LF Was At The 15th Annual Southeastern Tanning Expo

Who: Stacy Woolf, National Sales Manager
What: The 15th Annual Southeastern Tanning Expo
Where: Winston-Salem, N.C.

American Sun Systems joined with Forever Tan to host the 15th Annual Southeastern Tanning Expo Feb. 1-3 at the Benton Convention Center in Winston-Salem, N.C. This year’s all-new format, which attracted 950 salon operators, included a day of salon certification followed by two days of the conference and expo, featuring guest speakers, exclusive workshops and an exhibit area with more than 25 leading manufacturers.

LOOKING FIT’s National Sales Manager Stacy Woolf flew in Friday morning, ready to meet the salon owners and vendors. The event was already in full swing by the time she arrived, as Friday featured an all-day salon certification program. The next two days were dedicated to breakout educational workshops hosted by a variety of lotion manufacturers. In addition, a variety of speakers—including Stacy—presented information on the state of the industry and how salon owners can ensure success in their businesses through marketing.

Saturday’s evening reception allowed salon owners to exchange ideas with peers while enjoying appetizers and drinks. Stacy also had a chance to talk about the event with Cathy Stroud, vice president and director of marketing for American Sun Systems, and Steve Spencer, president of Forever Tan.

"A regional expo of this capacity is an enormous task for us but something we must give to our clients," Stroud said. "I am honored by the support we get from our vendors. Their presence plays a major role in the success of our show and gives the customer an opportunity to experience everything firsthand."

Stroud also says that the goal of the expo was to share the news originally delivered at the 2007 ITA show, and that the messages from Rick Berman, Jerry Deveney and Matt Russell during the event really showed that the positive side of tanning is finally coming to light.