Report on the 2009 ISPA Conference & Expo in Austin, Texas
Part 1 of 3

by Julie Register

I, along with over 1,800 spa professionals and over 150 exhibiters, attended the 19th annual ISPA Conference & Expo October 5-8, 2009 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas. It was smaller but more intimate. The quality of the conference and expo remained at the high levels of previous years. This year"s theme "simplicity" was woven throughout the outstanding keynote speeches and valuable educational sessions. ISPA presented awards, discussed the work of the foundation and presented spa industry statistics. The expo and the relaxation area offered opportunities to talk to exhibiters and sample products and treatments. Unfortunately, I could not stay to hear Lance Armstrong on the 8th. This report is divided into three parts. The following chart shows the highlights of the event. I share my notes for most of the sessions I attended. This is Part 1 of 3.

General Session:

*Change is Coming. Are you Ready?
by J.P. Pawliw-Fry

In order to get to the next level of performance, we have to manage emotions intelligently. That is where is our edge is to be found. Emotions drive behavior. 86% of all illness is stress induced.

As a leader, you must hold everyone accountable. Underperformers affect the entire team. Do you need to hold a though conversation? Are you willing to get tough feedback? Only 14% of us can hold difficult conversations with effective results. We can get paralyzed when things don't go right. There is a fear of rejection. We work to be liked. We have "identity quakes" when we hold tough conversations because it doesn't fit our idea of our nice selves.

We need to understand how our brain works. The amygdala allows us to learn for the first time. It's the source of emotional memory. It's where human survival lives - "Do I eat it or does it eat me?" The neocortex is the IQ brain and the site of working memory.

Emotion comes before thought. This knowledge unlocks everything for a leader. We must manage emotions. If not, the amygdala hijacks us, limits working memory, and we can't think straight. An amygdala hijack is:
1. Sudden/ unexpected,
2. Against your will and
3. Forceful.
You feel it in your body. Your shoulders go up. You sweat. Complex thought stops. You don't know it's happening cognitively.
The effects of an amygdala hijack include:
1. We make more errors.
2. There is a decrease in working memory.
3. Brain neurons erode.
4. Cortisol levels become toxic.
5. There is a lack of sleep.

Some tips to avoid an amygdala hijack are:
1. Don't hold though conversations when someone is in HALT - they are Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired.
2. Get more information. We jump to conclusions based on <5% of available information.
3. Don't confuse impact with intention.
4. Don't judge.
5. Build bridges from the other person back to yourself. When you see behavior out of character, think about why it may be happening. Do they not feel valued? Do they not like what they are doing? Building bridges gives your employees a voice, makes them feel valued and allows them to give feedback.

When you realize there is an amygdala hijack, remember SOS:
Stop - actuate your pause neurons
Oxygenate - take a deep breath
Seek more information. What's on their side of the bridge?

Have two 15-minute conversations.
1) Ask your employees (one at a time) for help because you want to be a better leader. Get ideas, and decide on one thing. Ask them to observe and assess how well you do the task in the following week.
2) Have a follow up meeting to discuss the results.
There are a number of good effects from this:
1. It reminds you to do better as a leader.
2. It provides a pattern interrupt when you are going down the hijack road and allows you to reconsider how to react to the situation.
3. The other person feels more valued.
4. It will make others open to feedback

The Marshmallow Study is a better indicator of future performance than IQ and other tests. A marshmallow was placed in front of a four-year-old child. The child was told they could eat the marshmallow, but if they waited until the researcher returned, they could have two. 1/3 of the children at the marshmallow right away, 1/3 licked it or nibbled on it (counted as being eaten) and 1/3 waited and got two. The children who waited demonstrated delayed gratification. They had learned to control their amygdala. Over time, these children demonstrated increased impulse control, increased ability to reduce stress and increased ability to focus. They were able to form closer relationships and scored an average of 210 points higher in their IQs than the other children.

ISPA Visionary Award:
Dr. Howard Murad

Howard Murad, M.D., Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCLA and founder of Murad, Inc., was recognized by the International Spa Association (ISPA) and the ISPA Board of Directors with the 2009 ISPA Visionary Award to acknowledge longstanding excellence and significant contributions to the world of spa and a positive influence on the health and wellness fields on a global level. Murad, Inc. was founded in 1989 by Howard Murad. M.D., one of the world's foremost authorities on skin health and a pioneer of the clinical skincare movement. All Murad products are based in The Science of Cellular Water™, Dr. Murad's unified theory of health and aging. The Murad brand includes 88 consumer products and 45 professional products sold in 45 countries. Upon receiving the award, Dr. Murad said that now is an opportunity for another revolution. Something is missing in patients' lives. "We are a society that is overfed and undernourished." Even so, there is still a void. Inclusive health - looking at the whole person both at the cellular level and the global view - is necessary. A new type of care giver is needed to recommend appropriate treatments and products based on science. There is an opportunity for spas to make a difference in patients' lives.

