Top 10 List to Succeed in Business - Track One
1:00 pm - 2:45 pm

Ken Cassidy

Why do new and existing business owners keep making the same costly mistakes over and over again? We will be covering the top 10 common costly mistakes that create unwanted stress from wishing you had known. Whether you have a partner, a manager, or you are running your business yourself, you will be financially and emotionally way ahead. For all existing owners, new owners and anyone who wants to move to a new location or remodel.

Ken Cassidy is a cosmetologist and business owner in the beauty industry for 32 years with Employees,
Booth Rental and Contract Labor staff. Mr. Cassidy also holds a cosmetology instructor license. Ken is an
accomplished writer and lecturer who has been published in numerous trade journals nationally. Among Ken Cassidy’s most recent accomplishments, he is presenting a Resolution on the California Senate Floor for his legislative efforts by sponsoring two different pieces of legislation to protect the beauty industry and the consumer in California. In addition, Mr. Cassidy was elected to the California Cosmetology Association Hall of Fame with a Life Time Achievement Award.

How to Successfully Interview and Select the “Ideal” Employee - Track Two
1:00 pm - 2:45 pm

Zahira Coll

In an interactive presentation the attendees will learn industry specific methods on employee interviewing and selection. They will learn what to ask, why it is important to ask these questions and how to successfully evaluate the answers. By selecting the right individual for your business environment you will ensure greater performance, excellence in customer satisfaction and a positive work environment.

Ms. Zahira J. Coll has over 14 years experience in the Hospitality Industry as a Human Resources Executive, Executive Spa Director and business owner. She has participated in numerous projects as a Consultant, designing and implementing all the aspects of opening and operating a Spa, Hotel, Casino and Retail Center. She has been a contributor to trade journals and a speaker-educator at the California Council for Quality Service Award Convention in 1995, Spacifically, International Congress of Esthetics - Dermascope, in their InterAct educational programs, Face & Body 2004 in San Francisco, ISPA 2005
and Day Spa Expo 2006, 2007 and Spa Owners & Operators Business Clinic. Ms. Coll is the author of the “Ready-to-Use Business Tools” handbooks, training and manuals specifically designed for the Spa industry. Ms. Coll founded Resources & Development® in 1994 with the purpose of assisting start-up operations and to provide coaching, support and consulting services. Ms. Coll is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management, International Spa Association (ISPA) and the Day Spa Association.

Ins & Outs of Low Cost Marketing Do you pay for advertisement or results? - Track Three
1:00 pm - 2:45 pm

Veronica Wilson & Randall Ware

Increase the return on your marketing efforts and stop “hoping” your advertising efforts work. Learn how to cost effectively market your business via the internet with or without a website. Increase profitability by leveraging your existing customer base.

Veronica Wilson has always thought outside the box and ahead of the curve. After 7 years as a research and development chemist in the pharmaceutical field Ms. Wilson decided she needed a change and
looked to the spa industry. She became a licensed esthetician with the hopes of pairing that with her chemistry background to develop products but she got side tracked when she fell in love with the spa industry and wanted to be of service to the spa consumer and industry as a whole. In 1997 she became a licensed esthetician and started SpaTemps, Inc., the first full service employment firm for the spa industry, in which she now serves as the lead marketing and event consultant.

Randall Ware is an entrepreneurial marketing guru with over 15 years of experience working with businesses to develop highimpact; low-cost marketing solutions that rival higher priced Fortune 500 packages. Using “cutting-edge” technology and information gathered through years of research and development, he takes the guess work out of marketing and provides solutions that are guaranteed to provide a return on investment, without the need for a large marketing budget. Randall’s portfolio of partners and businesses he works with include: The SpaTemps Corp, iContact; local and nationally recognized brands such as Cold Stone Creamery, Zaxby’s, Quizno’s, and Atlanta Bread Company.

Power of Building Your Brand - Track One
3:00 pm - 4:45 pm

Jaimey Alumbaugh

Branding is not just your salon’s logo! Your logo should allow your brand to be instantly recognized and understood. An effective brand tells everyone who you are, what you do and how you do it. In a word, your brand is the “essence” of your business. Your brand is how your business is perceived by its customers. This can be hard to put in a tangible form since, in the salon business; you are selling a service of beauty creation. Don’t know where to start? Have no fear; let me walk you through a journey on brand building. You too can harness the power of branding!

