PRESTON WYNNE MANAGEMENT INTENSIVE STARTS 1/26/03

Ask Peggy Wynne Borgman what the biggest challenge is to the growth of the spa industry, and she won't cite the current recession. 'The real hurdle is the lack of knowledgeable spa managers,' claims Preston Wynne Success Systems' principal consultant. "The first question our startup clients ask is, 'where can we find a good spa director?' I know one company that's been searching for a spa director for a prestige property for close to a year."

Enter Preston Wynne's groundbreaking Spa Directors' Management Intensive, the premier management education seminar for the spa industry. Conceived as a 'four day MBA for spa operators,' the program includes spa-specific modules on financial management, compensation, sales and marketing, menu and workflow planning, retail programs and human resource issues unique to the industry.

The course attracts spa owners and directors from around the world, as well as aspiring managers who want to advance their careers. It even draws investors lured by the industry's growth. 'Our compensation module is probably the most liberating part of the program,' says Borgman. 'We've challenged the industry to rethink pay practices that have made it impossible for spas to be profitable.'

The seminar has sparked turnarounds in many troubled facilities and steered new enterprises away from bad decisions. 'We're not exaggerating about the 'intensive' part,' says Borgman. 'Some attendees go home knowing that it's not the right business for them. But the majority tell us it's the most valuable business training they've ever received.'

Borgman and consultant Starr, a former general manager for a multi-location spa organization, each boast 20 years of hands-on spa operations experience. Preston Wynne currently operates two facilities, one a day spa and the other a boutique hotel spa, which opened in January 2003. The flagship Saratoga, California spa has received an unprecedented three Day Spa of the Year Awards from Spa Management Journal, whose readers—spa management professionals—choose the winner.

There are still a few places available in the next 4-day West Coast Spa Director's Management Intensive, beginning Sunday, January 26, 2003. Visit http://www.prestonwynne.com/index.phtml for more information and to register.