Nancy Griffin

Day 2 begins at the ISPA Conference in Las Vegas. Yesterday was jam-packed with educational sessions and social activities. The show floor was buzzing and the relaxation areas were busy providing services to already weary attendees.

Universal’s relaxation lounge in Lagoon H is once again the place to be for elite spa directors. The Universal’s vendor partners provided mini services throughout the day. At the end of the day, the team hosted all the spa directors from the Marriott and Ritz Carlton, providing an overview of the new website and other breaking initiatives.

Yesterday’s keynote speech from Bert Jacobs, co-founder of the inspirational clothing line Life is good, received the Alex Szekeley Humanitarian Award from Deborah Szekeley.  Bert shared the progression of Life is good from selling t-shirts out of a van along the Eastern seaboard, to becoming a $100 million dollar company. Life is good is built along the values of simplicity, humility and a sense of humor.

Bert stressed the importance of “enabling your customer to build the brand. It is always about the receiver of the message. Believing that consumers are bombarded with too much “noise,” Life is good forgoes advertising in favor of charitable giving. The company offers an annual Pumpkin Festival in Boston for families with children with life-threatening diseases. “We will use every touch point to help children. Giving back is how you become rich, said Bert.

I can’t wait for today’s keynote–trend-predictor extraordinaire Faith Popcorn.  Check back for my post on trends influencing the spa industry!

Bert Jacobs