Jaimey Alumbaugh is the Marketing Manager for Chicago-area based Action Bag Company which specializes in retail packaging and promotional products for the professional beauty industry. Alumbaugh is also a member of several professional beauty organizations including Day Spa Association, International Spa Association, Indoor Tanning Association, Professional Beauty Association and the American Association of Cosmetology Schools and many more. Professionally she is a member of the Direct Marketing Association, American Marketing Association, New England Mailers Association on the Steering Committee for the Chicago Chapter of Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals, a member of the Chicago District
Customer Postal Council and was included in the United Who’s Who Registry of Executives & Professionals. Jaimey has a double degree in Business Management and Marketing from Augustan College, Rock Island, Illinois.

Staff Contracts, Agreements, & Promises - Track Two
3:00 pm - 4:45 pm

Leslie Lyon

If it's time for you to reinforce or solidify the verbal agreements you've made with your staff, independent contractors, or potential candidates, this is the session for you. When everyone knows what’s expected of them, a business runs more productively; staff and clients feel the fit; and it eventually equates to better financial outcomes. From Compensation Contracts to Non-Compete Agreements, we’ll cover them all.

Leslie Lyon began her career in the Health and Beauty Industry 25 years ago and today enjoys her profession as an International Consultant, Educator, Speaker and Freelance Writer. Leslie is the President of
Spas2b Inc., which is a full-service Spa Development, Consulting and Training Company based in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Leslie instructs the Spas2b Spa Director Certificate Courses and Management and Leadership Training. Courses range from 1 to 5 days and offer an energetic and enlightening mix of business systems and life strategies.

Really Understanding Online Marketing - Track Three
3:00 pm - 4:45 pm

Daniel Litzio-Katzen

With acronyms aplenty, Online Marketing can seem much more complicated than it actually has to be for spa owners and operators. This session will help you decipher some of the most important areas to your spa business--like Search Engine Marketing (SEM), local search, web 2.0, website optimization, and email marketing. After the session you’ll have a much clearer, practical understanding of where you should focus your spa’s efforts when it comes to online marketing.

Daniel has over 10 years of experience with online marketing and Web technology—and is one of the top
experts on Internet marketing for the spa industry. But unlike far too few ‘tech’ experts, he is an exceptionally engaging speaker, and truly gifted at making seemingly difficult online marketing and technology issues actually‘digestable’ for the listener. He has been a featured speaker at the national PhocusWright travel conferences, Hitwise conferences, Eye for Travel, etc. At Spa Finder, Daniel Lizio-Katzen is utilizing his deep experience with online marketing and technology to expand Spa Finder’s position as the leading brand in the spa lifestyle category.

The Spa Retail Magician - Track Two - Fear is keeping your spa from being successful. Not after this session!
8:30 am - 10:00 am

Keith West-Harrison

Anyone who has had even brief experience in spa management will be an expert in reciting the challenges the position brings: unreliable employees, weak sales, customer and therapist retention-just for starters. That list is usually reviewed with a tone of hardened frustration and defeat. And rightfully so, as the competing expectations of spa producers and managers expand faster than solutions are found and implemented.

You can revise the service menu, give raises, and rewrite the mission statement, but without uncovering and treating the prevailing institutional fear in company culture, you’ll make no more progress than if trying to cure an infection with chicken soup. There’s some short-term pain relief, yes, but the silent threat continues to grow and grate at the foundations of the business affected by it. This predicament is one of the most expensive and debilitating that your company can have because everyone involved suffers from it in some way.

The “Spa Retail Magician” Keith West-Harrison, D.D., L.E. became President of Preston Spa Business Solutions after selling his awardwinning New Orleans spa and being featured on two seasons of the AOL reality show The StartUp. Keith was a business consultant and operations lead for a major advertising research firm, advising Fortune 500 companies.

Green Spas is not a luxury for the future, but a responsibility NOW Track Three
8:30 am - 10:00 am

Sharon Sedgwick

All of the components for a green spa and the basics for proper application will be discussed. Each point is to be explored in depth, from the drainage systems, the harnessing of alternative energies, and the use of textiles and building materials. Green spas are sourced in an ecological and socially responsible manor.

Responsibility starts with one green spa at a time; this is a direction that can not be denied. We must step
up and be the leaders for the future of our planet and the generations to come. We will detail the options available in the application of green spas and the definition of green spa concepts. Also covered in the topics will be green design of architectural plans from ecological applications and how to develop a green menu of spa services.

