In todays episode Julie chats with Diane Waltersdorf, conference director for the International Esthetics, Cosmetics and Spa Conference.
We talk about the return to in person events for the spa industry, precautions they are planning to take and education trends for their Las Vegas and NYC events this summer.
More about Diane:
Diane Waltersdorf has been programming education for the International Esthetics, Cosmetics and Spa Conferences since 2006. IECSC is organized by Questex, the leading information and events company focused on the experience economy. Prior to joining Questex, Diane’s event management experience spanned decades across several industries in a sales capacity, but in the late 90s she found her joy in conference planning and providing people with the education for their professional development. A lifelong New Englander looking for new adventures, Diane made a cross country move to Eastern Washington state in the middle of the pandemic and in her spare time enjoys exploring the Inland Northwest.
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Julie: [00:00:00] Welcome to the spa hive. I'm Julie Pankey, your host for today's show. In the SpaHive, we are dishing up killer industry buzz, tactical business insights and grass roots, inspiration. I promise our conversations will always be real raw, honest, and sometimes messy with experts from across the globe meant to show you how to find your own joy, your own divine purpose.
[00:00:36] And the power of your spirit animal in the SpaHive, I can help you have it all the business and life of your dreams. Join me on this wild ride. Well, thanks for joining us today, Diane. Hey everybody. It's Julie Pankey and I'm live here in the spa hive with Diane Waltersdorf, Diane and I have known each other for a while now, but Diane is the conference director for I E C S C.
[00:01:15] If you don't know what IECSC is, it's the international esthetics. Cosmetics and spa conference. Did I get it right?
[00:01:25]Diane: [00:01:25] That is correct.
[00:01:25]Julie: [00:01:25] And they're famous for, their Chavet center event, their Las Vegas events and, events all over the country education as their primary goal, getting people together.
[00:01:40] Many of you have probably attended some of these amazing events and I'm excited to be here with Diane.
[00:01:47] Diane, tell me a little bit about what you do with I E C S C and quiz techs and the mission of I E C S C in the business and how you came to get into the world of beauty and spa and education.
[00:02:05]Diane: [00:02:05] Well, it's funny, I've been in and the event management world.
[00:02:10]Basically since I graduated college and I won't date myself by telling you when that was. And I don't think anyone, at least back then intentionally went into the event management world. It was something you kind of fell into. And, in the beginning of my event management career, I worked on a variety of different industries serving a lot of different industries.
[00:02:33]Back in 2006, I got a call from some former colleagues who were working at quest texts asking if I would like to join the spine and beauty team. And, it was an opportunity that I couldn't pass up. And yes as conference director, I'm responsible for programming the education at our four events.
[00:02:57]Presently, we have even seen Las Vegas, New York, Chicago, and Florida. And what I do is I spend my time talking to folks in the industry, whether it's people on the attendee side, the spa owners, managers, directors, Estheticians makeup artists to find out, what sort of education they're looking for.
[00:03:21]I talked to manufacturers and what they're doing. And then, my, my speaker base are, they're a great source of information. So, I do my best to. Provide timely and relevant content that will help the attendees in their professional development. ,
[00:03:41]Julie: [00:03:41] that's awesome. , you've been doing this for a long time now, I guess I didn't realize how long it actually has been in that. You've been with I E C S C. So boy, I've known you longer than I thought. And I always looked forward to, I mean, I think the very first show that I attended, way, way back In the start of my career was, like the New York show, because I, was working in new England and it was easy to get to the job at center, and it was kind of your introduction to when a spa conference was like, and then it was always cool that. You were adjacent to the hair show, and back in the early days, that was a wild show.
[00:04:29]Diane: [00:04:29] It's indeed wild. And it's funny because even with the synergy between the two shows, they have two distinct personalities.
[00:04:40] Julie: [00:04:40] And I love it. I mean, I would always look forward to going so that I could go to the hair side and get, a lot of the stuff that I needed, my hair products and my, all the new latest dryers and curling iron. So it was, it was always great. And I feel like I've been attending I E C S C as long as I can remember, but tell me in reality now, right?
[00:05:03] A lot of people that. Are listening are thinking about, Oh, I can't wait to attend an in-person event. I mean, every single day someone says to me, when are we going to be able to get together? When are there going to be in-person events, tell the listeners, Diane, and tell me about. What I E C S C is going to look like for 2021.
[00:05:32] I know you have an in-person component. You also have a virtual component, which I think is genius because the people that are dying to get in person that really want to. How's that hands-on education feel that sense of normalcy again? After over a year, right? Because I remember we were talking last March a few days, right before.
