The Rise of Yoga Events: New Data on How to Grow Your Yoga Business
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The Rise of Yoga Events: New Data on How to Grow Your Yoga Business Eventbrite.com The Rise of Yoga Events Page 1 Rainbow yoga mats stretch out in front of you as your attendees push back into downward dog. The yoga teacher reminds everyone to breathe as they flow through their asanas. Then, out of nowhere, a goat jumps on a yogi’s back. A few yogis pause to take a photo as the goat bleats. At the end of class, yogis celebrate with a kombucha toast — and you celebrate a job well done. Yoga has been around for thousands of years, and it’s more popular than ever. In fact, according to a new survey on the yoga trends and habits of 2,000 Americans by Eventbrite and OnePoll, 67% of people have tried yoga before. And 64% want to practice more in 2019 than they did in 2018. But the yoga experiences offered today have never been as numerous or unique as they are now — goat yoga is just one of many examples. This rise in popularity brings a whole new set of challenges for the creators of these classes and events. Eventbrite.com The Rise of Yoga Events Page 2 The bottom line: Competition for yogis is fierce. Your yoga experience is one of a kind — but yogis who are choosing between practicing at a gym, studio, or even in their own room using an app or video don’t realize that. To them, your experience might seem just like the class included in their gym membership, except at a higher price tag. “Don’t think creating yoga experiences is an easy job or easy money, because it’s not,” says Jimmy Naron, the founder and CEO of Rocky Mountain Goat Yoga. “You need to be prepared to work very hard to make your yoga experience stand out.” Take a deep breath: You’re not going it alone. Whether you’re a yoga teacher looking to open your own studio or an events professional growing an established yoga festival, this guide holds everything you need to know. Use these insights from a survey of 1,200 yogis and interviews with yoga experts to learn how to turn your passion into a thriving business. Eventbrite.com The Rise of Yoga Events Page 3 This guide is for: Events professionals and yoga instructors who want to grow their business, whether they host classes, workshops, retreats, or festivals. You’ll learn how to: • Price and market your yoga experiences to attract more attendees • Connect with the yogi community by understanding why they practice • Tap into other wellness trends and partners to expand your business About the study: Eventbrite and OnePoll teamed up to conduct a survey examining the yoga trends and habits of 2,000 Americans.1 We asked why they do yoga, how much they’re willing to spend on unique yoga experiences, and how to convince them to choose your class. 1This random double opt-in survey was conducted by OnePoll, a market research company and corporate member of ESOMAR and adheres to the MRS code of conduct. For more information about OnePoll’s research in the media, navigate to their portfolio. Eventbrite.com The Rise of Yoga Events Page 4 Contents Set your intention Connect with your yogis 06 Balancing Sequence How to price your yoga classes and experiences 12 Find your flow Turn your yoga class into an experience 15 Reach for the sky Find your tribe on social media 19 Savasana Reach new heights for your yoga business 21 Eventbrite.com The Rise of Yoga Events Page 5 SET YOUR INTENTION Connect with your yogis A great yoga flow starts with a centering exercise, and your yoga business should begin the same way. Start by focusing on your yogis’ motivations. How do you want your yogis to feel when they leave your yoga class? When do they prefer to practice? Why would they come to your experience, instead of practicing alone in their bedroom? Once you understand what motivates your potential attendees to attend yoga classes, you can make better decisions to create your own offerings. Use these insights from the survey of 1,200 yogis as a starting point. Yogis practice for the physical and mental benefits When you see all those happy faces leaving your yoga class, their stress and tension erased, it’s obvious why so many love attending your class, and that’s worth celebrating. But most yoga offerings out there offer stress relief — so how can you help your event stand out? The first step is to understand your attendees’ motivations for practicing. Why do they like attending class? And is there a need you can meet that