Symposium Success: The 15th Annual Southeastern Tanning Expo

American Sun Systems joined with Forever Tan to host the 15th Annual Southeastern Tanning Expo Feb. 1-3 at the BentonConvention Center in Winston-Salem, N.C.

This year’s all-new format 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.

“A regional expo of this capacity is an enormous task for us but something we must give to our clients,” says Cathy Stroud, vice president and director of marketing for American Sun Systems. “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.”

Breakout educational workshops hosted by a variety of lotion manufacturers were held throughout the two-day conference. In addition, a variety of speakers—including LOOKING FIT’s National Sales Manager Stacy Woolf—presented information on the state of the industry and how salon owners can ensure success in their businesses.

“One huge goal of our expo was to share the news originally delivered at the 2007 ITA show—and the messages from Rick Berman, Jerry Deveney and Matt Russell during our show could not have been any more unanimous,” Stroud says. “The positive side of tanning is finally coming to light.”

Steve Spencer, president of Forever Tan, adds, “I think the show was a tremendous success for our customers. They were exposed to an array of information on sales and marketing, industry news, the latest in bed and lotion technology—basically, everything they need to have a more successful salon.”