International SalonSpa Business Network’s annual conference, coming up May 7-9, will focus on equipping beauty professionals for today’s evolving retail, leadership, marketing and customer service experiences. The event, “Building the Ultimate Experience,” will host breakout sessions at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes, in Orlando, Florida. ISBN is also partnering with law firm Ogletree Deakins to inform ISBN members with key employment, labor and wage insights.
“Building the Ultimate Experience” keynote speakers will be co-founder of Strategic Horizons Jim Gilmore and senior vice president of MasterCard Sarah Quinlan. The two professionals will be talking to attendees about how they can build “the ultimate experience for consumers—and their team—in a multi-unit salon, spa, barbershop or other beauty/grooming environment,” said organizers.
During the upcoming conference, Bob Roginson from Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart will present “Employee Compensation: What's Keeping You Up at Night?” Stewart will walk members through the compliance issues common in the industry and how to avoid the pitfalls that plague different compensation models across the country.
The firm additionally is providing ISBN members with webinars and blogs on employment, labor and wage issues, as follows:
Employment in the Trump Era– May 24, 9 a.m. PDT
Compensation Models & Their Pitfalls– July 19, 9 a.m. PDT
And conference breakout sessions are as follows:
Retail Panel: Quick Service Trends—This will be a discussion about the new quick services that get clients in and out fast with maximum impact and benefit, with vice president of merchandising for Ulta Beauty Sandra Ovington, chief creative director for Ulta Beauty Nick Stenson and vice president of marketing for Drybar Brittany Driscoll.
Retail Panel: The Amazon Antidote—Diagnosis, Treatment and Curing the Effect of the Great Disruptor—This discussion will be on selling retail in an Amazon-obsessed world. It is designed to provide attendees with the understanding of whether they should participate, how to create a strategy and what is needed to build a profitable retail business going forward. The panel will be presented by ISBN vice president Pat Neville, who is CEO of Beautyfirst, Beauty Studio Salons and Blow Bars and Suites, as well as president of Paradigm Advisory Group. The experts include April McCoy, senior director of national accounts for DBE/CosmoProf Beauty; Sean Maney, Salon Ultimate president/co-founder; and Amin Harari, president/co-founder of Brand FWD.
Retail: The Future of Retail—This is a look at what L’Oréal is predicting for the industry, with L’Oréal chief product accelerator Sam Cheow.
Leadership: Navigating the Modern Salon Business—As the salon and spa environment becomes more challenging every day, especially in the areas of recruiting, culture, marketing, retail sales and profitability, this breakout will lead a quest for tangible solutions that can be implemented immediately, presented by Scott Missad, president/CEO of Gene Juarez Salons & Spas.
Leadership: Q&A—Missad will lead an open format session in which owners and managers will be invited to share their challenges, ask specific questions and brainstorm solutions together.
Leadership: Retention Strategies for the New Economy—This breakout session will be an exploration of thought-provoking approaches to motivating, inspiring, engaging and retaining salon professionals in the new economy, particularly as technology and the internet open new avenues to entrepreneurship, creating greater competition to keep top salon talent. It will be presented by Peter Mahoney, president/CEO of the Head Shoppe group of companies, and president of Summit Salon Business Center.
Marketing: Social Media Synergies—This will be a deep dive into the opportunities, risks and the steps needed to protect one’s brand on social media. Business owners will also learn how to empower their stylists and team to build their personal social brands and ensure they live the business’s value proposition both online and offline; presented by Pam Moore, aka Pam Marketing Nut, and CEO/co-founder of Marketing Nutz.
Marketing: Gen Z, The Financial Impact of Youth Culture on Older Generations and Hugging Innovation—This breakout session is designed to be a provocative presentation that looks at 1) key beliefs held by today's teens; 2) the financial impact of Millennial influence on older consumers, who often follow Millennial trends; 3) the best marketing practices from brands that are hugging innovation; and 4) new marketing techniques to win across generations; as it considers how Gen Z—today's teenagers—are not Millennials to the third power but rather a new generation of "old souls" in youthful bodies. It will be presented by Jeff Fromm, author of Marketing to Millennials and Millennials with Kids, as well as a report on “Getting to Know Gen Z”; and Angie Read, vice president of growth insight for Barkley.
Marketing: Anticipation—Marketing Strategies to Stand Out in a Crowd—This breakout will explore marketing strategies from service menus to promotions that will help beauty businesses stand out in a crowd. Presented by Jenny Bayer, senior regional sales manager of national accounts for DBE/CosmoProf, this session is sponsored by CosmoProf Beauty.
Customer Service: Hair+ opportunities to grow your hair loss/hair enhancement business—This session will share how the hair loss/hair enhancement category represents a valuable and unique opportunity for ISBN members to drive both retail and service sales, and increase customer satisfaction with solutions ranging from topical products to nutritional supplements to lasers to extensions. Modern Salon’s exclusive research from both consumers and salon professionals, which identifies perceptions, behaviors, barriers and disconnects, will be shared, offering clarity into how to best evaluate, get involved and take advantage of this trending category. The presenter, publisher of Modern Salon Steve Reiss, will also share the single largest opportunity that beauty professionals, as an industry, are not taking advantage of.
Customer Service Panel: Revolutionary First Impression Tactics—Attendees will learn how making a great first impression using all salon touch points can positively influence guests’ experiences and more. This session will be presented by Debra Penzone, president/CEO of Charles Penzone Salons; Maryline Desjardins, director of marketing for Gene Juarez Salons & Spas; and Graham Walt, director of salon development and education for Design 1 Salon Spa.
Customer Service: Look—Better Observing for a Better Business—Observational intelligence is key to innovation: What we see drives what we think and what we do. Seeking to instill a greater appreciation for the insights to be found in the everyday observations of the workplace and the broader culture, Jim Gilmore will offer an observational tool called “Six Looking Glasses.” It’s offered as a simple yet profound method for improving observational skills, providing a practical new means to bring fresh perspectives to any business endeavor.
ISBN’s 2018 Conference is scheduled for May 6-8 in Scottsdale, Arizona.
[Image courtesy of ISBN]