards Jamaica’s youth
workers. The aim with this program is to spread the reach of yoga related tools
to the marginalized children of Jamaica. See you in Jamaica!
If you would like to have your event highlighted on our blog, please contact us at jslis@travelingoms.com
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