- When: January 20, 2013
- Where: The Buttes Marriott – Tempe, AZ
- Who: Australian Gold, California Tan, Designer Skin, Devoted Creations,
- Norvell Skin Solutions, Performance Brands, Supre Tan and Swedish Beauty
A total of 200 salon professionals benefitted from some intensive training and education at the 2013 Tanning Summit hosted by Tan International Corp.
The folks at Tan International want their tanning summits to be strong on education and training, and this year’s show was designed to deliver. The invitation-only event attracted 200 of the distribution company’s clients for a day of education described as “hardcore” by David Cook, the company’s president and owner. “For the past 17 years, we’ve hosted this as a way to reward our loyal clients with some of the most in-depth training in sales techniques,” said David. “Not only did they receive the most up-to-date information about all the latest products, the vendors also shared an in-depth understanding of sales and marketing techniques designed to make them more competitive in their respective markets.
For Jennifer Trader, owner of Copa Tan in Maricopa, AZ, the event was a learning experience for her and her five employees. “We’ve attended the past seven events and we look forward to it each year,” she said. “It has so much to offer, and each one of us takes away something valuable from it. Between the product knowledge and sales techniques that were shared, we’ve seen at least a 50 percent increase in our staff’s lotion sales, which we attribute to the confidence they’ve gained as a result of what they learned at the summit.”
Salon owner Karen Herr has attended the past eight Tan International summits, and each year she and her staff learn something useful for her business – Simply Tan in Mesa, AZ. This year’s event was no exception. “I absolutely love everyone at Tan International because of the wonderful customer service they offer, and this summit is an extension of that,” she said. “I got many great ideas about marketing and promotions while the four staff members I brought picked up some great product information and sales tips. Sometimes when they hear it from someone other than their boss, it helps them understand the importance of sales, and all of the vendor representatives did a wonderful job with that. I can’t wait for next year’s show!”
In addition to the educational opportunities, thousands of dollars’ worth of prizes were given away at the Tan International Summit. The grand prizewinners were Gary Paulhamus of Laveen Tanning (Laveen, AZ), who won a bulk table of tanning products valued at $1,000, and Amy Aungst from Image Sun (Phoenix, AZ), who took home a Norvell mobile spray system valued at $800. Michelle Pieper of Carefree Tanning (Carefree, AZ), who won a bulk pack of Devoted Creations products valued at $1,500.
Seventeen years ago, Tan International held an event that became the template for future tanning industry symposiums and shows for many years to come. “We were approached by a tanning lotion company at the time and asked if our facility could be used to introduce the company’s new sales training program,” David Cook said. “We immediately thought this was a great idea because our clients needed all the help they could get when it came to sales and marketing. Needless to say, that initial event was a success and we’ve been hosting our summits ever since. We’re already looking forward to next year’s summit, which will be held January 19.”
