Issue 1 - January 2005

Parker Seminars
Parker Seminars 2005:
Dr. Jim’s spirit prevails as Las Vegas event continues to grow

From chiropractic technique, philosophy and clinical excellence to practice-building advice and training for chiropractic assistants — the Parker Seminars has it all.

And because it is so comprehensive, the Las Vegas event attracts thousands of chiropractors who wish to earn continuing education credits, socialize with colleagues or shop for the latest in chiropractic equipment and supplies in the extensive Expo that features approximately 250 vendors.

THE SEMINARS’ START

The event has been described as the “Superbowl of Chiropractic,” but the first seminar, held in 1951, was far from an extravaganza. Nine chiropractors joined Dr. James W. Parker for the first seminar. They wanted to discover how Dr. Parker had become so successful in such a short time.

And Dr. Parker was successful. Five years out of chiropractic college when he held the first seminar, he owned 18 clinics across Texas and employed a staff of 70. His goal in starting the seminars was to share his success with others, because he recognized that the future of chiropractic rested on the success of chiropractors as business persons as well as healers.

The second year, the seminar more than tripled in size: It attracted 33 chiropractors, spouses and CAs. Those first seminars collected groups of chiropractors who shared their success stories so they could learn what worked and what didn’t work in building their practices. The focus was on business building.

By 1953 seminars were conducted in several different cities. By the 100th seminar in 1958, the program had expanded to include separate program tracks for doctors and assistants.

In 1961, Dr. Parker took the program overseas, to Melbourne, Australia. In 1964, he introduced Chiropractic Assistant Certificates, diplomas and pins to the program.

In 1965, more than 1,300 people attended the 162nd seminar. In that year, Dr. Joe Foster of Bridgeport, Conn., created the “Grand Tour Organization.” To belong to the GTO, seminar participants had to attend seven consecutive seminars. GTO continues to this day.

Also in the 1960s, the name of the seminars was officially changed to the Parker School for Professional Services (PSPS).

In 1972 seminar 200 was held, which boasted attendance of 2,300. And the attendance swelled again in 1977, when more than 5,000 people attended PSPS at Madison Square Garden.

One first-time attendee in 1979 was quoted in the January/February issue of Chiropractic Economics as saying, “I don’t honestly know what I expected. But what I heard from Dr. Jim really opened my eyes. … Armed with the new knowledge I’ve gained at this seminar, I know the success of the rest of my career is much more assured for me …”

That type of attitude spread and registrations for the seminars swelled. In 1989, Dr. Parker set a goal of 7,777 attendees for the 300th seminar in Las Vegas. He announced that this would be his last seminar as active president of PSPS, since he wanted to focus more of his time running Parker College of Chiropractic, which opened in 1981 with 27 students.

CELEBRITY SPEAKERS

Dr. Parker recognized that success does not rise from skill-building alone. So, he began to introduce celebrities from outside of chiropractic who would inspire, motivate and entertain attendees. Elmer Wheeler, author of How to Sell Yourself to Others was the first major personality outside of chiropractic to speak at the seminars in 1959.

The tradition of including celebrities continues. This year, the program includes:

• Stephen Covey. Internationally respected leadership authority Stephen Covey takes his passion for leadership to the stage at Parker Seminar Thursday night. Covey is known throughout the world as the author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. He will draw from his latest book, The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness and show how to use the voice of the human spirit to lead to true fulfillment, significance and contribution.

• Naomi Judd. Naomi Judd first expressed her passion for commun-ication as half of country music’s most famous mother/ daughter team, The Judds. Though her creativity continues to flow through music and writing, today Judd expresses her energy on humanitarian activities, social issues and personal growth education. She shares the lessons she has learned from her own experiences about determining her own destiny.

• Les Brown. An internationally recognized speaker, Les Brown is the author of the highly acclaimed and successful books, Live Your Dreams and It's Not Over Until You Win and the host of The Les Brown Show, a nationally syndicated daily television talk show focused on solutions rather than problems. Brown is one of the nation's leading authorities in understanding and stimulating human potential.

• Mark Victor Hansen. Hansen made his debut with Parker Seminars in 1984. The co-author of the popular Chicken Soup™ book series, including Chicken Soup for the Chiropractic Soul, Hansen has focused solely on helping people and organizations reshape their personal visions of what is possible.

• Jack Canfield. An internationally recognized expert in human potential and co-author of the Chicken Soup™ books, Canfield has been an award-winning speaker and trainer in the area of self-esteem and peak performance for more than two decades.

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

Parker Seminars has grown into a “one-stop excursion.” Not only does the program offer inspiration, entertainment and business a time to meet old friends and make new ones, it also offers:

• More than 60 classes. These are spread among several tracts: Techniques, Nutrition, Personal Development, CA Program, Parker Procedures, Personal Development, Chiropractic Philosophy, Clinical Excellence and Bonus programs; and

• Approximately 40 classes offering CE units. Many programs are offered concurrently, but you should be able to earn up to 12 continuing-education units.

• Chiropractic Expo. Approximately 250 vendors offer you the opportunity to purchase chiropractic products during Thursday, Friday and Saturday. And during Expo hours, many prizes and drawings are offered, as well as refreshments.

Dr. Jim passed away at age 77 on Nov. 7, 1997, but if he could see the Las Vegas event now, he would be amazed. It has little resemblance to the modest gathering of those nine chiropractors in 1951. Yet the seminars’ spirit and the goal remain the same — to help you become as successful as possible.