ISBN Explores the 'Year of Impact'

What defines a “Year of Impact?”  Members of the International Salon SpaBusiness Network will bring those criteria and qualities to life during the association’s 2024 Conference, “Year of Impact.”

Owners and key executives of multi-unit salons, spas, barbershops and wellness service businesses, and the franchisors of those concepts, will meet at the luxurious Loew’s Ventana Canon Resort in Tucson to share successes and find solutions to common challenges.

So, what exactly is impacting our lives, businesses and industry? This year, we’re focusing on Unreasonable Hospitality through the Human Connection, Synthetic Intelligence, Multi-Unit Compensation and the Big Ideas on Everyone’s Minds, ranging from recruiting, retention and compensation to government affairs, marketing and sales.

“This Conference transcends mere gathering; it serves as a platform and movement for us to contribute significantly to the evolution of our industry, as we. forge meaningful connections, exchange valuable experiences and collectively pave the path forward,” says Edward Logan, ISBN president. “Together, let's make 2024 the year during which our collective impact reshapes the landscape of professional beauty, establishing new standards of excellence and innovation. Our leadership matters, our impact is immeasurable, and the future of our industry lies in our capable hands. Let's make it truly remarkable!”

Keynote 1: Unreasonable Hospitality: How Giving People More Than They Expect Can Get You to No.1

Will Guidara, author of the National Bestseller Unreasonable Hospitality, took Eleven Madison Park froma middling Brasserie to the best restaurant in the world when he realized something revolutionary—in a restaurant, the food, the service and the design are simply ingredients in the recipe of human connection. When Guidara encouraged his team to be present with their guests, take what they do seriously without taking themselves too seriously, and employ a “one size fits one” strategy, magic happened. In this talk, Guidara willshare how an unreasonable approach to the pursuit of human connection can help you win—and give people an experience they’ll remember forever. Learn more at unreasonablehospitality.com.

Key points:

• Transformational power of a daily huddle
• Creating culture of collaboration
• Hiring the right person, not the best person
• Normalizing feedback
• Lessons of guest recovery
• Integrating customer journey
• Dream weaving
• Systemizing improvisation

Keynote 2: Harnessing the Power of Synthetic Intelligence

A massive Artificial Intelligence wave of opportunity is coming to the beauty business. Those who move quickly to leverage it will reap the benefits. It will not be an easy wave to ride. AI will be built into all our devices, applications and processes from now on. Scott Klososky, founder of Future Point of View, will unveil what that will look like for earning new customers, managing operations and employee. It is time to move past theexperimental stage and build business strategies that will unlock the promise of synthetic intelligence merged with our human minds!

Key points: 

• AI’s big-picture wave
• Perspective on why it is important to find the opportunities, more than you are managing risks
• How to use the new tools—Use cases, especially around customers and data
• Lean on the strategy piece —how you can put it to work regardless your size

For his entire career, Scott Klososky has grasped how technology can be harnessed to push industry, organizations and humanity forward into a bright and prosperous future. As a founding partner of the digital strategy firm Future Point of View, Klososky lives on the leading edge of technology and innovative thinking. He also possesses an incredible career in building companies. He co-founded Alkami Technology, a second generation online banking platform with features non-existent in current systems. The company went public in 2021 and sold for $3 billion. He also founded a pioneering webcasting company, which he sold in 1999 for $115 million. At FPOV, Klososky helps leaders peer out into the future to make decisions that will keep their organizations stronger and safer. He is recognized globally for his unique ability to accurately predict futuredigital trends and explain how they will fundamentally transform our world. fpov.com

Keynote 3: The Salon Chain Compensation Study: A New Point of Reference

What does compensation look like for a career in Pro Beauty? Qnity CEO Tom Kuhn and President Erin Bhansali will feature ground-breaking insights from The Qnity Institute’s Pro Beauty Chain Compensation Study, conducted in collaboration with ISBN. Findings include average earnings for hairdressers across diverse market segments, drawn from Qnity's transformative data partnership with UT Texas, Austin. The session will shed light on the economic realities and possibilities of a career in beauty, empowering professionals, leaders and policymakers with verifiable data for better decision making.

Government Affairs Update

Our panel will share updates on the Tip Tax Legislation, the Interstate Cosmetology Licensure Compact andmuch more.

Background

The Cosmetology Compact, which was developed over an 18-month process, was released for legislation inJanuary 2023. In the 2023 session, three states enacted legislation (Alabama, Arizona and Kentucky). In the 2024 session, we have active legislation in California, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska, NewYork, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. We still anticipate legislation in Delaware and Tennesseein this session. When we have seven states enacted, the compact commission will be convened, and multistate licenses will begin being issued. We will continue to work to add states in the 2025 session for this important legislation that provides full license reciprocity between member states. Much like your driver’s license this type of legislation would provide for licensees to do nothing but start working in other member states so adding members is critical.

Big Ideas

In this popular session, ISBN Members will share their “Big Ideas” and case studies from the past year,highlighting the power of impact. Members will unveil compelling case studies from their own businesses,demonstrating real-world impact in action. Attendees will gain invaluable insights and actionable takeaways to implement immediately to drive positive results.

Masterminds

Members will dive into discussions on six trending topics with their peers on topics crucial to their organizations’ success.