2021 Conference Wrap

What a busy weekend we had at the conference recently!!  After many months in preparation, it was lovely to enjoy 3 days of fun as it all came together. For the members who attended, thank you for joining us for a total immersion in all things Pilates.

This is the 6th conference I have been involved in behind the scenes having started at the 2011 conference working with sponsors, setting up equipment and manning check in.

This year we had to mix it up. Who knew that going virtual would be essential! It wasn’t a difficult choice as we really wanted the event to go ahead this year, but it was a steep learning curve for myself and our team!

However, the experience itself and the wonderful feedback we have received from participants has made all the hard work more than worth it!

Amazing and Inspiring Presenters

We have had such an amazing lineup of presenters with inspiring workshops and it’s been a pleasure to work with them all:

• to be inspired and informed
• to have the opportunity to explore and experience
• delve deeper into specialist topics and our own practice

The level of expertise and professionalism they all brought to this year’s conference has been phenomenal and has been widely appreciated. Participants have been reaching out to personally thank their presenters as well as sharing their positive reactions across social media. It has been thoroughly uplifting and we all needed that right now.

Share your Thoughts

On that note, if you attended please remember to fill out the individual session surveys and give them your feedback. They really appreciate knowing * what you loved * what you want to know more about * what was not clear.

We would also love your feedback on the event so fill out the conference survey in the Attendee Hub. Your insights are the key to planning for future events!

Event Game Winners

If you tuned in to the Conference closing address you may already know that the winner of the Event Game weekend leader board was Helen Stamatakos – well done Helen!! Helen received a $50 gift card donated by Move Active.

There will also be a Major prize of one year’s PAA membership awarded on 6 October, after the On Demand period closes, to give everyone time to participate fully. So start scoring those game credits now!

Sponsors and exhibitors

Our sponsors and exhibitors deserve a special mention for embracing and adapting to the possibilities of a virtual environment. The exhibitor pages remain accessible in the Attendee Hub until 5 October, so please support them and check out their pages for exclusive conference discounts and offers. You can still reach them through the Contact Us button or the link directly to their website.

Hosts and behind the scenes at the PAA

Thank you to Chris Lavelle, Robyn Rix and Eve Fairbairn for sharing the camera and hosting many of the workshops over the weekend. They did a wonderful job giving live participants the opportunity to have their questions answered, providing interaction for the presenters and filling in during the (thankfully) few dropouts in transmission.  Great work everyone!

Kerry Haywood, PAA Systems Officer, played a significant part in preparing for the event, taking control of the back end of registration, website and the Attendee Hub, answering queries and assisting attendees and exhibitors.

Eve Fairbairn, as well as hosting, was instrumental in making the virtual exhibitor area a reality, developing the conference teaser game, and delivering numerous Attendee Hub notifications over the weekend.

Natalie Ryan was our secret weapon covering social media and was extremely busy over the weekend reposting and sharing all the fantastic pictures and comments from attendees.

Our marketing for the conference was also boosted by the insightful interviews with the presenters by Bruce Hildebrand on the PAA podcast.

Thank you to the whole PAA Conference team!

Damn Good Productions

We decided to bring in professional help to produce and broadcast the event just two weeks before the conference, and we are so glad we did! A huge thank you to Ben, Jaz, Kate, James and the team at Damn Good Productions who were incredible, pulling the broadcast together for this ambitious event with such a short lead time!! They elevated the production and their outstanding support brought our vision to life.

After all the months of preparation it always seems a shock that the conference is over so quickly.

Then, after a short break it all begins again!

Sharan Simmons
PAA President.