What it’s like to attend a Spa Conference?
Just returned from my favorite conference, the international spa. This year over 2,000 spa professionals from around the globe gathered to learn and share the spa experience, look for new products and equipment.
This year it was held at Mandalay Bay, Vegas. Oooh boy, it was a long walk from our room to reach the convention center, especially when you carry back so many full sized samples of the latest products!
I have been attending for the past 10 + years. Now, it feels like a family reunion, I ran into Lara with Pebble Beach Spa and the funny Chris with Bernardus Lodge and smiley Nancy Griffin. Had dinner with my friend Peggy with Preston Wynne Spa and with my best friend Ellen Clark, a successful owner of 2 skincare companies. Attending conference is my way to connect and look for reinvention, renewal and inspiration.
Every time I hear Deborah Szekely, the grandmother of spas, speak of her vision of a better world- I’m inspired. Deborah is 89 years young and lives the spa life daily. This years message was to educate to eradicate childhood obesity.
My daughter Jessica is my companion, she is fun to travel with, if I forget a makeup item, I know she’ll have it! On the last night of conference, there’s always a big party and she is my private makeup artist, this year she an I had BIG lashes and looked smashing. She has made friends of her age and they partied the night away while I went back to the room to get much needed ZZZZzzzz.
To our surprise, the Latin Grammy’s were to take place in the hotel the day after we left and we got to see the mobs looking to take pictures of the stars. You should have seen the beautifully dressed women the night of the private Shakira concert.
I am now unpacking the samples, reading my notes and remembering some ideas I would like to implement. Visit our Facebook page where you will find many pics of conference.
