From the Director's Desk - June 2018

by Frank Silverman

As we approach the Martial Arts SuperShow, scheduled for July 1-3 at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, I want to give one last push for everyone to sign up. As you have heard before regarding not only this but events similar to it, you only need one great idea to make the trip both worthwhile and affordable. Think about it. If you enroll just two students at a rate of $100 a month, and your average member stays only eight months, that amounts to $1,600. 

My guess is you can pay for your SuperShow ticket, two hotel nights and airfare for less than $1,200. And any good idea will surely generate more than two new members.

That said, I have a way to guarantee that you get far more than just a few members and return home with the other big “problem” — having too many ideas! (I’ve heard that before and I think it’s the world’s worst excuse.) Drum roll, please … Attend the Martial Arts Business Forum at the MASuperShow pre-conference.

This four-hour seminar, conducted by MAIA Elite consultant Robby Beard and me, is as close to a guarantee as you can get to seeing huge success from the event. If you’re ready to learn, you’ll get a tremendous amount of information from the other SuperShow seminars. But the Business Forum is an entirely unique, focused experience within the show.

There’s a wide variety of topics covered in this pre-conference event. The seminar is heavily weighted on generating leads. First, it is about getting new students through both existing members and external means.

We dive deep into the Integrated Sales process that is the focal point of the seminar. This systematic approach teaches you how to maximize your sales in the five different profit centers: Retail Sales, New Members, Retention, Special Events and Upgrades.

We also present a segment in which we discuss how to maximize your social media footprint and how to get more members from it.

We always have time set aside to teach a retail strategy, too. Here, you’ll learn to integrate product sales while generating new memberships. There is additonal time for general questions and answers. In past events, the Q&A topics have ranged from staff development to site selection for locations — and everything in between.

Another way, in my opinion, that you are all but guaranteed to see a return on your investment is to attend the MAIA University Instructor College, presented by Master Dave Kovar. (Master Kovar has written the popular “In the Classroom” column since the first issue of MASuccess.) This pre-conference event is highly motivating and energizing. Further, the techniques taught by Master Kovar are priceless and sure to help you and/or your staff go to the next level as instructors.

There are so many other seminars at the Show, and all are worthy of me highlighting them in this column. Unfortunately, there is just is not enough space here to do that.

So, to learn more, go to MASuperShow.com and research the speakers and topics offered. Then, sit down with your staff and design your schedules to attend the sessions that will bring the most value to you and your school.

Above all, remember that one idea is all it takes to make your time and investment at the SuperShow worthwhile. You don’t even need a pre-con event for that, just the regular Show seminars.

Rooms are still available at the famed Bellagio, a world-class hotel and one of the finest in Las Vegas.

Please visit the MA Super Show website or call MAIA (Martial Arts Industry Association) today at (866) 626-6226 to register or to learn more about our industry’s biggest and best event of the year.

If you have already registered, but have not looked at the pre-conference events (especially the Business Forum), call today and sign up