If you live in the New York area, come to The New York Times Travel Show this weekend at the Jacob Javits Center, February 7-8, 2009. Explore nearly 500 dream destinations and book trips on the spot. There will be live performances of music, singing, dancing, even tequila tastings, on six cultural stages. These stages are also to place to go for giveaways and drawings for trips, travel accessories, discounts and more!
And oh yes! At 10 AM on Sunday morning, I'll be moderating "Choosing The Right Spa For You: Mind, Body and Budget," one of the many travel seminars going all day long. Come by and say hello! Tickets are $15 per day for adults, and children 18 and under are free, with parents.
Anitra,
did you hear that SpaFinder has canceled the “Spa Experience” show’s for 2009? Both in Aspen and New York. I assume the economy is having an impact on the industry. They also laid off 20 people which I believe is 1/2 their workforce.
How bad do you think it will get?
Just wanted to respond to Savoi Muchen’s question above since some of her information is correct and some of it is not. Like any business, we at SpaFinder re-evaluate our business plans and marketing strategies continually. It would be foolish for any business not to do so – especially in this economic climate. In fact, it is something we encourage our 8,000+ partner spas to do as well. We did decide to skip putting on the Spa Experience event in Aspen and in Grand Central this year and instead focus on our core business which is bringing business to our partner spas. It seemed unwise to encourage spas to spend their fewer marketing dollars on exhibitions when the immediate return on investment is much higher on the internet and some of the other marketing vehicles we offer. Exhibitions are great for brand building and long term investment, not the highest priority in a challenging economic environment. We hope to add those marketing opportunities back to our schedule in 2010 or 2011 at the latest. We love doing them and know that people love attending these events! As to layoffs, while we did say goodbye to 8 people in our company in January due to some reorganization, this was a small percentage of our overall workforce. SpaFinder has a staff of almost 100 which made this an 8% adjustment – much smaller than what many other companies are doing. At the same time we downsized in a few areas, we are also upsizing in another. We have plans to hire additional people for our new Spa-Booker spa management division which has been growing beyond expectations. We projected Spa-Booker installed into 200 spas its first year in operation and instead ended the first year with 800 spas under contract. That necessitated an adjustment as well – however in the opposite direction.
In answer to her question of “how bad will it get?” – well, clearly no one knows. That’s why businesses need to be astute in monitoring the economy, consumer behavior and related industries. We are encouraged to see that the spa industry has shown more resiliency than I think it would have in years past. All the work that has been done to help people understand that spas are not as much about pampering as they are about wellness is paying off. The recent New York Times article, “In Tough Times, Spas Stress Stress” I think explained it quite well.
http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/02/08/travel/08pracspa.html
Thanks for the chance to clarify.
Susie Ellis
President
SpaFinder, Inc.
Susie, Thanks for clarifying. I had no idea you employed 100 people. They’re not all in NYC, are they?
Can I ask what’s happening with the on-line magazine? Are you still going to do that? I heard that Melissa was one of the ones to be let go.
I’m sorry to hear about the cancellation of the “Spa Experiences,” but times are hard and I’m sure spas are cutting their marketing budgets for things that seem non-essential.
I think spas are having a hard time because it still has a luxury image for a lot of people and even if we know we need massages to feel our best, we may do it a little less often.
At least we’re not alone. It’s hitting everyone!
Anitra
Hello Anitra,
Thank you for keeping us abreast of events going on in the spa industry. In light of the constraints put upon our businesses by the current economy, it is no wonder that many organizations are having to streamline their event offerings. However, it is exactly this reason that ISPA is investing in the spa community by helping professionals build relationships through our Knowledge Networks. Revamped to an extremely affordable one-day format, these networking and educational events give today’s spa professionals the face-to-face time they need to build the relationships that will help them through today’s tough economic climate and well into the future. The event we had Feb. 6 in New Orleans was a huge success, and we are offering two more Knowledge Networks this year. To learn more about our upcoming Knowledge Networks, please visit http://www.experienceispa.com. By investing in our businesses today, we are laying a path for a very bright and strong future.
Jean Kolb
Chairman
International SPA Association