Sharon Sedgwick brings twenty years of experience in the healing arts and finance. Sharon has operated and consulted for numerous spas and massage clinics, as well as taught therapeutic massage and rehabilitation for over fifteen years. She is sought after for her abilities in rehabilitation, health and holistic spa services. During the past years, Sharon has founded Spa Pro SA de CV; specializing in green design, natural and organic products as well as equipment for Spa’s, with a special focus in the development of education and excellence, which include ergonomics in spa development and staff trainings. She is also majority partners in Spa Itzá in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Spa Itzá began as a prototype project, which has blossomed to be internationally renowned as the Luxury source of Ancient Mayan Healing.

Training a Staff that Stays - Track One
2:00 pm - 3:45 pm

Christina Stratton and Ilana Craig

Defining your culture is the first step to success. Learn how to develop, define, and maintain your culture in this high energy session. A well defined culture ensures that you have a staff, brand, and spa design that cohesively works together to strengthen and support your spa’s longevity.

Christina Stratton is a founding partner in Innovative Spa Management which provides spa design, consulting, educational, and management services to opening and existing boutique spas. ISM currently
manages three locations and offers consulting services to clients on the east coast. She is also the owner of Sacred Skin, a philosophy and results driven product line dedicated to integrity and effectiveness in skincare. Her responsibilities range from creative marketing, branding, product development, sales, and placement. She has a bachelor of science in communications from Florida State University in Tallahassee.

Ilana Craig is also a founding partner in ISM and is an owner of Sacred Skin. Ilana and Stratton, together, own Spa Theology which is a million dollar spa retreat in the heart of Asheville, NC. She was the spa director of La Playa Beach and Golf Resort and helped to develop and chaired in the La Playa Pride Committee. In 2003 Craig attended the Center for Massage and Natural Healing in Asheville, NC.

Strong Loyalty Programs - Track Two
2:00 pm - 3:45 pm

Erika Mangrum

Learn specific “how to’s” following one spa’s step-by-step formula to develop a strong, loyal following, on a budget that won’t break the bank because it works through word of mouth! Include the 10 greatest mistakes a spa owner can make in marketing.

Erika Mangrum opened Iatria Spa and Health Center in 1999 and serves as the firm's President. Iatria was
included in the Triangle Business Journal’s 2004 and 2005 Top Women-Owned Businesses list, as well as
being named a 5 Star Destination by Beauty Magazine and one of the Top 20 Salons and Spas in America
by Launchpad Magazine. Iatria’s most recent award was Distinguished Day Spa of the Year Award presented by the Day Spa Association. In 2004, NAWBO named Erika, Woman Business Owner of the Year and was also awarded Business Leader Magazine’s Women Extraordinaire. She has been featured on the cover of Business Leader Magazine, appeared four times in Entrepreneur Magazine and has been interviewed by such publications as The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Triangle Business Journal, News & Observer, Fortune Magazine, Health Magazine, SpaFinder and Health, with articles featured in Pulse Magazine, American Spa and Skin Care Inc.

Creating Client Education Programs to Attract and Retain Customers and Inspire Referrals - Track Three
2:00 pm - 3:45 pm

Patti Biro

Using creative client education programs will differentiate your spa from the competition. In this workshop we will cover the key features of an effective client education program that will attract new customers, assist in cross selling customers and inspire your best customers to refer the kind of clients you want and how to retain them. Today’s market is increasingly more sophisticated and selective than we realize and client education can be a key driver in marketing your services effectively. Client education is not just handing out a brochure! A well designed, measurable client education program with internal and external events and activities can help place you ahead of the curve.

Patti Biro has over 20 years of experience designing and implementing professional education and client education programs. In the public health arena she has won several awards for innovative client education and staff development campaigns. With a diverse background in corporate education, medical spa, wellness, bridal, and consumer publications she is able to blend marketing expertise and techniques with practical experience for the spa owner and operator from the solo owner to large groups and corporations. Patti is the creator of “Elder-ssage™, a massage therapy program focusing on the individual needs of the aging adult from active week-end warriors to long term care.

Q&A the Speakers - Track One - Open Questions & Discussion Forum
4:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Rosemary Weiner & Track Facilitators

Here is your opportunity to ask everything you ever wanted to ask about the Spa business and how to make your business successful.

Rosemary, Weiner the Chair Person of the Day Spa Association, will Host what we hope to be a lively discussion with questions and answers from our 3 track Facilitators. Skip Williams, Michael Carter, and Eric
Light will be there to answer questions related to your Spa business. So bring your toughest questions and
join Rosemary Weiner in trying to stump the experts.