Inspire: To fill with enlivening or exalting emotion; to stimulate to action, motivate; to breathe life into.
What enormous ambition for the 2012 ISPA Conference and Expo...and, as it does each passing year, the ISPA Conference has managed to breathe life and re-engage my passion for the work I do each day as a Spa Director at ZaSpa.
For me, this Conference was all about inspiring education.
My biggest "smack my forehead" moments from our General Sessions were:
• Courtesy of Jim Collins: Great businesses are always made up of fanatic discipline, productive paranoia, empirical creativity and level five ambition. We are enveloping these ideas into our daily operations at ZaSpa.
• From Peter Sheahan: Businesses get killed when they try to be cheap and amazing...don't be surprised if loyalty is linked to price. I swear, we've all known this for AGES...however, THIS messaging is the perfect nugget to take back and continually reference.
• And, another from the fantastic Peter Sheahan: The gravity of success is the visceral pull back to what you excel in and do well. Personally, this is at the core of spa for me...the refocus on what we do phenomenally and keeping on that consistent course.
It was also incredibly gratifying, as a member for the 2012 Speaker Selection Task Force, to see so many packed meeting rooms for our outstanding Professional Development Sessions. The opportunity to work with Tanya Chernova in the months preceding this Conference was a joy...and it was electrifying to see her presentation not only come to life, but empower so many of us to change the ways our teams engage guests and each other.
I feel like I can spend days on the Expo Floor exploring new products and ideas. (The Warm Quartz Massage Table from Ghareni!!! I need more capital!!!) The Expo is such a great venue to see our vendor partners face to face...sometimes meeting them for the first time after months of phone calls and emails. And, as you can see by the photo below, the networking is always a blast.
My biggest take away is, as always, a reinvigorated spirit, passion and gratitude for all things spa. Thank you ISPA for another inspiring Conference and Expo. See you in Las Vegas!
Laura Parsons - ISPA Member
Complex Director of ZaSpa at Hotel ZaZa Houston and Dallas, Texas
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