European Spa | 61 | Decem

ber/January 2018

THE NO.1 MAGAZINE FOR SPA AND WELLNESS

Issue 61 | December/January 2018 | www.europeanspamagazine.com

EMBRACING NATUREHolistic inspiration at Swinton

Country Club & Spa, UK

PARISIAN PERFECTIONOur guide to the ultimate

spa chic in the French capital

EXPERT SOFTWAREThe best IT options to improve

your spa management

THE BEST IN SHOWSReports from Global Wellness Summit, Spa Life and SpaFest

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Business Spa Life 2017

We report from the eighth annual Spa Life International UK event, which offered a wide range of business opportunities and ideas alongside extensive networking

The final Spa Life International event of 2017 was hailed as a resounding success by the hundreds of spa owners, operators and suppliers in attendance

at Birmingham’s Hilton Metropole Hotel. The event, which attracted more than

500 spa professionals for two days of extensive networking, meetings and business opportunities, took place in a friendly, professional environment that deftly reinforced Spa Life’s reputation as the ‘must attend’ event for both the spa and beauty industries.

European Spa magazine partnered with the event, which combined product and brand exhibitions with an educational programme.

On the the first day, co-founder Andrew Hammond welcomed delegates to the forum for a packed day of one-to-one buyer and supplier meetings. Held in one main room with breakout sessions, the layout of this year’s event enabled delegates to easily circulate the Expo, and once the day’s meetings had concluded, Spa Life hosted a Gala Dinner featuring the Good Spa Guide awards (see p30 for winners).

The second day’s packed conference programme began with a brief welcome from Michelle Hammond, who took to the stage to introduce success coach Sharron Lowe (see p32) as the first of two opening keynote speakers.

Stay connectedAuthor of The Mind Makeover, Lowe

delivered a dynamic session on the power of the mind and explained how her various strategies have helped thousands of business people in 32 countries.

Lowe stated that “attitude is everything” and explained that the mind is the single greatest asset in business and life; everyone is born with potential, it’s what we do with it that counts.

She asserted that delegates should become “possibility thinkers” and delete negative conversations. She also explained that for businesses to really ‘fly’, it isn’t enough to be excellent any more, rather, it is about being memorable. She urged that people’s focus

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REPORT BY SARAH TODD

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Business Spa Life 2017

1. The popular CND stand at the Expo

2. Spa Find duo Rachel Fernandez-Vidal (left) and Alison Nowell

3. Spa Life co-founder Andrew Hammond delivers his opening address

4. Debra Hogan from Caudalie

5. International conference speaker Sharron Lowe provides a keynote address

6. Bannatyne Group CEO Justin Musgrove informs delegates how to measure their spa business

7. The European Spa team, from left, Sarah Todd, Sarah Camilleri, Ian Parkes and Angela Sharpe

8. The team from ORLY making new connections

9. MACETO co-founder Sian Quantrill discusses the power of imagery

10. Michelle Hammond of Spa Business School (far left) with Linser Hospitality’s Dr. Franz Linser, Sharron Lowe and Andrew Hammond

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shouldn’t be on not getting it wrong, but they should use failure as a learning experience and next time, simply do it better.

Lowe told the audience: “You’re in the most phenomenal time for spa because wellness and the mind-body connection has never had this much attention before. Bring imagination goals into your teamwork and look at the ‘why’ – why do you want what you want? It’s the ‘why’ that will drive your team – people have to really feel your goals to help achieve them.”

Generational WellnessDr Franz Linser followed with a fascinating keynote focusing on what he termed ‘Next Generation Wellness’.

As the founder and managing partner of Linser Hospitality, and a Global Wellness Institute board director, Linser took an overview of his 20 years of experience in the luxury health and spa industries to examine emerging trends within the global wellness market.

He asserted that the human race has almost ‘devolved’ from the hunter to the hunted, citing the ‘devolution’ from Neanderthal man, who

took 100 steps to the average office worker’s one. In addition, he said the current obesity epidemic can be related to education, as those who are more highly educated are affected less than those not so fortunate.

Mindfulness was of great importance during Linser’s presentation and there was a strong focus on the ‘alchemy of now’. “Life isn’t a matter of milestones, but of moments,” he explained. For Linser, the conversation needed to shift from ‘doing’ to ‘being’, inlcuding the creation of daily ‘to be’ gratitude lists. Most importantly, he believed spas need to become part of the solution.

