Last week, I decided at the last minute to go to the ISPA conference.It was held in Washington, DC at the Gaylord Resort.The resort looked beautiful all decorated for Christmas. They even had snow falling in the atrium, a great venue for ISPA members.The ISPA conference is different than all the other spa/salon shows, and it should be for the amount of money it costs to attend! It’s not cheap; therefore the attendees expect more…
For years I have been attending the ISPA conference. I have experienced it from an exhibitor’s stand point as well as an attendee.You see the same mix of people year after year. It’s like attending a class reunion coming back for the food, the entertainment, the socializing and yes, some education.
The educational classes were reduced this year. I normally purchase the MP3 of all the sessions and listen to see what other are teaching, so I don’t teach the same things. But this year, the price was reduced and when I asked why, they said “fewer sessions.” That surprised me… I would think they would offer attendees more education not less!
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The general session had a good speakers’ lineup. They had Doc Hendley,
Founder and President of Wine To Water. Doc has made a difference to tens of thousands of people around the world by providing clean drinking water. Hendley was named one of the Top 10 CNN Heroes for 2009 (chosen from over 9,000 applicants by a panel of judges including Gen. Colin Powell, Whoopi Goldberg, Ted Turner and Sir Elton John). Today, Hendley’s Wine to Water foundation aims to help the 1.1 billion people worldwide who lack access to clean water. By using wine events to raise money and awareness about the lack of clean drinking water in the developing world, Doc Hendley has harnessed a powerful social force and multiplied the generosity of many.
My other favorite speaker was Marcus Buckingham
Buckingham’s has written four best-selling books, First, Break All the Rules (coauthored with Curt Coffman, Simon & Schuster, 1999); Now, Discover Your Strengths (coauthored with Donald O. Clifton, The Free Press, 2001); The One Thing You Need to Know (The Free Press, 2005) and Go Put Your Strengths To Work (The Free Press, 2007).
In Marcus’ most recent book, he offers ways to apply your strengths for maximum success at work. He raises a good point. What would happen if men and women spent more than 75% of each day on the job using their strongest skills and engaged in their favorite tasks, basically doing exactly what they wanted to do? A good thought, what do you think?
It’s always good to network and stay connected with friends through conferences. If you have not attended one yet, we have a schedule of all the upcoming shows in “InSPAration Moments” your business partner e-news. If you have not opted in yet we invite you to do so by visiting www.InSPArationManagement.com . I will be speaking at several shows in 2011 we hope to see you at one of them!
Leave your comments and tell us what you think of tradeshows.
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