[00:05:56]New York city closed down in the Javits center had to close and the show just couldn't go on. I mean, I was just about to get in my car right. When all of that happened to drive down and so people are ready, some people aren't ready. So I think that you've put together something that is a little something for everyone.
[00:06:16] Can you tell us about what Las Vegas is going to look like and what New York is going to look like right after in June and July.
[00:06:22]Diane: [00:06:22] Sure. Well, we are very optimistic about this year and about getting back to business. And as you mentioned, a lot of our industry is eager to get back to business in the manner of live events as well.
[00:06:36] So there's always, I think, going to be Some people who aren't necessarily comfortable with getting back to live events. And that's the reason for that or the hybrid the combination of live and virtual. So, onsite at the events, they are going to look different from how they looked in the past.
[00:07:00]We have teams that are devoted to ensuring the safety of all attendees, exhibitors, speaker, and staff. And we're working closely with the Las Vegas convention center, all of the convention centers for that matter. We're staying on top of the CDC information taking advice from healthcare officials.
[00:07:21]And other show organizers as we work to bring the industry back together. The show may look different in that similar to a grocery store. You may see directional Isles the direction that you're allowed to go. The meeting rooms are going to be socially. Distanced in terms of seating.
[00:07:42] So, rather than have three people at an eight foot table, classroom style, the seating is going to be spaced out. There will be plexiglass protection in some of the high interaction areas like registration or help desks to protect everyone involved. And our protocols are continually updated.
[00:08:06]And as restrictions ease, we will update our safety plans accordingly. So, I can't necessarily say for sure what things will look like, but they are going to be in line with city County state protocols that are in place to keep everyone safe.
[00:08:23] Julie: [00:08:23] And I could imagine, trying to stay on top of it is, in itself a full-time job because things are changing on a daily basis.
[00:08:32] I mean, I know here in my own state, it's. Just for who's eligible for the vaccine changes every few days, and when I first thought that I wasn't going to be eligible until the end of June, looks like I'm going to be eligible in the next couple of weeks, so things are always changing.
[00:08:52] So I think, it's, it is important to know that, it's an evolving, fluid process to getting to. That first event in Las Vegas in June. So what's the date? Diane for Las Vegas.
[00:09:05]Diane: [00:09:05] Las Vegas is June 20th and 21st that's live. And then the virtual event will take place on the 23rd.
[00:09:15] Julie: [00:09:15] Great.
[00:09:15] And then what are you doing anything different or have you heard any. Special requests for education, I know that all of your events, there's a lot of different education tracks, so you can, Learn about social media and marketing, you can do hands-on. What are you hearing from people out in the market and attendees?
[00:09:42] What do they want to focus on and learn going into events in 2021? Have you seen any shifts?
[00:09:51]Diane: [00:09:51] Yes. Well, as you can imagine the issue of sanitation. Has been thoroughly addressed. I think the webinars that everyone participated in over the last several months, we all know what to do in terms of sanitation protocols.
[00:10:08] So now things are moving to kind of like 2.0 if you will. Okay. We've sanitized. We know how to sit, stay safe. So the next step is. How do we move forward? Whether it's, how do I look at my books? The finances, how do I get myself out of this? Hole, some people have a bit of a climb to get back to.
[00:10:36] Back to normal. So a lot of the content we'll focus on that, marketing in the post COVID world and just, how to move forward, in, in the post COVID where, or, current and post COVID world,
[00:10:50]Julie: [00:10:50] I think those are
[00:10:51] topics that, people want to talk about it.
[00:10:54] And I know we've talked about this before, but. You can only talk about sanitation for so long. And I feel like our industry is doing a really great job with sanitation. There's been a lot of fabulous, webinars and trainings, but the people that I'm talking to, they want to be able to pick their business up and.
[00:11:21] Set goals for 2021, like they maybe had in 2019 and then see how they can recoup some of their losses from 2020. So I think that, everyone that I'm talking to , they're excited to go to in-person events. They're excited for education. I feel like any bit of education that you're putting out there, spa owners, directors are really just so excited to learn and grow and.
[00:11:52] I call COVID the great pause, so look at it in a different way. Those of us that are so blessed to be able to come out on the other side and have the opportunity to do something different, make changes and really make big impacts in our business and our lives. And in our communities, I think, now is the greatest time for our industry.
[00:12:19] And so I'm so excited, about these events. I don't think I'll be able to travel to Las Vegas in June, but I'll definitely be in July at the New York show. So Diane, I wanted to ask you about, your career. Has it spanned through just even working through I E C S C since 2006, I'm sure you've learned a lot in putting together in-person events, putting together education events.
