As I settle back in to “normalcy” (because, as we all know, a day as a spa director is never truly ‘normal’), I allowed myself a few stolen moments to reflect on the ISPA 2012 Inspire Conference. Other than the 20 pounds of spa swag I lugged home (and that was my most retweeted tweet as an official conference tweeter…*tweet*), I returned back to sunny Dana Point, California feeling energized, and… yep. You guessed it. Inspired.
Yours truly secured two tag ribbons at the ISPA Resource Center Day 1 and spent the next few days flagged as “Excites Easily” and “Gets Along With Others.” Super fun touch for the Conference this year – shout out to my fellow ribbon wearers – Animal Lovers, Rock Stars, Divas, OCD, and Iron Chefs alike.
While I may excite easily, it takes more than pretty packaging to hold my attention (blame my Aquarius nature). So, two things I can’t stop thinking about and telling my team about are Peter Sheahan’s closing session and the Project: INFUSE panel discussion on Wednesday.
Dear Peter Sheahan, can you please talk slower? I was trying my best to write down what seemed like every other inspiring sentence you said, but I fear I missed a few. Lasting impressions… “Spas are headed from the dark end of the street to the bright side of the road.” “The root word for ‘inspire’ means ‘to breathe into.’” “Don’t let the market force your learning.”
Dear fellow Project: INFUSE panel speakers, thank you for finding solidarity in our nervousness (or was that just me?). From each of you, I learned to DESIGN my time with my team. That my team craves leadership. That my team craves creativity. That my team needs to be empowered and motivated.
And, that I need to feel inspired…motivated in order to give them that leadership, creativity, and empowerment. Twenty pounds of spa swag helps. So does time with my favorite spa directors and vendors. So does the energy of 2000 industry professionals in one room at a time. Thank you, ISPA. See you in 2013.
Jessica Timberlake - ISPA Member
Spa Director at The Spa at Laguna Cliffs
Do you feel like your notes are missing some important takeaways from the keynote speakers? Be on the lookout for a special mail delivery next week as attendees will receive a special recap from the 2012 ISPA Conference & Expo General Sessions.
To learn more about the International SPA Association or to contribute to the ISPA Blog, please contact ispa@ispastaff.com.