other yoga offerings in your area are overlooking? Here’s what the 1,200 yogis we surveyed with OnePoll had to say. Eventbrite.com The Rise of Yoga Events Page 6 THE TOP 5 REASONS PEOPLE PRACTICE YOGA 54% 52% 51% Release tension Get stronger De-stress physically and mentally 43% 41% Feel happier Workout These aren’t the only motivations our survey revealed, though. Yoga also helps respondents mitigate stress (38%), relax (31%), ease physical ailments (30%), get more “me time” in their week (27%), feel less lonely (21% ), and, it helps a surprising 20% unplug from tech. Put it in action: Find your niche and run with it For Susie Martin, co-founder and creative director at It’s for Charity! Events, tapping into her attendees’ motivations and needs helped catapult her charity yoga event into a local phenomenon. After realizing her attendees were seeking a “happy vibe” more than an intense practice, she began incorporating animals into her classes. Now, she hosts goat, pig, and bunny yoga, as well as a pilates class with puppies. Eventbrite.com The Rise of Yoga Events Page 7 “Here, whatever a yogi is looking for, they can experience,” says Martin. “You’ll get a good workout, but you can also just come and cuddle an animal. And that’s how we market it: Come and get out of your head and don’t be grumpy.” For Jimmy Naron, CEO and Founder of Rocky Mountain Goat Yoga, creating a space where yogis of all levels can unplug, unwind, and hang out with goats to help them relax has been a driver for his success. Since launching in 2017, he’s grown his business to six locations. “We have professional yoga instructors, but the yoga sequences are designed for beginners,” Naron says. “Honestly, we don’t mind if people don’t want to practice the asanas. It’s their moment, their yoga practice, their experience and their time to share with the goats. ” Yogis practice frequently — and usually in the morning You’ve got your regulars who attend like clockwork and the wild cards, who practice whenever they can. But then there are the newcomers, the yogis who attend once and never come back. So how can you turn more of the wild cards and newcomers into regular attendees? You need to find the sweet spot for both when yogis want to practice and can actually attend. That’s why we asked our survey respondents how often they practice and when they like to fit classes into their day. Yogis practice an average of twice per week, while yogis who prefer group classes practice even more often: Nearly two-thirds of them practice 2-4 times a week, while 16% of them practice at least five times a week. Eventbrite.com The Rise of Yoga Events Page 8 HOW OFTEN YOGIS WHO PREFER GROUP CLASSES PRACTICE 1X per week 15% 50 % 2X per week 22% 50 % 3X per week 22% 50 % 4X per week 15% 50 % 5X or more per week 16% 50 % As for time of day, morning is the most popular, with more than a third of yogis (34%) preferring to attend class between 5-9 am. The lunchtime hour, between 11 am - 3 pm, was the least popular (15%), with a resurgence of interest in classes between 3-7 pm (18%). Put it in action: Plug into your community’s daily rhythm When Martin was testing which times were best for her Happy Goat Yoga events, she found that time of day drastically affected attendance. “Saturday late morning or early afternoon is the best time, that’s when we usually target,” Martin says. “[We also] pay attention to the season. For example, earlier morning sessions in the summer when it’s hot. Eventbrite.com The Rise of Yoga Events Page 9 Also, Sunday mornings in big cities and suburbs are okay, but for family- oriented areas, we do later, since they might be at church.” Once you’ve found the time that works best for your audience, ask your repeat yogis what keeps them coming back. At Rocky Mountain Goat Yoga, “One loyal guest who happens to be a lawyer has been coming faithfully every single weekend for four or five months with his wife,” says Naron. “He comes to these classes because all week long, he deals with court cases and stress. But when he’s at goat yoga, he’s not thinking about that. He’s playing with the goats. He knows every single one of their names.” Yogis value community One in five (21%) of yogis practice to reduce loneliness. With so much competition from online yoga videos and apps, this is a vital element to make your in-person classes stand out. Our survey revealed 30% of yogis practice in group classes, while 27% split their time between individual practice and group classes.