AFTER MORE THAN TWO DECADES of planning ISPA Conferences , we certainly have learned to expect the unexpected . But walking onto the Expo floor during Conference set-up this year and finding a waterfall still came as a big surprise . ( Scan the QR code to see a video ! It starts at the 10-second mark .) We are so grateful for our amazing partnership with Mandalay Bay and GES : They jumped into action to get things contained and cleaned up in record time . And we deeply appreciate the grace our exhibiting companies showed us and their patience as we did all we could to mitigate the impact on each of them ! Thank you .

I think I have shared before what a huge fan I am of Big Brother and Survivor and love watching group dynamics unfold and seeing strong personalities from so many different backgrounds come together and battle it out , create alliances and work effectively together . I witnessed that firsthand for years working with The White House Fellows and more recently each year with the ISPA Board of Directors . It is amazing to see folks assemble with varied opinion and yet fly in formation toward a common goal .

We are grateful to have all hands on the rope pulling toward key initiatives that will positively impact the future of the spa industry . The interstate compacts for cosmetology and massage , FICA Fair Tax , Gainful Employment — to name a few — will all seriously impact how we work together to build and strengthen our businesses and the industry .

We love this quote from ISPA Keynote Erica Dhawan : “ Leadership is always about working with others : We cannot go it alone and live in solitude — our greatest challenge is about trusting , testing and letting others in to our most important work .” Very sage advice and if we follow it as a community , hopefully we can expect a lot less of the unexpected in the months and years ahead .

— LYNNE MCNEES , ISPA PRESIDENT

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LYNNE WALKER McNEES

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64 PULSE n JULY 2023