THE INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF ESTHETICS AND SPA, SOUTH BEACH, FL 2008
The Southwest’s Main Event!
The International Congress of Esthetics and Spa (ICES) made South Beach the place to be for esthetics and spa professionals. The ICES transformed South Florida into the hot spot of the esthetics and spa world as it brought its 2008 South Beach International Congress of Esthetics and Spa to Miami Beach’s sandy, white shores.
From May 17th to the 19th, exhibitors, attendees and industry experts packed the Miami Beach Convention Center to experience the esthetics and spa industry’s main event. Sky-high attendee numbers and waves of exhibitor booths were just a part of the three-day educational and networking extravaganza.
Margaret Ancira, industry educator, founder and president of PCA Advanced Skin Care Systems commented, “The show was a great way to see favorite customers, good customers, go to dinner, visit and solidify those good relationships. The show was also vital to introducing new products and doing product launches and samplings,” she says.
“Attendees really appreciated speaking one-on-one with company representatives and having their questions answered directly. Face-to-face is so personal. You can see and get to know who you are dealing with, connect a voice with a name and establish a closer bond,” says Ancira.
“The Miami show had such a festival feeling. I loved the wide, open aisles so the attendees could have space to walk around and not bump into each other! There were bigger companies with bigger booths that had products and equipment to show that were more relevant to the esthetics business. The show had such a fresh feeling with new products and companies being introduced there.”
Sensational education
The South Beach ICES commenced with the General Session. General Session sponsors Dynamis Skin Science and Casmara gave away goody bags to attendees, who then congregated in the General Session hall to check out the diverse assortment of lectures and demonstrations. The various topics included:
• “The Asian Facial With Chinese Balls,”
by Anabel de la Vega
• “Common Cosmeceutical Myths and Misconceptions,”
by Margaret Ancira
• “The Holistic Thai Massage,” by Natalia Sotelo
• “From Spa to Medi Spa—‘To Be or Not to Be?’ That is the Question,” by Rob Trow
• “Skin Care by Skin Type,” by Leslie Baumann, M.D.
• “The Anatomy of the Perfect Facial,”
by Barbara Schumann-Ortega
• “Working With Today’s Teenagers,” by Victoria Rayner
• “The Foulari Massage,” by Angie Emmanouil
After the morning General Session, attendees either toured the grand exhibit hall for some shopping, checked out the multitude of manufacturer workshops or sat in on the congress’ special class and seminar. The featured topics included:
• “Designing Your Own Face With Corrective Techniques,” an in-depth makeup class, by Gabriel I. Noda
• “Networking Within and Outside the Salon/Spa Industry,” part one of the advanced salon/spa business seminar,
by Fawn Carr and Gina LoMonaco
• “Safeguarding Your Business: Evaluating Your Salon/Spa for Safety and Liability,” part two of the advanced salon/spa business seminar, by Sherry Taylor
Crystal Award presentation
During day one of the General Session, Les Nouvelles Esthétiques & Spa and Dermascope magazines presented Margaret Ancira with the Crystal Award. The award, which is presented only once a year to an individual, recognizes the efforts and longevity of those professionals who have dedicated themselves to the industry and to improving its standards.
“Receiving the Crystal Award was for me an acknowledgement of the culmination of a life’s work effort. It was so gratifying to feel that my contributions to the education of colleagues in the industry was recognized and appreciated. I felt blessed and blissful at the same time,” says Ancira.
Exciting new elements
Congress management also debuted its Green Summit to eager attendees who enjoyed the first conference series in the United States dedicated to the natural and organic skin care and spa sector. Congress management says the Green Summit was “well-received” and extremely “successful.” Attendees enjoyed the following lectures at the summit:
• “Glamorous and Green,”
by Lake Louise, M.Ed.
• “Greening Your Business and Practices,” by Michael Green
• “The Beauty in Balance,” by Kaelen Johnson
• “Green Your Spa in 5 Easy Steps,”
by Shelly Birnbaum and Sherrie Tennessee
Attendees who couldn’t get enough green also enjoyed another fresh addition to the congress, the Natural & Organic Pavilion. Congress management says the pavilion is the first manufacturer and product exhibition section in the United States devoted exclusively to organic and natural manufacturers and companies.
Until next year
Congress management says attendees, exhibitors and industry presenters enjoyed South Florida’s premier skin care and spa event. Next year’s South Beach congress will take place May 2nd to the 4th at the Miami Beach Convention Center.
“Having a show in the South Beach area brings a fresh air quality and excitement to the show. You can’t beat the location for nightlife and mid-century atmosphere, not to mention the excellent dining choices,” says Ancira.
“How can you not have a good time and enjoy this setting’s ambience? It puts everyone in such a good mood they just want to buy, buy, buy! This was one of our best shows ever!” n
Les Nouvelles Esthétiques & Spa and DERMASCOPE magazines cosponsor four International Congress of Esthetics and Spa educational conferences/trade shows annually in Arlington, TX, Miami Beach, FL, Long Beach, CA and Philadelphia, PA. Dates for the upcoming 2008 International Congress of Esthetics and Spa conferences: Long Beach, CA, September 20-22 and Philadelphia, PA, October 19-20. Dates for the upcoming 2009 International Congress of Esthetics and Spa conferences: Arlington, TX, March 22-23 and Miami Beach, FL, May 2-4.
Margarett Wolf is a freelance writer/copyeditor. She has worked for world-renowned publications and television networks and has more than five years of experience writing and editing for newspapers and various trade publications. Wolf lives with her husband and daughter in St. Louis, MO. E-mail her at margarett.a.wolf@gmail.com.
Check out the South Beach 2008 Photo Recap
Return to the South Beach 2008 Website