Imagine Friday, October 24 (a.m.)

On Friday morning, the 2008 Nikken North America Convention kicked off with an introductory video presentation that set the stage for the session theme – Imagine. Nikken VP of Global Sales & Marketing Doug Braun delivered a brief welcome, opening the session with a challenge for Consultants to imagine and seize a life of health, wealth and balance with Nikken.

Convention Contest Winners and New Gold Consultants
The session continued with the recognition of Convention contest winners and new Gold Consultants, several of whom were invited to share a brief but compelling testimonial about their experience with Nikken and climb to Gold.

True Elements™ Swiss Organic Skin Care
Nikken introduced new corporate speaker Susan Jeske, a former Ms. America pageant winner and sought-after beauty, image and etiquette consultant. Her years of experience in the beauty industry and as a top achiever in an internationally renowned cosmetic company uniquely qualify her to represent the new premium Nikken skin care line, True Elements™ Swiss Organic Skin Care. Susan drew on her expertise as a beauty industry veteran to explain why True Elements is unlike any other skin care product on the market. The True Elements line includes Foaming Face Wash, Pore Refining Toner, Daily Perfecting Cream, Intensive Night Cream and Exfoliating Masque and Contour Serum for a comprehensive skin care regimen.

Top Achievers
The recognition of Levi & Rebecca Esh as the Top Nikken Sponsor of the year, Daniel Fase as the Top Retailer and Phillip & Gloria Offerle as the top 60k Club winners proved a highlight of the first general session.

Kenko™ PowerPatch™

Excited Consultants then welcomed Nikken scientific advisor Dave Balzer to the stage. Dave talked about the importance of magnetics as a foundational Nikken technology – a perfect segue to the introduction of the second new Nikken product launched at the Convention: the Kenko™ PowerPatch™. Attendees listened raptly as Dave described this versatile new application of Nikken Magnetic Technology, which features a 750-gauss magnetic core plated in 24k gold, with replaceable adhesive backing for go-anywhere convenience.

New Platinum Consultants

Then it was time to acknowledge the new Platinum Consultants onstage. Three were asked to share some brief words about the impact that the Nikken opportunity has made in their lives. Following this, the audience was treated to an enthralling performance by pole acrobats, whose impressive, gravity-defying feats challenged attendees to imagine without limits.

The session concluded with a message from Royal Diamond Consultant Julie Tara, whose own example of imagination compelled listeners to follow her lead.

Inspire Friday, October 24 (p.m.)

The Straight Story
The next segment opened with a powerful speech by Nikken Chairman and CEO Tom Watanabe. Mr. Watanabe shared his impressions of an Iowa farmer named Alvin Straight, whose remarkable story of determination inspired the David Lynch movie The Straight Story. He tied this example to his own experience as one among many big dreamers in his class at Brandeis University who went on to achieve great things. Quoting George Bernard Shaw, Mr. Watanabe declared “Some men see things as they are and say, ‘Why?’ I dream of things that never were and say ‘Why not?’” He continued by sharing the realization that as the leader of Nikken, he was living his dream of making a difference in the world. Challenging his audience to imagine, inspire and ignite their own greatest dreams, Mr. Watanabe concluded with a question – Why not? – and received a standing ovation.

Watanabe Leadership Team
Following this inspiring opening, Bob Richards returned to the stage to recognize members of the Watanabe Leadership Team. Then, Mary Dingmann was invited to receive special recognition for her impressive achievement as a three-time winner of the Watanabe Leadership Team. Acknowledgement of all Wellness Home 21 Club winners followed, and the program continued with another exciting Nikken product launch.

New Kenzen™ Wellness Organic-Based Nutrition
Dave Balzer introduced the Whole Body Renewal Program, the principle at the heart of the new Kenzen™ Wellness Organic-Based Nutrition. Among the exciting products unveiled as a part of this new innovation are Kenzen™ Mega Daily 4™ for Men and Women, organic-certifed Jade GreenZymes™, Kenzen™ Digestion Complex 4-20™ and Kenzen™ Omega Green + DHA™.

Dave was joined by product formulator and new Nikken corporate speaker Mark Palmer, who stressed the importance of organic ingredients and vegetable sources for digestive enzymes and DHA. Among Mark’s memorable words of wisdom was the statement that “food with a long shelf life will give you a short shelf life, but food with a short shelf life will give you a long shelf life.”

Rhythm
Following an interlude by a STOMP troupe of several talented dancers who utilized improvised percussion instruments for a stunning, rhythmic performance, the Director of Sales Dr. Anne Bodak took the podium to address a pumped up audience.

Drawing on the musical metaphor of rhythm, Anne underscored the importance of adhering to a daily, weekly and monthly rhythm in your Nikken business – in a collaborative effort with Nikken corporate, your local team and your entire organization – in order to produce a magnificent, harmonious end result of brilliant collective success.

At this time, Anne also introduced the Business 21 Club – a new recruiting incentive designed to drive a rhythm for network-building and to recognize your sponsorship efforts.

New Diamond and Royal Diamond Consultants
Anne continued by presenting awards to the talented new Diamond and Royal Diamond Consultants, whose many milestones have been celebrated with Nikken.

International Leadership Award
The 2007 recipient of the International Leadership Award, Anna Mayer, was invited onstage to crown the new winner of this commendable honor – Anna Kagan.

