After one taste of International Convention, I’m hooked. By Chatterbox Writer, Jennifer Jolly
The week of August 4-10 is a magical time of year for anyone who is a part of the Market America family. As a “newbie,” I didn’t really understand what Convention truly meant until I was given the chance to witness it firsthand.
I must admit, however, I did hear the rumors.
During its preceding weeks, International Convention is all that’s on anyone’s mind around here (the corporate headquarters) and every single department is on work overload trying to gear up for the big event. My coworkers kept telling me how I was going to learn sooo much, and truly gain a full understanding of Market America. And all everyone kept saying was, “Just wait until you see JR up on stage.”
This entire buzz surrounding Convention definitely piqued my interest, so I decided to do some of my own investigating beforehand. I asked as many questions as possible about Convention—and of course—I “Googled” it and found Market America’s YouTube account. After watching some of the videos and listening to my coworkers’ accounts of International Convention, I felt like I had a pretty good idea of what to expect.
…Boy was I wrong…
Upon arriving at the Greensboro Coliseum, parking, and walking to the employee entrance, I already sensed that I was in for something WAY bigger than I had anticipated. I had arrived over an hour before Convention was even supposed to begin and dozens of people were already lined up at the doors. As I found my way to my assigned location and became situated, I took a moment to explore the backstage area—a functioning ecosystem of glowing screens, wires, and high-tech equipment. It’s the giant, breathing control center behind the entire operation.
As I made my way back to my seat, the audience began to roll in to a medley of upbeat rock/classic rock tunes blaring from the gigantic concert-grade speakers.
Anytime a group this large (30,000-35,000) congregates in one place there will undoubtedly be a ton of energy present, but there are truly no words to describe the energy that’s created when 30,000-35,000 Market America Distributors congregate for International Convention.
On a side-note: Distributors, you are definitely in a league of your own—seriously. As a whole, you are some of the most enthusiastic, energetic, motivated, and passionate human beings I’ve encountered. With that said, I can now definitely see why Market America has become the successful multimillion-dollar company that it is—you are the people who power it!
As the stadium seats began to fill, I sat back, taking everything in—in amazement. There was a spatter of banners representing almost every distributorship facet imaginable—everything from “Latinos: Querer Es Poder” to “Proud to Be a Part of the Market America Family,” translated into Chinese characters. There were more flag-wavers than I could count and several of the Asian Distributors displayed solidarity by wearing their Beijing Olympic t-shirts in matching bright red. It was a surreal atmosphere—almost like waiting for a concert to begin—minus the alcohol. There were people dancing in the aisles, singing along to the music, and even line-dancing in unison.
After about an hour of music-pumping and laser light action, the lights in the arena dimmed and smoke began to surround the stage. The spotlights began to shine and the enormous screens above the stage began to play the introductory video of JR and Loren telling the story of Market America.
Once the video ended though, the crowd really went wild. Loren was about to make her first appearance and give the welcome speech. Amidst a combination of cheering and clapping, fireworks, pyrotechnics, and laser lights, an almost inaudible emcee introduced our Senior Vice President.
As Loren emerged from backstage in a white power suit looking like a winning combination of fashionista and savvy businesswoman, the entire audience stood, cheering. Seeing the audience response and just being a part of the colossal event that was unfolding before my very eyes really set the tone for what was to come over the next few days.
The entire executive team, plus special guests and star Distributors including Elizabeth Weber, Joanne Hsi, Kelly Whited, and Min Liu—among many others—contributed valuable information over the course of the convention.
Each presentation brought new insight to different aspects of the company. There were so many powerful presentations including Dennis Franks & Lydia Martinez’s unveiling of the Purefoods Fresh Start system, Laura Laire’s Motives expertise, Marc Ashley & Chris Riggs’ unveiling of the Digital Newsstand, Marty Weissman & Tanya Smith’s moving presentation and unveiling of the Isotonix Might-a-Mins Spectrum, Dr. Julian Blumenfeld’s highly informative sessions, Steve Ashley’s dynamic Chatterbox and My World presentation, Kevin Buckman and Andrew Weissman’s unveiling of the maRewards program—the list just goes on and on.
And as expected, listening to (and watching) JR onstage was truly monumental. Everyone who told me how much I’d learn was right. Before attending Convention, I thought I knew the company. But after Convention, I realized that I only knew a tiny fraction of what there is to know and understand. Having the opportunity to see the mastermind behind it all—JR Ridinger—present the company’s business plan, and the opportunity to hear from people who have been with the company since its inception, is one that the majority of folks working on the 45-year plan never have.
I learned that no amount of YouTube videos and secondhand accounts can prepare you for the knowledge you will gain from this experience, and no matter how many business owners you’ve met in your lifetime, you’ll be blown away by the Distributors you’ll meet—people who are truly passionate and believe in what they do.
As Loren said during her opening speech, “It doesn’t matter when you got into Market America; what matters is when Market America gets into you.” Just ask anyone who has been to Convention; there’s no better way to “get it” than by attending, listening, and learning.
As a Distributor, or potential Distributor, you’d be foolish to miss it. And as a new employee, I’m so glad I didn’t.
