It’s not every day that you plan a workshop and pull it off exactly as planned—or at least it seems that way to everyone who attended. But last night, I have to say that Maryann had as close to an ideal workshop as I’ve been part of! (And I’ve been a part of a lot of workshops recently!)
First of all, Maryann is simply a jewel. She’s efficient and well-organized. But above and beyond that, she is funny, caring, and kind. You could tell that both her demonstrators (upline and downline) and customers adore her. She naturally reaches out to people and makes them feel valued and important—she treated me like a rock star, yet I instinctively felt honored to be with her, because I sensed she is simply a good person.
The evening started with her demonstrator event, which was a tasty, home-cooked meal together—hit the spot! The event was very casual; we just sat around eating and visiting. Maryann had invited her upline, as well as her new recruits (she’s going to make a great upline, I can tell), and you could tell they were a caring, close-knit group that had lots of fun together!
After a couple of wonderful hours chatting, we simply walked downstairs (Maryann had scheduled both events in the charming church where she works) for the workshop. Maryann had created favors, name tags, a banner, etc.,—the workshop decorations featured a beach theme. It was fun and fresh, and I was impressed with Maryann’s attention to detail.
She had a great workshop group—19 in all (not counting us), and there was a nice mix of young and old, new and experienced stampers, etc. The energy was high—almost tangible. Everyone was enthusiastic; they asked lots of questions and enjoyed spending a fun time together.
Several of them took pictures of the display samples I had, as well as the demonstration project and Make & Take I showed. Maryann had a couple of bookings, pretty good sales (I think—she won’t close until Friday), and even one or two people who might be interested in becoming a demonstrator. See what I mean by a practically perfect workshop?
What makes this even more impressive is that, like many of the demonstrators I’ve met through the Workshops of a Lifetime Challenge, I don’t think Maryann’s ever actually been to a workshop herself. One of the things she mentioned to me before we started was that she was going to be watching me closely (no pressure there!), so she could learn.
She certainly doesn’t need to learn how to be a good hostess—she has it down pat! She’ll be able to offer great hostess coaching to her hostesses, because she’s such a great hostess herself!