CHAIRMAN'S UPDATE

November 22, 2011

I am so excited to write my first Chairman's Update following what has been described by more than 80 percent of attendees and exhibitors as "the best ISPA Conference in years!" It is a thrill to begin my service to you, as your new chairman, following such a dynamic Conference. I am always so recharged and re-energized after the event because it's  packed with expert insights from some of the most innovative business leaders of today who help us not only focus on company culture and leading with purpose, but also on elevating our industry to new heights. After all, this is what we do every day in our businesses - strive to help our peers, guests and clients find ways to live a life with purpose that will inspire them to do even greater things.

This year marked our highest Conference attendance in three years with more than 2,250 attendees. It was also our largest Expo floor in recent years with 203 companies represented; 30 percent of which were first-time exhibitors. In addition, 30 percent of the 203 companies launched new products. The keynote speakers and Professional Development Sessions provided takeaways on effective uses of retail space, measuring key performance indicators (KPIs), integrating holistic practices and medicine into our daily operations, and connecting with your team's higher purpose. It is imperative to continue educating ourselves in order to grow professionally and personally, and this is exactly what the ISPA Conference enables us to do. Each year, I am grateful to the Speaker Selection Task Force for the hours spent vetting the presentations to choose those that will have the greatest impact on our ever-growing industry.

One of this year's main takeaways for me is that regardless of what you may represent - a small town day spa, a skin care provider in Kuala Lumpur or like me, a casino spa in Las Vegas - we are an association of one voice - and a large voice it is. We have a big responsibility to care for the well-being of others and this is something we shouldn't take lightly.

As many of you heard me say at Conference, I've had a varied background, from military service to teaching. Through my love of fitness, I eventually found my way to the spa industry where I had to learn a completely new way of doing things. The organization that led me on my new course was ISPA, and I learned many of the skills I use every day from its library of resources.  In recent years, I've been proud to volunteer my time for the association that has given me so much. We all know time is an important commodity; however,  I know with complete confidence that the volunteer time I have given to the association is some of the most rewarding I've spent because it has allowed me to influence decisions being made within ISPA and has taught me how the association operates. 

As we all know, none of the wonderful experiences we just had at Conference would be feasible without the time and support of our amazing exhibitors and sponsors. We are eternally thankful you chose ISPA as your place to launch new products and for your investment of resources and time to set up the most amazing and unrivaled exhibit displays. ISPA members, I encourage you to commit to only doing business with ISPA resource partner members. Our continued focus on supporting each other ensures that we continue to grow our network.

If you missed this year's Conference, I encourage you to start budgeting for the 2012 event. Until then, we're finding ways to extend the Conference experience to everyone by providing access to resources like PowerPoint presentations from Conference speakers Faith Popcorn and Tony Hsieh, the Professional Development Session audio recordings, and as always, a gallery of Conference photos!

I look forward to serving you over the next year and appreciate the support of the entire board. I am thrilled to have Michael Tompkins with Miraval Resort and Spa by my side as vice chairman and Deborah Waldvogel with Sedona Resorts as our immediate past chairman. Get involved with ISPA by applying for a task force, and please reach out to me with your suggestions to continue to make our association even more remarkable.

With thanks,
Ella Stimpson