Linser stated that simplicity was “the keynote of true elegance” and said social developments around the world are currently far more dramatic. Consequently, spa offerings need to adapt to these rapid shifts to remain relevant, and they must orientate their offering to reflect the demographic changes that are occurring, to become less of a business and more of a ‘lifestyle partner’ for their clientele.

Concluding, Linser asked whether we were “living or just surviving” and examined the idea

of having a ‘health expectancy’ rather than a life expectancy. “Prevention simply doesn’t work,” he claimed, and instead, the spa and wellness industries should focus on simplifying their offering and treating each guest as a whole, to deliver habitual wellness that will lead to happiness rather than a fleeting, momentary wellness that is linked to pleasure.

He ended his presentation with Maya Angelou’s famous quote: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said. People will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Breakout for successFollowing a short networking and Expo session, the conference split into three breakout tracks.

Justin Musgrove, CEO of Bannatyne Group, looked at how spas can effectively measure their business. With a £20m annual turnover and 700 employees, Musgrove explained that using measurement is critical to the success of his spas, and managing specific data points (KPIs) is critical at every point of the business as small improvements can yield big gains.

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Business Spa Life 2017

European Spa masterclass: Key takeaways

Chaired by Sarah Camilleri (above), our ‘Building a dream team’ session produced some invaluable takeaways from our expert panellists regarding attracting the best staff and elevating your team

Michelle Hammond presented the second breakout session, which focused on how to best place products to catch your prospect’s eye. She invited insight from Ian Bailey, national key account director for Decléor and Carita; Jaclyn Hughes, founder of Ultimate Training Solutions; and Christine Dennis, whose sales career spans more than 30 years, including more than two decades at Estée Lauder.

Bailey stated you shouldn’t ever say ‘no’ to a customer. “If it’s not working, do something different and be disruptive”, he instructed. Dennis added: “Your silent team member can be visual merchandising if you get it right”, before Hughes asserted spas should simply ask their guests to buy, as too many operations have beautiful display stands, but the therapists fail to encourage customers to buy the products.

The final track saw digital specialist Lottie Hearn examining Facebook Live and how video could transform a spa business. Delegates gained a wealth of understanding about how to grow their audience, fans, subscribers and sales using it as part of their social media strategy.

Improving your businessThe afternoon began with the conference again dividing into three sessions. A European Spa magazine masterclass explored ‘Building Your Dream Team’ (see right), while MACETO founders Max Aceto and Sian Quantrill delved

Liz HolmesOwner, Commercial Spa Strategies“I strongly believe you get what you plan for. Simply put, the team journey should be of equal importance to the guest journey. The hours are long and your staff need their own space, so allowing for this from the earliest planning stage will help ensure that your staff members feel supported, valued and respected. Once your spa is open be proactive rather than reactive. Know your numbers; measure turn-away losses

and what the vacant space within your spa is costing, and be able to demonstrate a clear ROI. Finally, anticipate problems but, wherever possible, try and have the answers.”

Karen WilkinsonGroup head of spa, Bannatyne Group“Bannatyne’s retention strategy is focused on the three ‘R’s – reward, recognition and realising potential. These are intrinsic elements that any spa business can adopt to aid them in both retaining and motivating their therapists; consistent team recognition will help to shape the culture of your business. From well-planned inductions to nurturing professional partnerships that help to shape the standards

within your spas, every detail matters. Succession planning can drive organic growth within your company and sharing best practice within your group encourages loyalty and engagement.”

Brian HunterSpa director, Rocco Forte Balmoral Hotel“Apprenticeships and trainees seem to have disappeared within the spa industry. Firstly, the spa world isn’t portrayed well enough in schools as a potential career and many spa businesses are simply not providing clear routes for progression. We need to find ways to ‘educate the educators’ so they can pass on that a career in spa is extremely rewarding on multiple levels. To help develop our future potential

spa leaders, we also need to mentor today’s therapists far more effectively to better nurture the incredible talent that already exists in our industry.”

