Rise is coming up soon, May 3rd through 5th, and while many of you have probably heard about it, most of you probably haven’t been there. I’d like to talk about how it compares to other industry events, and what makes it so special.

We’ve attended Rise every year, and it continues to be a wonderful collection of kind humans perpetuating greater gentleness to the rest of the world. This is the third annual Rise gathering, and it promises to be just as third eye-opening as the previous ones.

Last year, Graham and Ashkahn got to sit down with Kevin McCulloch and Jacob Resch, the organizers of Rise and owners of Float STL, for the Daily Solutions Podcast which was right in the middle of its run at the time. You could tell from the conversation that there was a certain delight from everyone involved in getting to share horror stories about the stresses of running a conference for the float industry.

During that conversation, Kevin shared his thoughts on how Rise compares to the Float Conference. As he says, it’s a “gift that the Float Conference is already operating” since it’s “the pulse of the entire industry… and we wanna focus on this little sliver. And it wouldn’t even make sense to do that if the Float Conference wasn’t servicing the whole industry.”

(If you’d like to see some of our coverage from last year, you can check out the podcast episodes where Graham and Ashkahn took live questions all day or you can check out the live blog we ran during the presentations.)

It’s difficult to talk about Rise without referencing the Float Conference, despite them being very different. The Float Conference was birthed out of necessity. It was started because there was no other industry event at the time and so Float on started one.

Rise is another conference for the float industry. Absolutely. But that doesn’t make it an East coast Float Conference. While the Float Conference is for the entire industry, Rise is much more focused on float center owners, and even more specifically, those who focus on spreading the practice of floating. You could say that Rise is more a cultural event than a business one. It’s for the float community as opposed to the float industry.

Kevin and Jake will no doubt be leading us in thoughtful conversations, introspective meditations, and sharing the warmth and love that they feel for everyone who comes.

At Rise, everyone does everything together at the same time. If there’s a presentation going on, everyone is in the audience. If there’s lunch, everyone is at lunch. If it’s time for guided meditation, you’re right there for guided meditation. Each event bonds you closer with the rest of the people there until by the end of the weekend, you feel like you’ve just shared an intimate experience with loved ones. Even if you’ve never met them before a few days ago.

One of the best ways to see this contrast is to look at the speakers who attend both events. Justin Feinstein, the head researcher at the Float Lab at the Laureate Institute for Brain Research, shares updates on his research every year at the Float Conference, and at Rise he focused far more on how to get float center owners involved in contributing to the scientific community.

While Glenn and Lee Perry are consistently delightful and kind, in the context of Rise, their talk feels much more like a fireside chat than the TEDTalk style presentation it appears to be at the Float Conference.

Even Graham and Ashkahn are more laid back at Rise – they did their presentation there in bathrobes last year!

Not to mention that St. Louis itself is such a lovely city. There’s always something to do, and getting to visit Float STL is really a treat.

So far, every year we visit, we take a group trip out to the City Museum, which is like no other place on Earth. If you’ve never been, it’s a surrealist wonderland for children and adults. Beyond being just a museum, it’s a monument to the oddities that exist within the human mind. While yes, there are historical artifacts, artwork on display, and educational experiences aplenty to be had, the entire building functions more as a giant playground filled with wrought iron structures, disturbing tile mosaics, and a giant ball pit at the center of a climbing maze. Honestly, it’s something that needs to be seen to be believed.

In short, if the Float Conference is like a family reunion, Rise is like coming home for the holidays. It feels so cozy and familiar. In both cases, everyone there is family, but the setting for Rise is more intimate, less overwhelming. It’s so much easier to say hello to everyone you know at Rise, even if you know everyone!

*Also, consider this an open invitation to join us this year at the City Museum! We’ll be visiting Monday, May 6th, after the Rise gathering has concluded. Below are just a handful of images from the museum to help entice you.

Ten-story tall slide

Ashkahn marveling at stamps

Museum Parking Lot

The Odditorium

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What Would Utilities be for a Float Tank Center in Maine? – DSP 176

by Float Tank Solutions | May 22, 2018 | Podcast

If you wanna stump the Float On boys, you have to try harder than asking about the cost of utilities for a float center in Maine. They tackled this episode prepared and take the rare opportunity to show specific numbers for utility usage at Float On and what that breakdown would look like in Maine, with help from special guest Jake Marty.

Is it Possible to Float and not get your Hair Wet? – DSP 175

by Float Tank Solutions | May 21, 2018 | Podcast

Customers who color or perm their hair might not want to let it get wet while floating. While Graham and Ashkahn are sympathetic to those issues, as far as they know, there isn’t really a great solution for them.