Key U.S. Spa Industry Statistics

Speakers:

SILK - Service in Love and Kindness. Creating a Service Environment
by Holly Stiel

I attended a talk by Holly at ISPA a few years ago. I was happy to have an opportunity to listen to her again. She said she had been discussing the attributes of excellent service with a friend. Excellent service provides a feeling of safety and makes you feel protected. Excellent service is consistent yet flexible and sustainable. It's strong but not heavy. Her friend said, "It's kind of like silk." and gave Holly a tangible way to represent excellent service. It's beautiful and valuable (used as currency in China). It's strong (used in parachutes and sutures). It's safe (used in armor). In this way silk is used as a metaphor as it applies to delivering exquisite and beautiful service. It is also used as an acronym:
S - Signature - What is distinctive and memorable about you to create an experience for others? List them out.
I - Innovative Thinking - Customers want us to be innovative. Innovation is the ability to look outside the box, create novel solutions and develop improved ways of doing things even for ordinary tasks. It's being able to turn an ordinary experience into an extraordinary experience and making it memorable.
L - Legacy - Take the best of the past and personally build on it to pass something better into the future. What legacy have you been gifted and what is your personal responsibility to carry it forward? Standards are needed. Passion is needed. Align with something that is bigger than you so that you personally align and can articulate it to your customer. Silk feels good. In order for good feelings to endure, it must be cared for. Service must be cared for in the same way.
K - Kindness - The ability to connect and engage and in so doing create positive feelings. Connectedness is huge in service - giving love and receiving love. Think in your head "I receive your love."
All of these are built on a foundation of integrity and values. Personal values should be aligned with company values. Do your people know what your values are? Do they practice them? SILK together with values is where strength lies.

Service is a feeling. It's esoteric. You know it when you receive it.
It is only what a master craftsman can create. Take every creative aspect and elevate the craft to an art. Weave it together into a fabric - a fabric of spas, technology, place and connections. Fabric is woven together with many threads. Without an individual thread, the fabric is weaker. Inspire customers to trust their experiences with you. Elevate it to a work of the heart. Artists take their heart and put it on the outside to share with others. It leaves them vulnerable, but they share their art regardless of the consequences. It is important to understand that exceptional service providers incorporate their whole selves - interests and values. They share their souls. It's not about the function of the job. It's about sharing one's whole self.

You can't fake SILK. It may be tempting to substitute in times of stress. Resist this urge. This is what separates the ordinary from the extraordinary. We learn and grow in the most challenging situations.

Holly gave a number of examples of extraordinary service.

This presentation is available on CD from MobileTape.

Seven Principles to Fully Engage Your Customers
by Bryan Williams

I heard Bryan Williams last year and was happy to see him again.

To engage means to connect with your customer in a memorable way. It's beyond performing service steps. It's about creating an experience. There are seven principles to fully engage your customers:
Principle 1: Be eager to serve.
Being eager to serve your customer is more about perception than anything else. It's having the team in the "ready" position when the doors open. Articulate what the "ready" position is to make it memorable. Standards of service must be in place. Remember the 10' 4' rule - Acknowledge at 10', speak/engage in dialog at 4'. This principle is about being prompt in every sense of the word. The customer should not have to wait…ever. If they do, it is your responsibility to apologize for the delay. You and your staff's actions should state, "I am at your service".
Principle 2: Be welcoming.
True service does not begin without a warm welcome or greeting. Let your customer know you are happy they chose you. After receiving your welcome, the customers should instantly feel they made the right choice to patronize your business. They should be excited after the initial greeting because you want them to believe that the rest of the service experience will be one hundred times better than the welcome. Make it genuine. Personalize it. Be in the moment. A function is a task. The purpose is why you do it. Engage your team in a discussion about their roles and revisit it often.
Principle 3: Create an inclusive atmosphere.
Challenge yourself to find out your customers' preferences, create a way to capture them (database), act on them and share them. Create a relationship with the customer. Ask questions to get to know them. To be inclusive means to involve the customer in the service they are receiving. The customer is more than just the recipient of the service; they can be an important part of how the service is delivered.
Principle #4: Create a total experience.
Creating a total experience begins with having the right people in the right roles. A total experience is comprised of many touchpoints. Pay attention to details at every touchpoint, every interaction between the guest and business. Know about deposits and withdrawals (refer to last year's presentation). With your team, create a list of all the main touchpoints in your spa. Ask for specific feedback at the close of the experience. Your staff probably knows about defects. Empower your team to detect them. Make it an expectation that they find defects, report them and be part of finding the solution. This creates passion for the job.
Principle #5: Turn customers into ambassadors.
Turning customers into ambassadors is about fostering loyalty. Measure your success by customer loyalty. Everyone on the team is an ambassador. Tell the team. Make sure they understand it. Build repeat business by creating excellent memories. Don't spend all of your time with what's wrong. You can get rid of everything that's wrong and still not engage the guest. Create a list with your team of what things can be done to delight your customers. Ask your customers if there is anything else you can do. Write it all down and pick one every day. Capture good stories and share them with your team. Communicate your appreciation. Let customers know you look forward to serving them again.
Principle #6: Offer a gracious goodbye
Every customer should be reassured that their decision to spend their money with you is greatly appreciated. This step is often missed. Exceed expectations. Have sincere appreciation - thank you. Ask if there is something more you can do for the customer. The purpose is to ensure nothing has been missed and tells the customer "I'm there for you." your customers should feel like your job's main purpose is to not just meet, but exceed their expectations. It makes the experience more memorable. This step differentiates the 5 star from 4 star. Everyone on the team must have the above and beyond mentality and believe in teamwork. This is where culture comes in. Be sure to follow up.
Principle #7: Earn your customers' confidence…reap the rewards
Make a positive impact. Build trust. Have integrity - keep promises. Be competent - do what you do well. Have confidence. Follow through. The rewards are not just repeat business and referrals but knowing you have made a positive impact on someone's day. Thank customer for complaints. Validate what they say. If they say the complaint to someone else, empower them to do something about it. Guests don't care about why. They just want to know about the resolution. Listen openly. Apologize - be empathetic (sympathy = sorry, empathy = understand the feeling). Get additional information. Take ownership to fix the issue and follow through (example from last year - towel boy). This is a big area of failure.
"The purpose of following up is to ensure the guest is happy with the resolution." Make it all about the customer. Are issues sporadic or chronic? Involve the team in solution. This all results in loyal guests "service is not what one does; it is the way one is."
If you take care of your customers, value their patronage, and provide them with memorable service, then they will return to give you more business.