Hellena Field General manager, UK Spa Association“The spa industry is struggling to recruit therapists due to a number of challenges. There are many more beauty routes available and there is also more competition due to more spas opening. Alongside this, the new generation have a different work ethic and higher expectations, so salaries, benefits and career pathways are key to recruiting and retaining therapists. Consequently, spa owners and operators should

be marketing their spa as an attractive proposition to potential employees in a similar way to how we attract our guests, through material such as promotional videos.”

Dorothy Purdew, OBEOwner, Champneys Health Resorts“We developed a unique career pathway scheme for our staff so that we can change the perception of where therapists can go with their careers. From the very beginning of their Champneys employment, therapists are extensively trained. Through our pathway, they can move up to senior therapist level, and they are also given the opportunity to become a manager. Our aim is to get our therapists earning between

£35,000 and £40,000 per annum and I hope to have the best-paid therapists in the UK industry because fundamentally, we shouldn’t underpay any trained, qualified person.”

1. Inspiring keynote speaker Lou Banks flanked by Michelle Hammond and Andrew Hammond

2. The ‘speed-dating’ style of networking sessions are all about forming business partnerships and friendships

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Business Spa Life 2017

1. Decléor and Carita’s Ian Bailey

2. Chelsea FC’s Antara Spa with sponsors Guinot Mary Cohr

3. Dr Franz Linser delivers a powerful presentation

into the power of imagery. The duo described how we live in a visual society where imagery is the primary language for communication, illustrating that the right images can deliver an emotional connection with your brand.

Marketing consultant PR Smith then looked at how to boost customer numbers through digital marketing, delivering an in-depth examination of how digital management can enhance a spa’s business operation. He encouraged attendees to fully embrace technology to help their customers.

National AwardsBest UK Spa: The Spa at Gleneagles by ESPA Best Spa for Customer Service: The Spa Hotel at Ribby Hall VillageBest Boutique Spa: Wynyard HallBest Destination Spa: Ragdale Hall Health Hydro and Thermal SpaBest Country Retreat Spa: Mottram HallBest Urban Spa: The Spa at The MidlandBest Day Spa: The Woodland SpaBest for Wellness: Champneys TringBest for Design: Aqua Sana Sherwood ForestBest Newcomer: Rudding Park

Regional Awards Best Spa in London: The Bulgari SpaBest Spa in the East Midlands and East: Sequoia Spa at The GroveBest Spa in the North East: Serenity Spa at Seaham HallBest Spa in the North West: Stanley House Hotel and SpaBest Spa in the West Midlands: Dormy House Hotel and SpaBest Spa in the South East: Pennyhill Park Hotel and SpaBest Spa in the South West: ESPA at Lucknam ParkBest Spa in the Channel Islands: St Pierre Park Hotel Spa and Golf ResortBest Spa in Wales: The Kinmel and KinspaBest Spa in Northern Ireland: Galgorm Resort and SpaBest Spa in Scotland: The Spa at Gleneagles by ESPA

Winners of the Good Spa Guide Awards 2017

Recognising excellence in the UK spa industry, the annual Good Spa Guide Awards are now in their eighth year. They are divided into national and regional categories and were awarded to the following 21 spas:

Bringing the conference to a close, the final high-energy and inspiring keynote was delivered by Lou Banks. Described as an expert at ‘un-sticking’ people, Banks’ experience centres on nurturing business talent at all levels within various workplaces to drive real cultural change.

Her keynote was built around her belief that with an open mind, a little work and the desire to change, everyone can unlock every bit of potential available to them and become the very best version of themselves. “I believe that the only person that can drive my success is me and what I believe drives every single thought I have,” she emphasised.

Reflecting on the event, co-founder Andrew Hammond said: “The final Spa Life of the

year was expertly tuned into our delegates’ professional needs. We took a room full of strangers and turned them into friends.

“Our comprehensive educational programme and unique networking environment delivered multiple business-enhancing benefits for all of our attendees. We believe that every Spa Life event inspires deeper business relationships that are both long-lasting and extremely successful.”

www.spa-life.co.uk

Spa Life International has three events planned in 2018: Frieburg, Germany, May 14-16; Dublin, Ireland, June 18-19; Birmingham, UK, November 13-14. Visit www.spa-life.international

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Above from left: All the Good Spa Guide Award winners at this year’s Spa Life; the Good Spa Guide’s Anna Ramsay (left) with Spa Life’s Ray Payne and comedian Helen Lederer