BHAG, NetGen and Purple Cows
Following this, Doug Braun took a moment to address all the Consultants in attendance. Touching on the current economic condition, Doug introduced the concept of BHAG – a “big, hairy audacious” goal of 10 to 30 years, to progress toward an envisioned future. At Nikken, our BHAG is our goal of every home a Wellness Home. Our goal will be achieved faster by focusing not on creating Wellness Homes but on creating a large network of successful Nikken businesses, Doug asserted that the result would be millions more Wellness Homes created – and financial freedom.

He also discussed the forward-looking efforts of Nikken in engaging the younger generation of Consultants, customers and prospects. Coined the NetGen, this group consists of 88 million individuals in their 20s and early 30s who are destined to dominate the 21st Century. In order to better understand their needs, Nikken has created a NetGen Council of members referred by the Leadership Council.

Doug concluded his message by talking about the difference between ordinary and remarkable – the “purple cow” principle. In today’s business world, few companies and products are outright lousy. Most are good enough and therefore, hardly worth mentioning. So to truly shine, one must be remarkable – a purple cow in a field of brown cows.

Heart of Nikken Award
Claudia and Chuck Branham joined corporate presenters onstage for the presentation of the honor they were granted last year: the Heart of Nikken Award. Ed Wiens was named the new winner of this peer-nominated award. With a tribute to his wife Ginger, who recently passed away from cancer, Ed graciously accepted this expression of appreciation from his fellow President’s Club members.

Brian Klemmer
The session concluded with a powerful message from the keynote speaker, Brian Klemmer. Author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller The Compassionate Samurai, Brian urged attendees to look inside themselves and decide what they want to be made of, for that’s what will come out of them when pressured and squeezed  by the circumstances of life. He challenged Consultants to embrace problems – just as David confronted Goliath – because without the opportunity to overcome them, there is no opportunity for greatness.

Royal Diamond Consultant Mike DiMuccio sent attendees on their way with a charge to act on the wealth of knowledge, imagination and inspiration they gained during the day’s events.

 

Ignite! Saturday, October 25

Team Nikken Walks for Autism
Convention attendees got their blood pumping early Saturday morning in the Sunrise Walk Now for Autism 5k.

Ignite!
At the general session, an exciting video and light show kicked off the Ignite!-themed program. President Bob Richards then greeted the audience and welcomed Consultants and guests to day two of the 2008 Nikken North America Convention. After inviting the current Leadership Council members to the stage to be recognized, Bob took the podium to deliver his presidential address. His captivating presentation focused on the unique solution that Nikken alone offers to those struggling for an answer in today’s economy. As an expression of the company’s vision of Humans Being More, it is the destiny of Independent Nikken Consultants to share the message of hope through the Nikken business opportunity with individuals everywhere.

Top Achievers
Doug Braun and Anne Bodak introduced the top achievers of the year, acknowledging the Top 10 Business Builders, Top 5 Royal Diamond, Diamond and Platinum Consultants and Top 5 Income Earners. These top performers received a standing ovation from the audience for their hard-won accomplishments.

2009 Consultant of the Year
Finally, the most prestigious annual Nikken award was presented by the reigning Consultants of the Year, Terry and Erin Latham, to a grateful Ann and Grant McNabb.

A Healthy Society
Doug Braun took a moment to turn the focus onto the Society Pillar. He talked about the company’s longstanding commitment to giving back, including Nikken’s involvement with and contributions to the Shannon Miller Foundation – and Autism Speaks, a cause that holds special significance for Doug, who has a daughter with autism.

The Orlando Walk Now for Autism chairperson, Karen Thompson, was invited to the stage for a special check presentation – bringing the total amount of contributions from Nikken toward this cause to more than $200,000 to date.

Doug went on to name the many measurable ways in which Nikken is working to reduce energy consumption, preserve the environment and conserve natural resources. Because of these efforts, Nikken was recognized by the city of Irvine as a 2008 finalist in its Waste Reduction Awards program. Additionally, for installing high-efficiency lighting in the headquarters warehouse, Nikken earned the Environmental Stewardship Award from Orion Energy. And on behalf of the entire Nikken family, staff and Consultants, Nikken is proud to accept the President’s Volunteer Service Award, sanctioned by President Bush in 2003 for the recognition of valuable contributions by volunteers in America.

Ignite 6 for Success!
Doug turned the podium back to Anne Bodak, who took the opportunity to announce the exciting Ignite 6 for Success challenge. With the enthusiastic endorsement of the President’s Club, this incentive contest was created as a vehicle for business builders to effectively share the Nikken business opportunity with the growing numbers of people seeking a financial solution in these economically uncertain times. Prizes include recognition opportunities and a choice of a $700 cash bonus or a weekend getaway. But there’s no greater incentive than the increased stability and phenomenal growth you can achieve in your Nikken business just by participating!

Anne concluded by inviting Royal Diamond Consultant William Todd, a former Consultant of the Year, to reveal how to leverage this exciting new challenge to ignite your Nikken business.

Facilitator of the Year

Finally, Terry and Erin Latham returned to the stage to present the Facilitator of the Year award, conferred to an outstanding Nikken staff member selected by members of the President’s Club. This year, the honor went to Nikken Speaker Coordinator Sarah White.