Seminar

Arena Seating: Another Fun Mary Kay Seminar Memory

Written by SuzyQ

A glimpse into one (of many) unglamorous reality of Mary Kay Seminar. Arena seating versus Hall A? The goal of course is Arena Seating (No Hall A!!!)

It is not unusual to chant at meetings No Hall A! No Hall A!!! Although once the Arena seating is “sold out” it would be embarrassing to continue with the “no hall A” thing. Here’s how it works:

Directors sit in the Arena, unless they forget to register early, and then they are placed on a waiting list. Debuting Directors sit with their Senior Directors in the Arena. It is not unusual for a director to sit in the arena by herself because the rest of her unit is in Hall A.

Directors are seated in the arena based on their production. Generally $450,000 and up directors have floor seating. Everybody else is placed back and up (and up and up) until all are seated. There are 3 tiers of seating areas. The highest tier of seats is referred to as the nose bleed section. Those of us who have “achieved the honor” of pretty darn low annual production know about the very top row of seating… it’s actually not as bad as it seems in that there is a lot of room between your seat and the wall. Nobody looks at you, and you don’t have to stand and clap or face the frowns of those who are standing and clapping as you sit with your shoes off, and eat your $3.50 hotdog.

Navigating the endless steep stairs in heels with packages and notebooks and purses is another thing altogether though. Add that to the excitement of Awards Night and formal attire and it’s amazing that there aren’t more falls and ankle injuries that we know about… unless, they don’t tell us about all of the injuries.

The best part of Arena seating though is the Meerkat Manor directors who finally find their seats and then stand up and look around like a Meerkat to see where their buddies are sitting. It is always a good thing to look behind you and see some buddies because their production was less than yours. Everyone waves and blows kisses because the pecking order has been established.

To avoid the cattle dining, it is important to meet a sales or recruiting challenge so one can have a company luncheon. The food is actually good and presented well at these times. Qualifying for a reception is another thing entirely. The food is beautifully presented and there are tall tables around the room. There is no seating. You must stash your stuff on the floor and stand and eat.

Leaving the Arena, especially from the top is a challenge too, navigating down the stairs with 2000 other women is always fun. Stay tuned for the Awards Night reception.

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1 COMMENTS

  1. I was a lucky one with a previous career and savings. I could afford these events including paying for meals etc. it is only now that I realize just how expensive all of this was for many women. At seminar our SD did not even sit with us. We travelled on a shuttle bus singing silly songs. One new director was honored on stage. She didn’t seem very happy. I never saw her again & wondered why she left MK so abruptly. Next retreat & then another seminar where paying for transportation, meals etc. was the norm. Once again no real training. I now began coming out of the pink fog & realized just how fake all of this was.

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