- When: February 8-9, 2013
- Where: Tulalip Resort Casino – Tulalip, WA
- Who: All Hours International Distributors, Australian Gold, BEAUTY ANGEL,
- Bleach Bright, Body IQ, California Tan, Cosmedico Light Inc.,
- Designer Skin, Devoted Creations, Ed Hardy Tanning, Ergoline,
- ETS Tan, Fiesta Sun, Four Seasons Sales & Service, Hempz,
- Insurtec, JK Capital, JK Light, Light Sources, Lucasol,
- Miami Ink, Playboy, ProTan, Soltron, SUN ANGEL, SunLync,
- Suntan Supply, Supre Tan, Swedish Beauty, Universal
- Insurance and Wolff System Technology Corp.
Nearly 400 salon professionals in search of business-building tips and product education found it at the third annual Northwest Tanning Expo.
Hosted by JK-North America, the Expo kicked off with California Tan sunless training, presented by Josh Malloch (California Tan). The second day’s agenda began with an opening address – “Branded for Success” – by Jerry Deveney, JK Executive Director of Sales. He was followed by Brook Taylor (All Hours International Distributors), whose presentation focused on the importance of educating clients to make informed purchasing decisions. The keynote address – “How to Get Noticed Without Spending a Fortune” – was delivered by Luly B. (LulyB.com). Three new tanning units – the Ergoline Sunstyle Sunless Booth, Ergoline SUN ANGEL S52 Duo and Ergoline Sun Select 48 – were displayed on the show floor.
Another popular Expo feature was the Panel Discussion, during which attendees asked questions of a group of tanning industry veterans. Moderated by Jerry Deveney, the panel included Daniel Mann (Tropical Tan), Brook Taylor (All Hours) and Rick and Fuli Waldenburg (SunsUp Tanning Centers). “As always, there were a lot of great questions asked and answers given at this year’s session,” said Jerry Deveney. “In addition to questions about increasing EFT memberships and marketing strategies, many attendees asked how to turn their salons from a selling environment into a buying one. This focuses on the idea that tanners come to the salon pros wanting to purchase something.” Jerry suggested every attendee take a bottle of lotion that was given to them at the Expo and place it on their salon’s counter with a sign that reads, ‘Free with purchase: one month of tanning’. “I told them once they sell that bottle, they should take that revenue, purchase another bottle or two and do the same thing,” he said.
The Northwest Expo was a first for John and Shelby Thorsen, and the information they picked up at the event will benefit their salon, Toucan Tan Resort and Spa in Spokane, WA. “It was a great show!” John exclaimed. “All of the presentations were very informative and we got some great ideas from attending the panel discussion, and I really appreciated the one-on-one time I had afterward with all of the panelists. We also did some networking with other salon owners from our state and picked up a lot of insight from them. It’s funny because, since we’ve been open for less than a year, many of these veteran salon owners were eager to give us some great advice mainly because they didn’t want to see us make the same mistake that they did many years ago. We really appreciate everything they did for us.” Based on their experience at their first Northwest Tanning Expo, John says he and his wife will definitely attend next year.
In addition to the educational opportunities the event presented, there were also many valuable prizes to be won. The grand-prize went to Jerry Chelly of Sinfully Bronzed in Burien, WA, who won an Ergoline Flair 32/1 sunbed valued at $10,995. Thousands of dollars’ worth of prizes donated by the Expo’s vendors also were awarded throughout the day.
For the third annual Northwest Expo, the venue was changed to a casino-resort surrounded by the Cascade Mountains and Puget Sound. This decision helped increase the number of attendees this year, says Nina Neuschuetz, JK Director of Marketing. “The Tulalip Resort Casino was very easy for everyone to get to, and our attendees said they loved everything it had to offer,” Nina said. “We’ll definitely host a Northwest Tanning Expo next year, and we would love to have it there again.” Nina and everyone at JK-North America is preparing for the sixth annual West Coast Tanning Expo – the equipment manufacturer’s biggest show – to be held June 10-11 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, NV.
JK-North America wishes to thank the event’s co-sponsors – Australian Gold, California Tan, Designer Skin, Devoted Creations, Ed Hardy Tanning, Hempz, Light Sources and Swedish Beauty – as well as the vendors and attendees for making this year’s Northwest Tanning Expo a success.
