April in April--How Appropriate!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 02:22PM 
Totally enjoyed my day with April yesterday! She put a lot of time and effort into her events. She’s never attended or seen a workshop (she signed up after attending a club), so she was kind of flying by the seat of her pants, and she did awesome! She does do a monthly club, and she is definitely a natural at demonstrating; she made it look easy and fun. Her laugh alone is infectious, and she had us all giggling just because she was laughing!
We met first at her home for lunch and had a wonderful time getting to know each other better. Her husband and dear friend, Mel, also joined us. After lunch we went to the hotel, where both the workshop and her opportunity event were held.
April had lots of samples on display, and her projects are gorgeous. She claims she doesn’t really create well, but she sure copies beautifully! I related to her as she told her Stampin’ Story, because that’s the way I am—I can’t draw a stick figure to save me, but I love being inspired by others’ ideas. She also loves the social aspect of Stampin’ Up!, the opportunity to meet people, stamp together, and share the rewards and fulfillment that come from creativity—some of the very reasons I started Stampin’ Up! years ago.
The workshop went well. She had invited three of her club members to come to the workshop—as long as they brought six guests! What a great approach! There was a nice mix of newbies (they called themselves stamping virgins) and stamping veterans, who knew exactly what they were doing.
April was excited to finally see a workshop in action—talk about pressure—so I’m hoping I did a decent job of demonstrating a duplicatable, effective workshop. (I followed the Basic Workshop template we provide on our Demonstrator Web Site.) Her husband did pull out the video camera, and I’ve discovered I’m allergic to video cameras! A couple of other demonstrators have also taped their events, and I find myself making all sorts of mistakes that I don’t normally make. Sigh. I did tell her that if she wanted a great performance, the camera needed to stay off, so at least she had been warned! (smile)
I don’t think she got a single booking, and I felt badly about that; my goal for each workshop is at least two bookings! But she did get names and contact information—from both her demonstrator event and workshop—so I’m crossing my fingers that as she follows up, she’ll be able to schedule a few bookings and maybe even get a recruit or two. I have heard from a few of the previous Workshop of a Lifetime achievers, and they have had some recruits from the events we’ve held. . . woo hoo!
This is the first workshop I’ve done solo (Sara flies in today for the rest of the workshops this week), but April and Mel were so helpful, I didn’t feel like I was alone at all! And her husband, Terry, was a huge help too (except for when he pulled out that darn video camera!). It was just a wonderful day, full of lots of fun stamping and great people!
Reader Comments (12)
I LOVE seeing the cards you are demonstrating at the workshops--very simple yet beautiful and very easy for us to duplicate!
It is nice to see that even when you demonstrate that sometimes we don't get bookings! That is just the way it goes. I do a lot of workshops, and sometimes I get lots, and other times I don't get any. What's important is that people got to have fun, be creative, and had a good impression of April's business. We have to remember to just get out there and do it again!
Liam
I just have to say how fun it has been hearing about these fantastic workshops and seeing the great projects you bring. I like them so much I just had to duplicate your "A Note of Thanks" card. Too fun!
Thanks for all the inspiration!
http://stampinat.blogspot.com/2010/04/watercolor-trio-card-inspried-by-shelli.html