Seminar

[Szczepankiewicz]

I would like everyone to submit some opinions/ideas on the following:

1) What makes a good seminar?

2) What do you like/expect when you attend a seminar?

3) How much is too much to pay for useful training?

4) How far are you willing to travel to train?

5) Would you expect a momento from this training, or is the training usually enough to satisfy?

Answers to these and anything else you'd like to add would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks much,

SZ

[JaredExtreme]

I have never attended a seminar due to their cost. Carlson Gracie and Mario Sperry both taught seminars in my area, but the cost was around $40. As Wallid would say "Man! Dis eeees stoopid!" Paying $40 for 2 hours of instruction is ludicrous, I would probably attend more if the costs were around $15- $20.

[Szczepankiewicz]

Would $50 for an all day session seem too much?

[JaredExtreme]

An entire day? Hmmmm, I dunno. It may be just be my 20 year old mind, but I can't really learn anything past one hour of instruction.

[Szczepankiewicz]

Probably 3 hours in the morning and three after lunch.

Don't want to pay for a 2 hour session, but can't participate for 6? Thats cool, your showing me how fickle the students can be.


This isn't a sit down lecture where all you do is listen to someone blather on for hours. You'd have to go to the University for that.

Anything else that you would like or not like Jared?

Thanks for the honest input man, at least I'll know what I'm in for.

SZ

[AWSolis]

If its with a top BJJ blackbelt, I would and have paid 100-150 for 4 hours of instruction.....a seminar should be the same as getting 3-6 months of instruction. I take notes, and then am able to breakdown the concepts and use them for teaching or training.

Remember, if you are sponsoring the seminar, you have to make up the costs of the instructor's fee, plane ticket,hotel, and other expenses....don't let others determine the value of what you are offering....look around and see what others in your area pay for and adjust accordingly.

Tim Mousel can tell you how hard it is to sponsor seminars too, he should jump in on this thread.

to be honest, broke 20 year olds are not who I would be marketing to. they want everything for free....I know I did when I was 20
I would love to have trained with Mario Sperry for 40 bucks.

Just my thoughts,

Alvis W. Solis

[Pancrase]

I am a big believer in attending seminars. I have attended many over the years and if you have a foundation in the art already and you take good notes it can take you a long way.
I was lucky to always have good training partners and students and we would drill the techniques for hrs. and hrs. with good results. When we went to the next seminar we would always be way ahead of the next set of information.

In fact many of the seminar students went way past the instructors own class students. Why? Because the seminar students spent hrs. practicing on their own and with partners, most of the instructor's students were only training in classes.

[JaredExtreme]

LoL Maybe AWSolis should change his name to AWRorian !!

[AWSolis]

LOL! I wish there was money to be made with seminars....the truth is that most seminars cost the host between $1000-$5000, I remember losing almost $2000 on my first Dog Brother seminar...that really hurt.

I learned alot from hosting seminars, the main thing is not to lose any money and you have to do that by charging what the market value of the seminar is. Provide instructors an incentive for bringing in students..if they bring 5 students they get in free, etc.

Alvis

[Szczepankiewicz]

Great ideas all! And keep 'em coming. This will be my first seminar that I am sponsoring, so all advice is welcome!


SZ