The Yoli Blast Off Convention officially kicked off, with Founder and Executive VP, Darren Falter playing the National Anthem, now that was a treat!  Then Yoli Founder and President Robby Fender came out, and introduced the Founders one by one as they came out on stage.  Following the Founders we were all introduced to our fabulous Corporate Team.  The speakers were all amazing; Carl Lewis, Bryan Clay and I especially loved hearing from David Matteson, VP of Business Development at pH Science, about Alka Plex, a product that is a main ingredient in Yoli Fun Active Blast, to read more about it click here  http://phsciences.com/

During the morning session, 3 awards were given out, The Rising Stars Award to Mike and Stacey Healy, The Star Maker Award to Janice Stieglitz and the Rock Star Award to J. Brad and Collette Britton.  Congratulations! Carlos Aponte also won 3rd place in the video contest.  Way to go Carlos!  At lunch, the Founders along with everyone else, made their way to the Yoli Store, we shopped and waited in line, while they met and signed posters for anyone who wished to meet them!  I don’t think they even went to lunch!  For every $100.00 spent in the store you were given 1 entry into the drawing for the free Yoli Cruise on the Oasis of the Seas, April 24th-May 1, 2010 to be given out on Sunday during the Distributors Training.  I got my tickets, put my name on it, as they told us to do, and put my tickets into the basket.

The afternoon session was just as amazing, starting off with the presentation of all of the Diamonds, it was really wonderful to see all of the leaders up there, it was inspirational!  Throughout the day, the Founders each took multiple turns up on stage, opening up to the group of over 1200, as if we were all their close friends.  Robert Meyer won 2nd place in the video contest and Sheldon Collins won 1st place.  You guys rock!!  The 1st Yoli Cruise was also given away, for every paid person you brought to convention you received an entry into the drawing, the winner was Joseph Rosquites, congrats and Bon Voyage to him.

Saturday night was a blast.  The room was decked out, Corey Citron was spinning, and it was time to have some fun!!  Everyone was dancing and having an amazing time.  Because as the Founders say, at Yoli, we like to work hard, and play harder!  Saturday night was time to have fun with fellow distributors from near and far.  I even had a very interesting conversation with Ty Rice that night about the Yoli Cruise, Ty asked if I was going, and even though I knew I had no way to go, I said “where there is a will there is a way”, but more about that later.!  I also want to give a shout out to Paul Sperrazza and his live looping, I have never heard anything like it!!

Sunday was a day of training by our fellow distributors.  Now, in some companies this may be something people would skip, but not so in Yoli.  Not only, was everyone there taking notes, the Founders were sitting in the first row!!  Each speaker spoke from the heart, passing on valuable trainings and tips.  I can honestly say, that I learned something new from every person up there on stage.

Of course, there were so many memorable parts to the convention, but for me, the most memorable part of the Yoli Blast Off Convention was on Sunday a little bit before lunch.  The time had come to pick the other cruise winner.  So they brought out the bin with all of the tickets, and Corey picked one.  His eyes scanned the ticket as he began to read the numbers, and I knew I had not won, because clearly there was no name written on the ticket.  Corey read the numbers, and we all waited, and waited…the person whose ticket it was, was not there, Corey would pick again.  This time when he pulled out the ticket, he read it to himself as if there was a name on it, so this time there was hope!!  He began reading the numbers, and people around me started to sit down, he continued to read the numbers and more people sat.  Suddenly I realized that there were only 3 other people standing, and I was shaking like a leaf, and as I stood there, Corey Citron, Yoli Founder and CMO called off the last 2 numbers, I HAD WON THE CRUISE!! I was so excited, it was a dream come true.

Now I think the real moral to my convention story is that had I given up on getting to the convention, had I said I wasn’t going to go by myself, had I let the obstacles presented before me block my path, I would not have won that cruise!!  But not only that, I would not have had the chance to spend, an incredible 2 ½ days, with all of the amazing people learning, working and playing Yoli.  And this was just the beginning, this was our Official Yoli Launch!! Here see for yourself: