Blast Conference!

What a Blast! Regan, Marketing Director here to tell you about the Blast Conference for 2007.

The conference was hosted by former TV presenter Susan Wood. The speakers included Michael Hill, Don Ha, the million dollar horse man, John Hart and many more… We were greatly inspired by their success stories and what they had to do to achieve their ultimate vision. They are true

entrepreneurs. Don Ha set us a challenge, if we made 1 million dollars in ten years he would give us a further 10% - talk about motivating! Guess who Samantha and I shook hands with?! Yup, you guessed it. The Prime Minister Helen Clark herself. It was a very nerve-racking experience meeting all these inspirational people but an experience I shall never forget. I hope to attend next year's Blast Conference. Thanks to the Blast coordinators!

Kia Ora

Regan and I attended the 2007 Blast Conference in Rotorua. It was the most inspirational event that I have ever, ever, ever attended in my life. In fact, it was so inspiring that I now believe that I can achieve whatever I want, whenever I want. Michael Hill, the Michael Hill Jeweller man, made me see that anything is possible, even if you are not the brightest spark on this planet. People believed that he would not come to anything important; especially his uncle. Look at him today; a very large chain of jewellery shops, a famous private golf course and he has become a household name. The next speaker was Don Ha...the man who bought that gorgeous two million dollar horse. Wow! he was hilarious. Even though he had the whole language barrier to get over, he made a name for himself in the real estate business! The other speakers which were very inspirational to me were Diane Foreman, The "Croucher Beer" guys, and the man from Bacardi who bought 42 Below.

The most informative speaker, in my opinion, was John Hart, the All Black's coach and the former Warriors coach. Being the Managing Director he taught me so much that a leader must know. His passion for rugby is enormous; the way he recalled his happy memories was amazing. His success is all because of his leadership qualities and his passion for the number one sport in New Zealand.

One speaker that completely caught me off guard was Geoff Knight, the Opera Singer who used to be a bikie. His journey to becoming what he is today is definitely inspiring. Basically, he showed me that you may as well pursue your dreams even if you believe you cannot make it for you may be wrong. You are your worst critic, especially when it is something you are very passionate about. Now, I am thinking of pursuing a career in the music industry for I believe I can make it. Thank you Geoff Knight for the amazing recount of your amazing experiences.

One more thing I must add is the fact that the Prime Minister, Helen Clark, spoke at the conference. I must say, she was a delight. I couldn't believe that I was in the same room as her. Regan and I waited patiently for her to come out of the hall so we could get her to keep our badge and get her to take a photo with it on. I basically became starstruck when I was about to speak. "Hello, I am Samantha Webb from Kei Te Pai. We were wondering if you could wear this badge and let us take a photo of you?" Then she said "Why sure... why not (I think)." Then I said, "That was a great speech by the way",... then everything was completely blank! I got to shake her hand and get a photo with her! We also got a photo with most of the other speakers too. It's a good way to market our product that's for sure!