SUCCESS STORIES
EXPERIENCE CENTER
BY JESSICA PFISTER
AN EXPERIENCE, BY DEFINITION, is the state of
having been affected by or gained knowledge through direct
observation or participation. At the annual ISPA Conference
& Expo, our attendees were able to do just that at the
reimagined Experience Center. This brand-new space—which
was the home of Experience Studios and Treatment Rooms—
served as the perfect opportunity for attendees to come and
enjoy spa treatments and energizing fitness classes.
Our Experience Studio sponsors at Conference this year
were Columbia SkinCare, FOREO, Jurlique, Saltability in
partnership with TouchAmerica Inc., Technogym and
Universal Companies, Inc. In addition to these sponsors,
we also offered the opportunity for companies to participate
Jurlique and Columbia SkinCare used their Experience Studios
to fully immerse attendees in their respective brands.
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in Treatment Rooms, which provided a secluded booth space
off of the floor in a more private environment. These partici-
pants included Cinq Mondes, emerginC, Hyperice Inc.,
Kerstin Florian International, Osmosis Pur Medical
Skincare and Sothys USA Inc. Each brand represented in
the Experience Center came with a unique offering and were
open to walk-ins, in addition to their already scheduled
appointments.
One thing, however, that each sponsor seemed to have in
common was a completely booked schedule. With the option
to create schedules ahead of time on ISPA’s official
appointment scheduling system, each sponsor had the ability
to tailor their schedules to fit the specifications and param-
eters around their treatments and classes.
While some companies sent out email invitations and
menus for their treatments, others chose to go the more
organic route of reaching out to existing clients. When asked
about FOREO’s specific form of outreach, Sarah-Jade
Lacoursiere, head of business development for the profes-
sional channel – North America, explained that FOREO sent
out newsletters announcing their participation and inviting
attendees to secure appointments on their online portal.
Sarah feels their overall success can be largely credited to their
own efforts on the front end, preparing for appointments and
spreading news of their participation ahead of time.
Although appointments were the primary drivers of
business, foot traffic also played a key part in making the
Experience Center successful. Stacy McCray, with Universal