On October 21-22, over 600 tanning professionals traveled to Nashville, TN eager for education and networking. “They came, they stayed and they engaged!” exclaimed Four Seasons Marketing Manager, Sheila Routon. “We saw many first-time expo attendees and several new salon owners this year,” she stated.
Day One offered many educational opportunities, starting early at 8am with the award-winning Sun is Life® Salon Operator Certification class facilitated by Program Trainer Courtney Lorraine. “The salon operators who spent the morning with me taking the Sun is Life class were great!” Lorraine enthused. “They were obviously interested in having the tools needed to run their salons with professionalism. We covered so much information in the class and they all passed their exams.”
While that group was learning about all things UV and much more, others pursued the top-level education offered by Emmett Slone, Four Seasons Digital Marketing Manager, who presented “Leveraging Social-Media to Grow Your Business.” The morning wrapped up with “Lamps Into The Future” presented by Brendan McCarthy of JWNA (JK-Light), and an introduction of the new 2024 Sun Evolutions product collection by Gina Jaeger-Morris.
Saturday afternoon’s education options included hands-on Norvell spray-tan training by veteran educator Brandon Cardinal, Sunless, Inc. VP of Global Sales. Cardinal was excited about the turnout at the NTE. “The crowds were absolutely electric!” he shared. “From the education and certifications to the main stage presentations – if you don’t attend the National Tanning Expo you are missing out on the most important weekend of your business year!”
“We are thrilled with the results and hope it is a sign of a great 2024!”
Melissa Gallion, Four Seasons President
Also taking the stage to present “How to Increase Sales & Profits – Starting Today!” was returning event emcee, Jerry Deveney, President of SunForce Marketing, who shared his decades of sun business expertise with the attentive crowd. The afternoon’s education featured New Sunshine LLC team members Jason Brooks, Jessica Snider, Katelyn Goeke and Kylie Sinclair with “Where Sunshine Meets Skincare.” Megan Racine of Devoted Creations offered the company’s new 2024 product launch, as well as “Forming Strategic Partnerships and Accelerating Your Success with Devoted Creations.” Presenting “Personal & Business Credit Secrets” was Utah Salon Owner Jessica Spear of Blue Sun Tanning & Spa. “On both days, we incorporated salon owner presentations into the schedule to offer two full days of education,” Sheila Routon added.
As Saturday’s jam-packed agenda wrapped up, V.I.P. attendees were allowed priority access to the exhibit floor and then all were invited to a Welcome Reception with cocktails, hors d’oeuvre, and live music provided by local performer Lauren Vale and Nick Howard, winner of the “Voice of Germany” competition. Attendees enjoyed an appearance by popular New Sunshine lotion spokesperson and “Jersey Shore” cast member Jenni “JWOWW” Farley, who happily autographed lotion bottles and posed for photos. Attendees were excited to check out the new products displayed on the exhibit floor.
Many prizes were given away throughout the weekend, including Amazon gift cards, airline tickets, tanning products, training sessions and more provided by sponsors and vendors. Every NTE attendee received an Expo t-shirt and a gift tote filled with products. “We shipped the totes to everyone the week following the event, so they didn’t have to worry about transporting all the products home,” Routon explained.
On Sunday morning, the exhibit floor was bustling as Four Seasons President Melissa Gallion and Master of Ceremonies Jerry Deveney welcomed everyone to the Day Two presentations. To kick off the schedule, JWOWW joined New Sunshine Marketing Director Rachel Harkin on the stage for a Q&A session. They were followed by Brandon Cardinal (Sunless, Inc.) who offered “More Sunless Makes a Lot of $ense.” Salon operators then returned to the stage to offer “10 Ways to Access Money for Your Business” (Jessica Spear, Blue Sun Tanning & Spa) and “How to Add Six Figures by Diversifying with Sunless Services” presented by California Salon Owner Cherie Silva of Mint Bronze & Beauty.
After enjoying lunch provided by Four Seasons, attendees gathered for Emmet Slone’s second presentation entitled “Anyone Can-Va: Utilizing Canva to Design Your Salon’s Digital Identity.” The agenda wrapped up with an informative address from American Suntanning Association Executive Director/Director of Scientific Affairs Joe Levy, and Emcee Deveney moderated the always popular and productive Industry Panel Discussion. The Closing Ceremony included the Grand Prize drawing for a KBL K5 pureSun tanning system, won by attendee Ashlynn Fairbanks of Blue Sun Tanning & Spa, LLC in Heber City, Utah.
“Congratulations and a big thank you to Four Seasons for leading the way and producing a first-class show!” exclaimed Jerry Deveney. “The seminars were standing-room-only and the exhibit floor was busy with enthusiastic salon and spa owners throughout the event. I’m looking forward to an even bigger show in 2024!”
Four Seasons President Melissa Gallion was encouraged by the overwhelming response to the Expo. “We hope it is a sign of a great 2024!” she exclaimed. “We are thrilled with the results and want to thank all the attendees and vendors who came to support the event – without them, it would not be possible. We look forward to seeing everyone at the 2024 National Tanning Expo!”
