- When: December 9, 2012
- Where: Trumbull Marriott – Trumbull, CT
- Who: Australian Gold, Bleach Bright, California Tan, Designer Skin, Devoted
- Creations, Eye Pro, Indoor Tanning Association, Light Sources, Lucas
- Products, MR International, Norvell Skin Solutions, Performance Brands,
- Supre Tan and Swedish Beauty
Nearly 400 tanning salon professionals enjoyed the many educational opportunities presented at the 22nd Annual Northeast Tanning Expo.
Hosted by Future Industries, the Expo included three keynote presentations designed to help tanning salon owners be successful in today’s challenging economy. The first was “Relamping 101 – Don’t Get Caught in the Dark”, delivered by Future Industries’ own David Durgy. He was followed by David Gerhardt from Square 2 Marketing, who shared his “30-Minute Marketing Plan” and gave away signed copies of his book, “Reality Marketing Revolution.” The third presentation was “2013 Salon Vision” by Beverly Turner, owner of Touch of Bronze (Warminster, PA). “Brandon and Tennille Cardinal of Norvell Skin Solutions provided attendees with spray-tans on the showroom floor and hosted Norvell University, both of which were very popular,” said Kendall Davis, Future Industries Salon Consultant – VIP Desk. “They trained and certified 53 people at their Basic Certification program.”
The Owners Networking Roundtable, which allowed attendees to benefit from the experience of a group of industry veterans, was a highlight. This year’s panel was hosted by Scott Eggers (New Sunshine), and featured Bob Ashe (Sun Seekers) Dean Harding and David Kenney (Galaxy Tan), Mike Price (Cool Runnings), Teri Telesco (Celebrations Salon & Tanning), and Beverly Turner (Touch of Bronze). “We gathered questions from our clients and presented them to the experts on the panel, who answered many of them during the session,” said Kendall. “Everyone on the panel offered valuable input on ways to think outside the box and increase revenue at tanning salons.”
The Expo was a good source of information for Mia Major, manager of Wicked Tan in Springfield, MA, who attended the event with her mother, Anna. “It was a very organized show that was also a lot of fun,” she said. “I loved all the information about the new products, samples and Norvell’s sunless demonstration – we’ve considered adding sunless spray-tanning, so it was great to see firsthand how it actually works. We also had the opportunity to talk with the owners of a salon and spa located about 25 miles away from us, and they invited us to try their bodywraps and other spa services. It’s great when we can all get together and network in a non-competitive setting like this.”
Everyone at Future Industries was pleased to receive positive feedback from Expo attendees, and they’re looking forward to next year’s event. “About 60 percent of the attendees were veteran salon owners while the other 40 percent were brand new to the industry,” Kendall Davis said. “Whether they were new or veterans, everyone seemed to enjoy the event and they were all very excited about the upcoming season. We’re extremely pleased!”
Future Industries thanks its attendees and fellow product vendors for helping to make this year’s Northeast Expo a success.
