The Spa Industry Association's Allan Share reveals how attending an upcoming trade show can boost your spa’s retail offerings and bottom line.
By the time you read this, I will have already been to four different trade events this year. Most recently was the International Esthetics, Cosmetics & Spa Conference (IECSC), which took place March 5-7 at the Javits Center in New York City. At IECSC New York, not only were the aisles crowded and full of attendees buying equipment and supplies, but the education sessions were standing-room only and flowing out into the hallway. Some might see this and declare, “We are back,” but I say we never left. Our industry is so strong right now that everything in spa, wellness, esthetics, and massage seems to be trending in the right direction. As a result, it is critical that you get out of your four walls and attend trade shows, if nothing more than to walk around and get a feel for what is happening in our industry. It won’t take long before you begin to notice the resiliency of our industry and how people continue to push forward growing their businesses in smart ways.
One such way to do so is selecting at least one gift show to attend during the year because you are guaranteed to find great front-of-the-house retail items for your spa and wellness clients. In fact, consider attending and exploring different events that are not specific to your industry, as it will tell you a lot about what is going on in the greater wellness world.
At most of the recent events I’ve attended, it was difficult to find people who are not positive about the first quarter of the year and looking forward to the next quarter and beyond. Believe it or not, the biggest challenge shared with me is the lack of time. I’m told that finding employees has loosened up considerably in the last few months. Also, there are still holes in the supply chain, although, that has diminished a lot since the pandemic. Most professionals say they are only working half a day, which seems to be common in our industry.
So, what’s next? Given everything I have seen recently, I would tell you to move forward with care. There’s plenty of good business to be done, but be cautious. Make incremental changes and improvements. Remember, you still need to have inventory on your shelves, stay current on your bills, and above all, take care of your clients.