Nancy Griffin
Next week I will be among 2,000 spa professionals at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas for ISPA’s 21th annual conference. This is my 18th consecutive ISPA conference, and it is always a pleasure to see old friends and connect with industry colleagues from around the globe.
ISPA is known for incredible keynote speakers at the General Sessions, and this year is no exception. Monday’s keynote is Bert Jacobs, the co-founder and Chief Executive Optimist of Life is good®. In 1994, with just $78 in the bank, he and his brother launched the now $100 million company. Bert will be spreading the message “Optimism can take you anywhere.”
Tuesday’s keynote is best-selling author Faith Popcorn. Widely recognized as America’s foremost Trend expert, she has identified such sweeping societal movements as “Cocooning,” “AtmosFear,” “Anchoring,” “99 Lives,” “Icon Toppling” and “Vigilante Consumer.”
The conference finishes with Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos. Tony helped Zappos grow from almost no sales to over $1 billion in gross merchandise sales annually, while simultaneously making Fortune magazine’s annual “Best Companies to Work For” list. He will discuss how to build a long-lasting enduring brand, including the importance of customer service and company culture.
For attendees interested in practical spa management and marketing strategies, there are 20 Professional Development sessions featuring 26 speakers. Topics include customer service, sales and marketing, spa management, leadership and business strategy. On Wednesday, fellow Spa-Insider Blogger Rianna Riego and I will be presenting The Art of Networking: Parlay Your Relationship Skills into Profit on Wednesday afternoon. Rianna and I will focus on the intersection of personal and professional networking and share case studies of spa professionals who are successfully contributing to social networks.
When I’m not on the show floor or in the classroom, you can find me at Lagoon H—the site of Universal Companies’ Relaxation Room. For the second consecutive year, this rejuvenating haven will provide welcome respite from the craziness of the day. The Universal team will indulge spa directors from across the globe with ECO-FIN treatments and introduce some cool new products. Be sure to stop by if you make it to Vegas! If you can’t make it, stop by Spa-Insider.com for conference highlights!