[00:12:51] So Diane, after all these years, working in the spa wellness industry, what would you say has been some or one of your greatest resources that you've used over the course of your career? That's helped you build relationships, be successful. Grow your own, personal development,
[00:13:17]Diane: [00:13:17] people, personal interaction going back to something I mentioned earlier about how I program the education, talking to the different aspects of the industry, whether it's the spot owners, the aestheticians.
[00:13:32]And honestly, I think one of the greatest resources is my speakers, because as educated and as I'm top of trends that I try to stay when programming this education, at my core, my background is event management, not necessarily spa. So, I rely on people like you and my other speakers who, have a little bit more time to devote to spa specifically.
[00:14:07]It's listening to folks like you, that keep me on top of what I need to know.
[00:14:12]Julie: [00:14:12] That's great. Cause I always ask this question and it's so funny to me because I know that for me, I say the greatest resource that I've had is, the community that I surround myself, the people that I've grown through the industry, from start to now .
[00:14:30] Am I for a minute thought it was just me, but I've realized that almost every person I've interviewed so far on the podcast, their greatest resource has been the people that they work with, that they surround themselves with. And I think that's amazing because our spa wellness, beauty industry really.
[00:14:54] Needs to rely on each other to move forward, to have a network, to have a community, to have mentors and friends that can help you through you don't have to reinvent the wheel, that we all have experiences that we can share to help each other. Grow, learn about new trends and various different segments of the industry.
[00:15:20] So I don't know why I'm surprised every time someone says that. But I couldn't agree more,
[00:15:26]Diane: [00:15:26] it's funny because after I answered, I thought to myself, okay, well, of course the internet is a great resource. And, as someone who grew up in a pre-internet era I don't take that access to information for granted the way maybe someone who always had the internet might.
[00:15:48]But even so as, as wonderful as technology is and as accessible, it makes information it really still is people, the internet can't tell me. You know what the estheticians are hearing, what they're doing. It just, it doesn't replace human interaction.
[00:16:09] And, I think that goes back to the fact of, and the reason why people are so eager to get back to live events, especially in our high touch, high end high personal interaction industry.
[00:16:22]Julie: [00:16:22] And so Diane, for people that are listening that maybe have never attended an I E C S C who is I E C S C for, who are the attendees that get the most out of it.
[00:16:36] And who should be considering attending one of the events this year, if they haven't attended.
[00:16:41]Diane: [00:16:41] Well, anyone who, who works in the spa and wellness industry, we'll find something helpful. Whether it's products on the show, floor or education talking about the education, we have different categories.
[00:16:58] So we have, of course in aesthetics category Which provides education on technique. Anything for the aesthetician, social media and marketing is a huge, hugely popular category of education. So whether you are a spa owner, an esthetician, a makeup artist, The social media and marketing education will be helpful to you.
[00:17:26] We have a category of education addressing medical spa. And of course that's something that you'll find products appropriate for on the show floor as well. We have two categories of business education at the event for both the management side, as well as business building. So, on the business building side, you'll find information on.
[00:17:48] Sale retail client retention, that type of education. And then of course makeup, which is another, technique-based category. And the great thing about our makeup education is it's not necessarily just for the makeup artist, it's makeup education for the estheticians , as well. And then lastly, a very growing in popularity category is wellness.
[00:18:17]For both personal wellness, as well as wellness protocols or wellness that you can offer to your client.
[00:18:27]Julie: [00:18:27] And I know we talked about that earlier in the year. I think on our call that, you have been hearing a lot of requests from not just the traditional resort spas that always offer wellness, but salons and day spas with spa components, obviously salons with spa that want to incorporate more wellness.
[00:18:52] Things that are quick things that are easy. And I think that it's kind of a sign of what the consumer is asking for, which is a little bit more wellness. And I feel like it's very encouraging because pre COVID and instill, now there's so many people that have not been to a spa. And it might be their first spa experience, but I think that we're seeing more consumer awareness now, and people are more wellness driven, even when you see it in like the big consumer brands, that are incorporating wellness into everything. So I'm really interested in learning and hearing more about that, at the events but any sneak peaks of interesting classes that you're excited to talk about.
[00:19:44]Diane: [00:19:44] Well, it's funny because for, , probably the last decade, at least we've had a category of education specific to wellness.
[00:19:56] It has not always been our most popular category of education. Sometimes, there was, it was difficult to draw attendees into those rooms, to the point where, a couple of times I thought to myself, gee, I feel like we have to keep offering wellness, but how do I justify.
[00:20:18]Keeping that track when it's not drawing nearly as well as the esthetics track or the, spot business management track. Well, that changed, as you mentioned earlier one of our earlier calls we surveyed our audience, our attendee base back in the summer overwhelmingly.
