Have you ever felt as if you experienced something special? Especially when you almost decided not to attend? That is my current state of mind, having just returned from the National Speakers Association Winter Conference in Baltimore, MD. I almost did not attend.
Over the past nine years of being an active member of NSA, I have attended many conferences. Since joining this organization I have never missed the annual INFLUENCE conference held in July (the reason I have never skipped this is due to the teen leadership program that my children have participated in for eight years - they would revolt if they had to miss this event). I have also attended five winter conferences, several workshops / labs, and four CSP / CPAE Summits. NSA and the people whom I have become friends have had a strong influence on the development of my speaking career.
The reality is that not every event is awesome (the quality of the content can vary with each conference), although only a few times have I not gone home with some positive motivation and the benefits for getting to spend time with my peers.
This week was unique. The 2018 Winter Conference was possibly the best event I have ever attended. The gathering was only about 300 people, of whom about a third were first time attendees at an NSA event. I met some amazing people, but what made this conference so powerful was the level of content. Often you get speakers who just talk, but this event was packed with the context of how to implement ideas.
Jay Baer, Phil Jones, Michael Dominguez, Brian Fanzo, Crystal Washington, Tamsen Webster, and so many others shared their knowledge from the stage and got me inspired.
Often we talk ourselves out of attending events, but should remember that it is in sharing experiences with others that we find inspiration.
Have A Great Day.
thom singer
*this post was saved as a draft an not published... I just saw it and was reminded of how important people are and the level that NSA plays in my life... so I am putting it up 2 months later.
