1. Blend of Right and Left brain thinking . LOHAS is a unique blend of sustainability, conscious leadership, personal development and spirituality. No other conference blends these three elements in such a fashion and provides the context of how they are all interconnected. This formula brings together executives who are going in the same direction, professionally and personally, but don’t know each other. It is common for attendees to know very few others at LOHAS which as a good thing because it means fresh opportunities. 

 

2. Integration of the event into Boulder. Many attendees get excited about the event being in Boulder because they love the city or have always wanted to visit. Rather than having to explore the city on their own time outside of the conference, LOHAS 2012 is using several historic and well-known locations in downtown that are within a block of each other. We will be using the historic Boulder Theater for our morning general sessions and keynotes, the organic restaurant Shine for our lunches, the Rembrant Yard for our exhibit space and afternoon breakout sessions at these locations plus the Shambala Center and the classic Boulderado hotel. Think of it more of a block party in format.

 

3. Permission to be yourself. LOHAS gives attendees permission to drop the armor that we typically wear with when we put our professional agenda before who we really are. LOHAS allows people to come as individuals first to develop relations on a heartfelt personal level which then leads to stronger business relations with other attendees.

 

4. Business gets done. There have been countless stories of successful business relations being developed at LOHAS ranging from nonprofits getting significant donations to new hirings to company mergers tand investments in the millions of dollars. Even romantic relations have blossomed from the event. Because of the structure and the types of decision makers who attend the event LOHAS has become a catalyst for great business.

 

5. Tangible take away. LOHAS has several two-hour workshops on the front and back end of the program for a deep dive into subjects. This gives attendees information to take back to their own businesses and immediately apply it. The workshops include topics such as employee engagement with sustainability, how to be a better public speaker, how to pitch to media, how to ask for money, tapping into intuitive leadership skills and many others.

 

6. Gift room. The gift room of LOHAS is legendary. Instead of a gift bag that is pre-stuffed as we have all received at other conferences, LOHAS give a one time access to a room that is stocked with LOHAS organic and eco friendly items such as chocolate, snacks, soaps, skin care, books and more that attendees select and put in their own bag rather than what is pre-stuffed. It is much more interactive and engaging.

 

7. Edutainment factor. The morning sessions are much more that business keynotes. They are designed to stir the soul through inspiring elements of music, art, and inspiration. These are sprinkled into the morning sessions between the high powered talks from LOHAS entrepreneurs and influencers making the mornings much more alive. These will be a lot of fun and something you will not forget!

 

8. Cutting edge data presented. We have the up to date data on LOHAS consumer trends, green consumer trernds and wellness trends worth thousands of dollars presented at LOHAS. If you are a data fiend you will be quite satisfied. 

 

9. Extra activities. Several events happen around the event. The LOHAS Insight tour gives people a chance to visit Boulder based LOHAS companies and get a behind the scenes look of their operations. The Impact Investing Collaboratory brings entrepreneurs and investors together to discuss the investment dating game. Attendees can get their days started right with morning yoga or meditation before the sessions. B-Cycle, Boulder’s community bike share program is offering a $10 week pass for attendees to use their bike system throughout Boulder. B-Corp is hosting a networking reception at the Boulder Go Lite store. And then there is the infamous LOHAS after party that goes into the wee hours of the morning.

 

10. Provides community access. This year LOHAS wants to invite the Boulder community a pass that gives access to the morning keynote sessions held at the Boulder Theater and the exhibit space in the afternoons. This is a very reasonably priced pass and provides the opportunity for locals who are busy or who cannot afford the larger full attendee pass rate. If you are in town and want to experience a bit of LOHAS now is your chance!

 

Ted Ning is renowned for leading the annual LOHAS Forum, LOHAS.com and LOHAS Journal the past 9 years Ted Ning is widely regarded as the epicenter of all things LOHAS leading many to affectionately refer to him as ‘Mr. LOHAS’. He is a change agent, trend spotter and principal of the LOHAS Group, which advises large and small corporations on accessing and profiting from the +$300 billion lifestyles of health and sustainability marketplace.  The LOHAS Group is a strategy firm focusing on helping companies discover, create, nurture and develop their unique brand assets.  For more information on Ted visit  www.tedning.com