2024 ASA Summit Recap
This past weekend, the American Sabumnim Association (ASA) held the 2024 ASA Summit in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Kicksite team was thrilled not only to be the exclusive software sponsor of the event, but also to join and give a presentation to martial arts business owners in attendance.
The 2024 ASA Summit started off with a bang (and a kick, and a punch) on Friday, October 4 with multiple interactive training and certification sessions. Renowned MMA trainer and UFC coach Eddie Cha first held a Level 1 certification, where participants learned the fundamentals of his signature striking system. We can’t give enough credit or respect to those who got certified – this session was 3.5 hours long! We spoke to a few folks who were a part of it and although they were worn out, they were thrilled to have had the opportunity.
Eddie wasn’t done yet, though. Later in the day he hosted another session where he showed attendees how to incorporate UFC striking drills into their Taekwondo classes and programs. We had a chance to check this one out, and it was pretty awesome to see a packed room soaking in his knowledge and sparring with one another.
As these sessions took place, more attendees started to roll in and get the lay of the land before things officially kicked off.
At the opening ceremonies and introduction of speakers, we had the pleasure of hearing from a number of talented and accomplished Taekwondo school owners. They spoke to the challenges and opportunities of the martial arts business, and set the stage for a productive and valuable conference.
The guest speaker for the evening was also introduced – decorated wrestler, martial artist and UFC fighter Henry Cejudo. Cejudo shared his inspiring story and climb to success. Born to Mexican immigrants and enduring a difficult childhood, Cejudo found inspiration in his brother, an accomplished wrestler, and chose to follow his lead by getting involved in the sport. After years of training and success, he became a resident athlete at the US Olympic Training Center, and ultimately became the youngest American Olympic gold medalist in wrestling history at the time.
Cejudo parlayed this wrestling experience into MMA training, and signed with the UFC in 2014, being only the third Olympic gold medal wrestler in the company’s history. Since his signing, he became both the Bantamweight and Flyweight champion, and the seventh two-division champion in the organization’s history.
Cejudo’s overall message to the 2024 ASA Summit crowd was that big dreams combined with big sacrifices can result in big success. It was a relevant message for all in attendance, as everyone looked ahead to a day full of business-related seminars and speakers on Saturday.
Saturday’s sessions ran the gamut of business topics, with knowledgeable speakers across the board. We kicked off the day by sitting in on Josh Lannan’s presentation surrounding AI marketing. He called out some of the opportunities and efficiencies that school owners can take advantage of when it comes to the capabilities AI, but also wasn’t afraid to call out some of the challenges that AI presents (and some of the more terrifying things it can do).
Beyond the world of artificial intelligence, multiple school owners held sessions throughout the day discussing their personal secrets, recommendations, and tips for running a martial arts business. From harnessing the power of data and statistics to growing into a multi-location empire and even how to avoid burnout, there were endless nuggets of information to be scooped up and considered.
The Kicksite team was honored to be able to give our own presentation on Saturday afternoon. CEO Jason Neef was joined by Marketing Team Supervisor Pat Mullin and Senior Sales Engineer Mike Selck to talk through our own recommendations in the areas of finances, operations and marketing. While we may not be school owners ourselves, we’ve worked with thousands of them over the course of nearly 20 years. This has given us a lot of unique perspective into blind spots that academy owners frequently have, and some of the pitfalls we see them often run into. We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who joined us, and hope you found our seminar valuable!
Perhaps more than anything, our crew was glad to run into so many familiar faces and catch up with customers to talk about what we can do to keep helping their business grow. It’s particularly humbling and fills us with a lot of gratitude when we get to connect with owners who have been using us for over a decade! We’re always working to make our software, website services, and marketing services better, and in turn, make your martial arts business better.
Thanks to everyone at ASA, both organizers and attendees, for welcoming the Kicksite team to the 2024 ASA Summit with open arms! Check out our recap video below, and don’t hesitate to reach out if there’s anything we can do for you and your school.