[00:20:42] Wellness surfaced as the category that they are most interested in. So you know the wellness category of education is not going anywhere except to expand. So you know, the ones in Vegas program. You're going to have a session such as how to meet the wellness demand and three steps to incorporate wellness into your location.
[00:21:05] That's a session that's going to be presented by Sheree Tennessee from the spa SOS. So that's an example of education that something that you can implement in your location to kind of pass along to your clients, if you will. But then there's another session called reclaim your personal power from skin to soul in a new world.
[00:21:29] And that's presented by Cheryl Pierce from skin works. And that session is going to be more of a personal wellness development session. So there's going to be a little bit of both. But then another session then I think is going to be important. Especially long-term and this is a session that's presented by Montes Wang from wellness, capital management.
[00:21:56] His session is entitled when worlds collide the future fusion of preventive health care, medical spa, wellness, and lifestyle services. So, that's something that is gaining traction, I think, in the industry. And that talks about how. In the future, your health care provider is going to work more closely with your wellness provider and provide you with a more integrated and comprehensive healthcare plan.
[00:22:34] If you will.
[00:22:35]Julie: [00:22:35] I love that. I love it so that those are sound like some really great classes and nice little teasers for Las Vegas, for people that are considering going. To Las Vegas in June. And Hey, that's a great time to combine a little personal wellness in Las Vegas with some professional development at the I E C S C conference.
[00:23:03]Thank you so much for just taking a few minutes with me today, Diane, I wanted to let our listeners know how they can find you, how they can learn more and how they can get. Tickets to the shows. Will you just let us know where they can connect with you or with the I E C S C?
[00:23:24] Diane: [00:23:24] Sure.
[00:23:24] Our website is iecsc.com.
[00:23:30] And from that main page, you'll see four different areas for Las Vegas, New York, Chicago, and Florida. At this time, the registration is open for Las Vegas. So when you entered the section for Las Vegas, you'll see a registration button that you can click and learn more and see all of the different. Education categories, you can see more about our safety protocols and of course learn about exhibitors as well.
[00:24:03] The New York registration should open in another few weeks. We're still putting together the program for that. And each show is programmed. In chronological order. So as the year progresses, the other show registrations will open, but you can stay abreast of everything via that main website.
[00:24:23]And if anyone wants to reach out to me directly my email address is dwaltersdorf@questtex.com. And you can also find a link to email me through that website.
[00:24:36]Julie: [00:24:36] And we'll provide a link in our show notes. So if anybody wants to email Diane directly, you have any questions about the shows about the education?
[00:24:48]Definitely drop her a line and also if you're not already following. I E C S C, they have a great Facebook page which is the spa show, right? If you head over to Facebook, I believe in search the spa show or international esthetics, cosmetics and spa. Conferences. There's a very informative and active Facebook page and I love following their Instagram page.
[00:25:19] So you can also head over to Instagram search I E C S C and there's always great tips. Education videos and that they share and trends that they're covering, which I know I personally love to follow so Diane, my one last question would be, is there anything else that you want to communicate to our audience before we say for well today that I may have forgotten to ask you?
[00:25:50] Diane: [00:25:50] I'm looking forward to. Getting back to business. As much as I think the rest of our industry is, and I'm looking forward to being around people again, and being able to have these conversations, to educate myself in person with people. In addition to, the telephone and zoom that we've all been doing.
[00:26:14]Julie: [00:26:14] And I want to give a big thank you to you and I E C S C for trailblazing our way back to in-person events. I know that everyone is really excited, super grateful. To be able to get back, because as you said, we are a tactile industry. We're an industry of touch. But humans need human interaction. And so I'm so excited, that you guys are moving forward with your events starting in June.
[00:26:47] And so excited to attend the July event in New York. And I know that our industry is so grateful and our listeners are also going to be so excited, to attend the events and see their peers and have some great quality education. So a big, thank you to Diane for being with us today.
[00:27:10] Thank you so much, Diane.
[00:27:13] Diane: [00:27:13] Thank you, Julie.
[00:27:14]Julie: [00:27:14] So thanks everybody for joining us today. And again, a big thank you to Diane for joining us Brayden early from the West coast. And we'll look forward to seeing you in person in June.
[00:27:28] Diane: [00:27:28] Thank you so much, Julie.
[00:27:30]Julie: [00:27:30] Thanks for joining us today. Be sure to check out our new episodes each Monday and our quick tips series every Friday.
[00:27:41] In the meantime, if you'd like to connect with us, join our free online spot community. Head on over to Facebook search spa hive, professional community, and join me our spa board and over 500 others spa. And hospitality professionals there.