Understanding Chlorine Use in a Float Tank – DSP 174

by Float Tank Solutions | May 20, 2018 | Podcast

This is another one of those questions that seems simple but as soon as Graham and Ashkahn start explaining a few things, you realize that there’s a lot of complicated information in the background. A “SSBASAGAASEAFTYRTTALOCIITB”, if you will.
The guys take this opportunity to deep dive on the complex conversation of chlorine and why it’s problematic for the float industry, along with several caveats of the benefits and usefulness of it as a disinfectant.

Should I Offer a Three Float Intro Pack? – DSP 173

by Float Tank Solutions | May 19, 2018 | Podcast

Every float center has their own tricks to pricing, appealing to first time customers, and encouraging repeat business. One of the most common is using a three float intro pack that usually offers three floats at a 3 for the price of 2 package. Given how prevalent these are, do they work really well? Is this something that will soon become industry standard? What else needs to be considered before offering a package like this?

Graham and Ashkahn provide their thoughts on this pricing trend and how Float On does pricing (admittedly very differently than a three float intro pack) and what to consider for each float center that looks at this option.

What do You Love About Running a Float Center? – DSP 172

by Float Tank Solutions | May 18, 2018 | Podcast

It’s easy to listen to this podcast, day in and day out, and think to yourself “why would ANYONE put up with all these issues?” Graham and Ashkahn describe what keeps them, and probably everybody in the industry, in the difficult business of putting strangers in salty boxes and the wonderful life changing experiences that come with it.

How is the Float Industry Different? – DSP 171

by Float Tank Solutions | May 17, 2018 | Podcast

It’s possible that everyone in the float industry intuitively knows that it’s a different sort of business, but what are the tangible ways in which it’s different? As Ashkahn says at the start of the episode, every question in this podcast is kind of a long form answer to this question.

Graham and Ashkahn tackle this problem together, and answer everything from the practical to the philosophical, ranging from lack of expertise in the industry, to the sense of camaraderie that doesn’t seem to exist anywhere else.

When Should a Float Center be Profitable? – DSP 170

by Float Tank Solutions | May 16, 2018 | Podcast

“When should I start making money?” is a deceptively simple and anxiety inducing question that every business owner has to face. Sometimes the answer is straightforward. There are lots of franchises that have near endless amounts of market research and profitability trends that point to a sensible timeline of when and how much you can expect versus a given investment.

Float centers aren’t like that, unfortunately. There’s simply not enough data out there to create predictability in a market. The good news is that given the relatively low overhead excluding opening costs, float centers have the potential to be profitable almost immediately. Graham and Ashkahn break down this question and provide some tips on the issue.

Should we Pay for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Services? – DSP 169

by Float Tank Solutions | May 15, 2018 | Podcast

When opening any small business, you want to do what’s best to gain an edge in marketing and make sure that you’re doing your best for your flowering company. The new trends and changes can be daunting if you’re unfamiliar with technology or the marketing world.

Float centers are no exception. So when you get a call from someone claiming to be able to boost your SEO standing, it can seem like a really good deal. How do you tell if these companies are legit? And do float centers really need SEO help? Graham and Ashkahn break this down and simplify it for the uninitiated.

Should we do Tank Maintenance Ourselves? – DSP 168

by Float Tank Solutions | May 14, 2018 | Podcast

As it turns out, there’s no certification program to running a float center. You buy these big expensive machines that require constant, technical maintenance and you’re on your own for how to accomplish that. There aren’t float tank repair persons that you can call (yet) and just have them show up and do it for you, so making sure you’re knowledgeable and prepared for this maintenance is a really good idea.

Graham and Ashkahn lay out the Float On best practices for how to plan for maintenance so that it’s the least disruptive for your center if something goes wrong.

What to Consider With a Home Float Center – DSP 167

by Float Tank Solutions | May 13, 2018 | Podcast

Getting a tank in your house and floating some people is a great first step on the path to opening a float center. It helps you figure out exactly what the maintenance is going to be like, along with just the experience of floating other people and introducing them to this neat salty practice.

There are things to consider and there’s a right way and a wrong way to run a home based float center. First thing to consider is your local laws for small businesses and making sure you comply with those. Additionally, you need to decide if you’re just floating friends and family or if you’re going to have paying customers. This is also going to impact what type of float tank you should use and the demands you should consider on your house. Graham and Ashkahn have seen plenty of these and share the best practices as they’ve seen them laid out.