Wow, what an absolutely amazing weekend! My staff and I just got back from San Diego, California, where we hosted the Acupuncture Growth Symposium. We had a wonderful time bonding with each other, and spending three days with some of our incredible customers, and friends.
A lot of our practitioners weren’t able to make the trip, so hopefully this blog post gives you a taste of the excitement we’re STILL feeling!
My Favorite Part
I’ll cut to the chase and talk about my favorite part first. Honestly, it’s a little crazy that a group of strangers can come together for a few days, and at the end, feel like family. This story was shared in the AcuGraph 5 User Group the day after the symposium ended, and really touched me.
“View from my Marina facing room. Touched to see the name of this boat outside my hotel room balcony.”
” ‘Ohana’ in Hawaiian language means ‘Family’, and that is how this weekend’s symposium felt: like-minded, dedicated beings striving to bring wellness and balance to ‘the world’, on task, forever striving, sincere, excited.”
“Thank you Miridia Technology for all your dedicated service and enriching ideas/experiences. I am very grateful for this ‘Ohana’. May this ship sail around the world many times!”
I couldn’t agree more, and feel blessed to serve wonderful practitioners looking to make a difference in this world and bring health and healing to individuals and families.
Getting There Was Half the Fun!
I brought 6 members of my staff, and my wife, along for the weekend, and who knows how many bags! It takes a HUGE amount of luggage to put a symposium like this on, but luckily we had quite a few people to help carry suitcases.
Pictured from left to right: Jenni (Customer Care), Cameron (General Manager), me (Adrian), Tausha (my wife), Sharene (Marketing Director), Amber (Customer Care), and Kimberly (Acupuncture Research Analyst).
Cameron set up all the video gear to film the entire symposium (which will be available in all AcuGraph Enterprise user accounts), Jenni and Amber took care of all questions and orders, Sharene and Tausha put on a beautiful cocktail evening and were in charge of snacks and all other food, and Kimberly and I taught.
I couldn’t have pulled this off myself, and am grateful for my competent staff members who went above and beyond to create a wonderful experience.
Thursday Night Extra AcuGraph Training
On Thursday Night, the evening before the symposium began, Kimberly Thompson and I taught an AcuGraph training geared toward beginners, and even people who don’t own AcuGraph, to teach them the basics. It was a hugely successful night with no agenda! Kimberly and I focused on helping our practitioners with their concerns, and answering their AcuGraph questions. It was a fun evening!
Day 1: Electroacupuncture and Auriculotherapy
On the first day of the Symposium, Dr. Terry Oleson, auriculotherapy master, and I both taught a half day. I focused on the history of Ryodoraku and meridian balancing, along with electroacupuncture and a new treatment device we debuted at the symposium. More will be announced about this new product later 😉 Dr. Oleson did a deep-dive into auriculotherapy, helping attendees learn more about point location, protocols, and theory.
Friday Night Cocktail Evening
Immediately after class on the first day of the symposium, we hosted a beautiful cocktail night for all staff, presenters and attendees. We had a delicious spread of homemade appetizers, and an assortment of wine. The cocktail room was adjacent to the bay, and as the sun set, the room was filled with warmth, and a tangible, positive energy.
We LOVED having the time to talk individually with our practitioners and create stronger relationships with them. I think the attendees enjoyed it too; it definitely went longer than we had planned, which was great!
Day 2: Root/Branch Strategies and Pediatrics
Kimberly put her heart and soul into preparing for the Acupuncture Growth Symposium. Her passion was apparent from the minute she started teaching. Day 2 included material from Kimberly Thompson, L.Ac., and Rob Green, Pediatric acupuncturist and educator.
Kimberly focused on skills, tools, and the patient experience she creates to keep her patients coming back. Kimberly’s waiting list is about 4 weeks long right now…and she taught all her best tips and tricks to create an environment that fosters positive patient relationships and a genuine interest in acupuncture.
I was so happy to have Robin Green teach at the Acupuncture Growth Symposium! Robin delved into pediatric acupuncture, and how she approaches acupuncture with children and finds great success doing so.
Robin focused on techniques, communication skills, and ways to effectively treat children, especially those suffering from more chronic illness. As many practitioners treat children, the information was timely and provided strategies practitioners could employ immediately after returning home.
Day 3: Pregnancy, Stubborn Graphs and Panel Discussion
Day 3 came so quickly! During the last day, Deb Davies, L.Ac. and pregnancy/birth specialist taught the class how to incorporate technology into a specialty acupuncture clinic. Kimberly taught during the afternoon. She focused on how to treat patients who just don’t seem to get better, and how emotions tie into energetic imbalances.
During the last section of the day, we hosted an interactive panel discussion with the presenters. We even invited a seasoned AcuGraph user from the audience. Attendees were able to ask questions to the panel, who discussed topics from incorporating AcuGraph into your practice to utilizing diet and other modalities to help patients.
Final Thoughts
The Acupuncture Growth Symposium was a huge success! The event allowed acupuncturists from several countries to come together for a weekend of learning, companionship, and excitement. I had a wonderful experience, and look forward to future symposiums and live events! If you weren’t able to attend the Acupuncture Growth Symposium, we missed you and hope you’ll come next time. There’s nothing like spending a weekend with other talented healers all looking to make a difference in the world.
We hope to see you next time!
-Adrian
Other Symposium Photos from the Weekend
