30th Anniversary Recap
By Shannon Bachorick, RA®, EOT®, CAHP®
The CFA celebrated its 30th anniversary this past June with a live, in-person event in Mono, ON. After so many years of Zoom meetings and classes, it was wonderful to gather with our peers and smell beautiful oils!
Based on the overwhelmingly positive feedback for the event and the speakers that we received, the primary reason people attended the event was connection. Unsurprisingly, this was also most people’s favourite part of the weekend. They enjoyed the breaks between sessions and meals together to mingle, meet and reconnect with peers.
For the most part, people enjoyed having the event held over two days, and appreciated having a variety of topics and speakers. The sessions varied from personal journeys and how aromatherapy supported the speakers, to industry-specific practices. Attendees also enjoyed the vendors.
We understand that the event venue was a bit of a hike for some people, which made it impossible for them to attend, and we will keep that in mind for future events. However, many respondents appreciated the opportunity to get away for a few days. One attendee particularly liked not having to cook or clean for the weekend!
Here are some testimonials from the attendees.
“A great event to connect with other aromatherapists and further our education in a variety of subjects! Can’t wait for the next event.”
“This was my very first CFA conference. I was extremely impressed by how well it was organized. You could clearly see that there was a lot of hard work, dedication and love by all the organizing members of the conference. I am so grateful that I was able to attend. Thank you!”
“I have very informative, inspirational and happy time!”
“Learning and sharing and oh just the fabulosity of it all. […] How wonderful our country is. How wonderful the board was in putting the event together for us all. The speakers tied in so beautifully. […] I am still smiling and feeling encouraged from our time together. Again thank you to the old board and new.
“I'm grateful for this opportunity to join my colleagues.”
“This event was amazing! I loved the energy of everyone and it was so wonderful to connect with new people. The speakers were wonderful and the love for everyone was so contagious! Everyone was so kind and willing to share their stories! I enjoyed learning new things also. I'm looking forward to the next one!”
“The connections I made to other aromatherapists will be lifelong. I loved all the heart energy from everyone who attended.”
“The 2023 conference was informative and educational. I enjoyed reconnecting with colleagues and finally meeting people in person for the first time.”
We will use this feedback in planning future events, along with any other comments you may have. You can contact the CFA events director Nancy Labombard, CAHP, at eventsdirector@cfacanada.com with your comments and suggestions. Also, keep your eyes peeled for opportunities to join event planning committees. We value your contributions!
The 2023 AGM was also held in person and via Zoom during the event. The directors took the opportunity to deliver their report in person, and field any questions from the membership. While voting was held live, with the option for those not able to attend to vote via e-mail ahead of time, we understand that public voting is not ideal. However, we thought that would be easier than having everybody bring a device with them to the AGM so that they could vote anonymously on Zoom. We welcome any suggestions on how to ensure anonymous voting in the future.
The CFA directors are overwhelmed by the positive feedback from the event and are already looking toward the next event. We hope to bring you quality events that are rich with learning experiences and opportunities to connect with one another. According to the survey, most respondents would like to have annual events. Stay tuned for an announcement about what we have planned!
About the author: Shannon Bachorick completed her aromatherapy certification studies in 2016 and went on to become a Certified Aromatherapy Health Professional®, Essential Oil Therapist® and Registered Aromatherapist®. She has served on the board of directors of the CFA since 2019 as research director and communications director, and is currently vice-president. She practises in Regina, Saskatchewan, and is the founder of Santéssence Aromatherapy.
Photo credit: Kelly Stanhope, CAHP®