These are just 7 principles. You can find more in Bryans' book, Engaging Service: 22 Ways to Become a Service Superstar.

Expo Highlights:

Andrew Morgan Collection
The Andrew Morgan Collection introduced an aromatherapy-infused, eco-friendly textile collection. Tiny polymeric microcapsule shells containing unique fragrances are infused into sumptuous throws, scarves, robes, wraps and towels. Movement or touch breaks the capsules and releases the fragrance over a period of time. The result is a personal sensory experience without overpowering the room with scent. There are three fragrances to choose from. I thought the rosemary on display was lovely. The textile products are initially infused with the scent, which lasts approximately 25 washes, after which they can be re-infused with stand-alone fragrances, which will come in a variety of sizes, including travel sizes, so that customers can bring the comfort of their home or spa on the road with them. Andrew Morgan Collection will also be able to work with locations that might have a signature fragrance to infuse that scent into the products, ensuring a full branding experience for their customers. The aromatherapy scents will be infused into Andrew Morgan's Ami-Vert fabric as well as the luxurious Samoa-Juno microfiber blend. Fully-sustainable and featuring the softest hand and luster imaginable, Ami-Vert (Friendly-Green) is a proprietary fabric constructed from post-consumer and post-industrial waste. It is recyclable, anti-microbial and anti-abrasive so the fabric will not pill, stain or fade. It is also fast-drying and oil- and bleach-resistant. Samoa-Juno is an earth-friendly microfiber polyester that is breathable, light and easy to care for, with a soft and plush feel. Designed for maximum stability, the yarns are spun to resist shedding or pilling and are more stain resistant than natural fiber such as cotton, rayon or wool.

Poo-Pourri
I was introduced to Poo-Pourri at last year's ISPA expo. Just a few squirts of the original citrus blend of lemongrass, bergamot, grapefruit and other natural essential oils offers a more upscale and "spa" way to deal with undesirable bathroom odors. This year I spoke with Suzy Batiz, the founder of Poo-Pourri, and she introduced me to their new products:
- Karoma auto aromatherapy diffusers, which are available in 4 attractive locket styles: Hope, Peace, Love and Faith and 6 aromatherapy scent cards.
- Love, Me Scents, a solid take anywhere fragrance, is offered in 4 different compacts featuring 3 different fragrances in each. Hundred of combinations can be made by mixing and matching to create a custom layered scent.
- Blessed Bracelets have been infused with blessings across the world. Wear this traditional string bracelet until it naturally falls off. Wear it as a reminder of how blessed you are in any given moment. A portion of sales is donated to support various humanitarian efforts.
Other items in the product line include:
- No. 2 - Featuring a sweet blend of mandarin, bergamot and orange, and enhanced with hints of peach and berries, No. 2 is adorned with a rhinestone cell phone charm with each bottle.
- HeavenScent - This dreamy scent features a divine blend of white jasmine florals and natural essential oils to create a celestial aroma in your lavatory.
- Atomizer Gift Set - Refillable rhinestone-embossed atomizer comes complete with a black velvet bag and squirt nozzle that fits on all Poo-Pourri bottles.
- Royal Flush - A must for all distinguished gents, who are mindful of their followers Royal Flush releases a refreshing, masculine blend of eucalyptus spearmint that eliminates even the most choking odors.
- Pooch-Pourri - Safe and effective on all pet odors, this blend of bergamot, lemongrass and citronella neutralizes odors at the source.
- Poo-Pourri Jr - A diaper deodorizer blended with lemongrass, bergamot and grapefruit, simply spray on the dirty diaper.
Each Poo-Pourri product includes a 30-day unconditional money-back guarantee.

More from the Expo

New Stream	Aveda
Universal Companies	VersaSpa® - MysticTan®

Mark your calendars for the 2010 ISPA Conference & Expo in Washington on November 15-18!

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photos copyright Julie Register 2009
unless marked * which are complements of ISPA