27th Annual ISPA Conference & Expo Wrap-Up

October 31, 2017

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 31, 2017) – The International SPA Association (ISPA) hosted spa industry leaders from around the world at 27th annual ISPA Conference & Expo, held at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Oct. 16-18. The annual event headlined a mix of inspiring keynotes, professional development offerings and an expo floor featuring the newest spa products.

“This year’s ISPA Conference & Expo guided attendees to ignite passion and creativity within themselves that will help them excel personally and professionally,” said ISPA President Lynne McNees. “From  keynote speakers to exhibitors and award winners, education and inspiration were forefront for our members.”

A few interesting facts and figures from the ISPA Conference & Expo:

  • 31 countries represented
  • 40 speakers
  • 49 sponsors
  • 220 exhibiting companies
  • 268 ISPA Foundation live and silent auction item donations
  • Nearly 2,300 attendees
  • 5,000 US dollars in scholarships awarded
  • 5,500 bags of product gifts dropped in attendees’ hotel rooms
  • 16,000 meals donated to children through FEED Bag partnership
  • More than 100,000 US dollars raised to support the ISPA Foundation

Playing off this year’s theme of “Ignite”, attendees experienced keynote presentations from social psychologist Amy Cuddy, best-selling author Daniel Pink and legendary quarterback Peyton Manning. On the closing day of the event, the 2017 ISPA Alex Szekely Humanitarian Award, named in honor of the late spa pioneer Alex Szekely, was presented to Peyton Manning honoring his philanthropic work.  

In 1999, Peyton Manning and his wife, Ashley, established the PeyBack Foundation to promote the future success of disadvantaged youth by assisting programs that provide leadership and growth opportunities for children at risk. The Foundation has provided more than $13 million in grants and programs since its inception. Manning also serves as a member of the American Red Cross National Celebrity Cabinet and The Pat Summit Foundation Advisory Board, and continues to maintain a strong relationship with St. Vincent’s Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis, which in 2007 was renamed the “Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at St. Vincent.”

Additionally, attendees heard from several award recipients who were honored at General Sessions throughout the Conference, including:

  • Susan Harmsworth, founder of ESPA International (UK) Ltd., who accepted the 2017 ISPA Visionary Award
  • Mary Wisnom, professor at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) and leader of the ISPA Academy launch, who was honored with the 2017 ISPA Dedicated Contributor Award
  • LaTesha Council, second-year Master of Tourism Administration student at George Washington University, who won the 2017 ISPA Foundation Mary Tabacchi Scholarship

ISPA would like to thank all the sponsors that made the 2017 ISPA Conference & Expo possible. Platinum-level sponsors included [ comfort zone ] North America, essie, HydroPeptide, ResortSuite, Sanitas, Technogym and Zenoti. Sponsors at the gold level included Amazon Beauty, Book4Time Inc., jane iredale, Jurlique, Luzern Laboratories Inc., O2 Chair, SpaRitual and Urbana powered by Sobel Westex.  The full sponsor list can be found at attendispa.com.

The 2018 ISPA Conference & Expo will be held at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Sept. 24-26. More information about the ISPA Conference & Expo can be found by visiting attendISPA.com.

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