Would you be surprised to learn that until this year, the UK didn’t have a dedicated event for the indoor tanning industry? And to give some further perspective, there is only one annual event that targets the whole European indoor tanning market. Given the wide range of opportunities on offer in the U.S. for the industry to get together, I guess this will come as a surprise to some.
As I write, it’s just a week away from the first dedicated tanning event for the UK’s indoor tanning professionals in more than ten years, and it is great to pick up on the buzz that’s being generated about the event. Of course, there are plenty of established beauty shows throughout the year where tanning companies and salon operators can, if they choose, participate. The problem is that indoor tanning has slowly been marginalised within these events and the reality is that these shows are no longer working for our industry.
So, as you can imagine, there’s a great deal of excitement and anticipation for SHINE! Yes it has been deliberately designed to be a small-scale event for Year One; but all the indicators point to it being a great success. Here’s to it growing in strength as our industry certainly needs and deserves it!
One of the subjects to be discussed is the way in which our industry is regulated – self-regulation through membership of our trade body, The Sunbed Association; European Regulations, and UK legislation – and what more we as an industry can do to ensure salon best practices and responsible tanning by all.
What is certainly clear is that the industry is doing its level best to ensure best practice in all areas. The irony is, it is those with the responsibility for enforcing regulations and checking compliance with legislation that are abdicating responsibility in market surveillance. As a result, this often leaves gaping holes of opportunity for those not interested in best practice – be that manufacturer, supplier, operator and indeed consumer – to ignore advice, regulations and legislation. Ample fuel indeed for the anti-tanning bed protagonists to notch up case studies, generate studies and statistics that can subsequently and indeed are used in lobbying and media activities to undermine the real status of our industry: which is highly professional and responsible.
Conspiracy theories aside, as a UK taxpayer both personally and professionally, I have a growing resentment toward the tax dollars I pay that help to fund the resources that are enabling opportunity for attack and directly undermining my business and my livelihood. The bureaucratic and, indeed, political inertia we constantly face regarding enforcement of applicable industry regulations is quite frankly astonishing. But then, of course, I take a stroll back to conspiracy theories – but that’s for another time. All I can say is that we are collectively, strategically and financially preparing to battle this out big time.
But, back to the brighter side of our industry, including the SHINE event. There’s a lot going on to communicate and of course, at an operator-driven event, there’s a lot for operators to learn from each other, from the largest chain to the single-site salon. Equally important is the opportunity for our industry as a whole to come together to discuss, debate, meet new people, network and of course, I am sure there will also be time to have some fun! It’s time to SHINE!
